[Included in Temple Beth El's Seder Supplement - full text here]

“Elijah the prophet” heralds the world to come, a world of peace and justice.

As Jews we embrace the notion that an ideal world, a world worthy of Elijah’s arrival, would be one where all receive equal treatment. Passover calls upon us to envision that ideal place in which all are included. We must ask ourselves as North Carolinians faced with an Amendment restricting marriage between a man and a woman “as the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state,” whether such restrictions lead us towards our visions of inclusion.

In such a world, we might imagine preserving rights, as opposed to restricting them. We might imagine achieving inner peace that would not depend on the private activities of our neighbors. In the Jewish ideal vision, dissent would be respected, and heard, and we would all allow ourselves the time and space to listen, find common ground, and then work together.

Let us transform our seder tables, and our State, into places where people can disagree with civility. As we make this decision on May 8, let our hopes for a world of justice and fairness guide us in our actions. We may best herald Elijah’s arrival when we create a world of equality and peace, when we embody Elijah’s spirit in the creation of communities steered by fairness.