Passover 2025/5785

When I open the door this year

I want to see Elijah in the doorway for real, 

not the ding-dong ditch guy my kids pretended to be 

when they left a note at my mother’s door and dashed,

but the guy who flew off in a chariot never to be seen again.

‘Cos if he comes then we’re actually moving forward to better times.

 

We invited the prophet to seder centuries ago, 

when the world was terrifying and falling apart,

to bring Jewish hope for better times.

With each new seder, new week, new baby, 

we repeat that hopeful potential.

Do you think, though,

the guy needs a new invitation this year

conveying the urgency of today?

 

Truth is,

for as loud as we sing, he’s not going to come by himself.

It’s a team effort

and we’ve got a helluva lot to do 

before he’ll show up and we’ll see him in the doorframe 

when the kids run to open the door in that burst of end-of-seder energy,

We can’t quit on him – or ourselves –

and we can’t quit the huge work of the noisy, crashing world,

no matter the overwhelm. 

 

For now,

I’m listening to Grandpa Morris

who gave me permission playing “Mother, May I?”

to take baby steps, and sometimes giant ones.

Grandpa, as he told it, 

was nearly cast overboard 

as an ill baby coming to this golden land,

but lived over a century of history

serving his country 

and telling stories of history intimately lived. 

If you knew him, 

you’d know that he spoke (loudly) enough for all to hear!

So whether you hear baby steps or giant ones,

just take ‘em. 

Take steps toward the door and out into the world

with hands open and sleeves rolled up,

ready to take on the work we really need to do 

to get Elijah even up to the door.