d’var torah
And On That Day
You Will Tell Your Child …
BY RABBI ABE FRIEDMAN
O Passover
Photo by Abe Friedman
f all the great seder experi-
ences I have had, the year
that sticks in my mind
is 2006.

My parents put me and my wife
Rebecca in charge of planning the
seder, and we decided that, on the
fi rst night, aft er the opening rituals of
karpas (dipping vegetables) and yach-
atz (breaking the middle matzah), we
would set aside the Haggadah for a
while and let my father simply tell the
Exodus story to my nephews, 7 and 3
at the time, who were the only children
present. No one was better suited to fi ll
this role. An avid storyteller, my dad
attended local storytelling perfor-
mances, hosted a group associated with
the Southern Order of Storytellers in
his home and traveled with my mom
each year to the National Storytelling
Festival in Johnson City, Tennessee.

I will never forget the moment when
he set down his cup of grape juice,
pushed his chair back from the table,
and beckoned Isaiah and Simon to
come sit on his lap. His maggid (story)
began gently, quietly, building slowly
toward the calamity of slavery and
oppression. While his attention was solely
devoted to the two young boys on
his knees, the rest of us were just as
entranced by the tale he was weav-
ing. Here was a master unfurling our
people’s central narrative in carefully
framed stages, phase by phase; I knew
this story like the back of my hand, and
yet it was like hearing it all again for
the fi rst time in his words.

Our sages directed that the seder
story should proceed from disgrace to
glory, and my family’s story fi ts that
arc. Th at seder is full of emotional res-
onance for me because it wasn’t always
like that.

I have early memories of my father
telling bedtime stories, singing silly
songs and taking me on weekend
camping trips, but during my ele-
mentary school years, he sank deeper
into addiction, emotionally and oft en
physically absent. Th en he went away
altogether: As I was beginning eighth
grade, he entered inpatient treatment
in another state.

My dad loved Pesach most of all
the holidays. No doubt some of that
was our family coming together year
aft er year at the Ramah Darom retreat
that he helped launch. More than that,
the Passover story resonated with his
own journey from slavery to freedom,
addiction to recovery. And most of
all, Passover is at heart a storyteller’s
holiday. It was home for him, in every
way possible.

I treasure the stories my dad told me
throughout the years, and especially
during his 25 years in recovery: sad
stories and funny ones, stories with a
lesson and stories that maybe had no
point at all. Family stories, Army sto-
ries, personal stories. Th ey remain his
greatest gift to me because each time
I retell a story or draw on a lesson he
taught, I can feel him right alongside
me. JE
Rabbi Abe Friedman is the senior rabbi
at Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel in
Philadelphia. Th e Board of Rabbis of
Greater Philadelphia is proud to pro-
vide diverse perspectives on Torah com-
mentary for the Jewish Exponent. Th e
opinions expressed in this column are
the author’s own and do not refl ect the
view of the Board of Rabbis.

social announcements
BIRTH J
LAYLA WILLOW LIBERATORE
acob and Caitlin Liberatore
(née Applebaum) of Media
announce the birth of their
daughter, Layla Willow, on Feb. 18.

Sharing in their joy are
grandparents Abby and Scott
Applebaum of Philadelphia
and Amy and Lenny Liberatore
of Drexel Hill; great-grandpar-
ents Lela and Donald Seidel,
Arlene Applebaum and Patricia
Schilling; and aunts and uncles
Jacqueline Applebaum, Bailey
Applebaum, Benjamin Liberatore
and Nathaniel Liberatore.

Layla Willow is named in
loving memory of her mater-
nal great-grandfather Louis
Applebaum, and her pater-
nal great-grandfather William
Schilling. BAR MITZVAH
C CALEB JOSHUA BERGER
aleb Joshua Berger was called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah on March
31 in the Arava Desert in Israel. Caleb is the son of Jeff and Liz Berger
of Wayne, and the brother of Stella and Jacob.

Caleb is the grandson of Steve and Ilene Berger of Newtown Square
and John Eldred and Janet Greco of Ambler. Caleb carried with him the
ring of his great-grandfather, Irv Berger z”l, to wear during the service
and received a pin in honor of his great-grandfather, Paul Junod z”l, for
whom he was named.

Caleb is an eighth-grader
at The Grayson School
in Radnor and is an avid
esports player with aspira-
tions to become an elec-
trical engineer. Caleb’s
continuing Mitzvah Project
is to assist schools in teach-
ing students to build gaming
PCs and establish esports
programs. Photo by Breana Tiff any Photography
Photo by Elizabeth Berger
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 33