A Passover Message from Rabbi Posen
Every year, as Passover approaches, we prepare in ways both practical and spiritual. We clean our homes, search for chametz, plan seders, and gather recipes and family stories. But beneath all that preparation lies something deeper: Passover invites us into a posture of readiness. Readiness to listen. Readiness to act.
At the heart of Jewish life is the phrase Na’aseh v’nishma, we will do, and we will listen (Exodus 24:7). The Israelites speak these words at Sinai, but the truth is that this posture begins even earlier, in the story of the Exodus itself. Before the people fully understand what freedom will require, before they know where the journey will lead, they begin moving. They place blood on their doorposts. They pack quickly. They step out into the unknown. Action first. Understanding unfolds along the way.
This is the rhythm of Jewish life. Sometimes we act before we fully grasp the meaning. We light the candles before the peace of Shabbat settles in. We fast before the clarity of Yom Kippur emerges. We tell the story of liberation each Passover before we fully understand what freedom asks of us now.
In the spirit of Na’aseh v’nishma, Passover invites us to lean into both action and listening. We act by gathering around the table, telling the story, asking questions, opening our homes and our hearts. And we listen, to the ancient story of our people, to one another’s experiences, and to the quiet voice within that asks what it means to move from narrowness to possibility in our own time.
Freedom rarely arrives fully formed. More often, it begins with a step.
This Passover, may we be willing to take that step, to act with courage, to listen with openness, and to discover, together, the deeper meaning that emerges along the way.
Shtar Harsha’ah: Document of Authorization for the Sale of Hametz – Due by Wednesday, April 1st, 10:00am.
Passover 5786: Events
CNS’s 2nd Night Community Passover Seder
Thursday, April 2, 5:00pm, Birnbach Hall
Register Here
Gather around the table with Rabbi Cantor Eyal Bitton and your Neveh Shalom kehillah for a 2nd night seder. Through music, story, and ritual, we’ll move through the Haggadah together in the rhythms and rituals that connect us, enriched by elements of Cantor Bitton’s Moroccan Sephardic background. Along the way, there will be opportunities for meaningful reflection and participation beyond the text. This family-friendly evening is welcoming to all ages; we encourage you to bring quiet activities to help children stay comfortable and engaged.
Registration for CNS Members
Open March 1-March 26
$54/person*
*Financial assistance is available to Neveh Shalom congregants, please email lrichmond@nevehshalom.org
Registration for Non CNS Members
Open March 16-March 26
$72/person
Inside Mimouna
Sunday, March 22, 10:00am–12:00pm | CNS Atrium/Kitchen
RSVP to Mel Berwin
Join Mel & Etti for a fun and family-friendly workshop to learn more about the holiday of Mimouna and make Mufletta, one of the signature desserts for a Mimouna celebration! (Regular and GF dough available.)
For more information and to get early-bird discount tickets for our April 12th Mimouna celebration, please click here.
YAFE Matzah making
Sunday, March 29, 9:30–11:00am
Register Here
Please join Morah Candace and YAFE in making some Matzah before Pesach!
We’ll start with some singing and storytelling followed by some hands-on matzah making.
Ideal for kids aged 0-5. One grown-up required to attend with child.
GESHER & BOGRIM (6-12th Grade) Seder Brunch
Sunday, March 29, 11:00am–12:30pm
Register Here
Hear me out: the Passover seder should be a BRUNCH!
The traditional seder was modeled after the Greek symposium, a meal & curated conversation enjoyed while reclining & relaxing with friends. Let’s capture that spirit & bring the seder to the ultimate modern meal of leisure: the brunch!
A non-traditional seder & discussion with light brunch foods & beverages.
