As Passover approaches, I am running a lot of recipe trials in my kitchen at home.  I love rehearsing- whether it is preparing for Seder, a Service, a Concert, or even a tough conversation. Rehearsing is an opportunity to test an outcome.  Some things in life need more rehearsing than others.  If you’ve ever attempted recipes with non-binding ingredients, you understand.  Passover food is notoriously unstable. It crumbles, it splits, it doesn’t always hold together. And somehow, that feels exactly right.

Passover is a festival of formation — of becoming a people, of binding ourselves to history, to community.  Our story began with a rushed exit from Egypt and not enough time to make or rehearse “Matzah” the “bread of affliction.” The recipe was simple, and transferrable from generation to generation.  

This week’s parashah, Tzav, focuses on the detailed instructions for the priests in offering sacrifices — rituals of order and repetition that seem far removed from the rush of leaving Egypt. But from this portion, we learn that spiritual transformation also requires preparation, discipline, and practice.

Likewise, our own Passover preparation is a rehearsal and chance to experience the joy of freedom,  family, and hope. Whether it’s a trial recipe, a trial run of the Haggadah, or an emotional rehearsal of what it will feel like to gather with friends and family- every year we are, like our ancestors, embracing the balance between rehearsal and living the spontaneity of what the moment brings.

As we clean, cook and prepare physically, emotionally and spiritually, let us embrace the imperfect — the breaking, the testing, the rebuilding. These are not just mistakes; they are sacred steps in a larger process of liberation.  May our preparations bring us joy, laughter, and love.