PDX Young Adult Seder
Saturday, April 4, 5:00pm
Hosted at Congregation Beth Israel
Register Here
Raise a glass (or four) at Portland’s Young Adult Seder. This musical, interactive Seder experience, led by Congregation Beth Israel’s Cantor Rayna Green, is a great way to connect with Jews in their 20s and 30s across the Portland area while enjoying a light Passover meal.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Community Seder with JFCS Holocaust survivors & adults with disabilities
Tuesday, April 7, 9:00–11:30am (Set-Up), 11:30am–2:00pm (Assist Guests)
Congregation Beth Israel – Goodman Hall
Register Here
Help create a warm and welcoming Passover celebration for Holocaust survivors and older adults in our community by assisting with set-up and supporting guests during the Seder. Neveh Shalom in partnership with Congregation Beth Israel & JFCS.
Mimouna Celebration: A Post-Passover Moroccan Tradition
Sunday, April 12, 5:00–7:00pm
Register Here
People of all ages and walks of life are encouraged to join us for our festive Mimouna – a unique and joyous celebration of the conclusion of Pesach with festive crafts, Moroccan desserts, music, dance, and henna. As it is customarily said at Mimouna: “Tirbaḥu vetis’adu” – we wish you success and luck!
Co-sponsored by Congregation Neveh Shalom, Congregation Ahavath Achim, Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, Keruv Levavot, and PDX Hillel with generous funding from OJCYF.
Passover Services
Candle lighting:
4/1: 7:21pm | 4/2: 8:30pm | 4/3: 7:23pm | 4/4: 8:33pm (Havdallah) | 4/7: 7:28pm | 4/8: 8:38pm | 4/29: 8:40pm (Havdallah)
- *Pesach Day 1 Service – Thursday, April 2, 9:30am – Stampfer Chapel/Livestream
- *Pesach Day 2 Service – Friday, April 3, 9:30am – Stampfer Chapel/Livestream
- Kabbalat Shabbat Service – Friday, April 3, 6:15pm – Stampfer Chapel/Livestream
- Shabbat Morning Pesach Service – Saturday, April 4, 9:30am – Stampfer Chapel/Livestream
- Sunday Morning Minyan Chol HaMoed Pesach – Sunday, April 5, 8:45am – Zidell Chapel/Zoom
- Morning Minyan Chol HaMoed Pesach – Monday, Tuesday, April 6-7, 7:00am – Zidell Chapel/Zoom
- *Pesach Day 7 Service – Wednesday, April 8, 9:30am, Stampfer Chapel/Livestream
- *Pesach Day 8 Service & Yizkor – Thursday, April 9, 9:30am, Stampfer Chapel/Livestream
Tikkun Olam Project:
Clear out your Chametz: Food Pantry Donations
March 1 – March 26
Got chametz? Donate them to the CNS Food Pantry!
Most needed items: crackers, cereal, canned salmon, alternative milks, peanut butter, jelly, and bottled pasta sauce.*
Click here to see other requested items.
Drop off items in the food pantry bins in the Plaza or outside Admin. Office.
*The food pantry can only accept unopened, non-expired donations. Only bring chametz items to the synagogue prior to the start of Passover. We do not encourage our congregants to handle chametz during the holiday.
Liberate your Passover menu with something new!
The Feldstein Library has a collection of Passover cookbooks for all kinds of tastes. Below is just a sample. Come and check one out!
- Bone Soup and Flipped Bread: The Yemenite Jewish Kitchen by Sue Spertus Larkey, featuring a wide variety of recipes.
- In Passover by Design by Susie Fishbein, you can find elegant and imaginative Passover recipes, as well as ideas for setting a fun and beautiful seder table. Over 130 of the recipes are also gluten-free.
- Perfect for Pesach by Naomi Nachman, presents easy recipes that use innovative flavor combinations to create fabulous gourmet dishes that you’ll want to cook all year.
- Zell Schulman’s Let my People Eat! offers a guide for those who may be less familiar with preparing for Pesach and running a seder. Besides yummy recipes, her book includes “lists, explanations, and sources for everything from ceremonial objects to stocking your Passover pantry.”
