I want to wish each of you a chag kasher v’sameach, a joyous and spirited Passover. I am looking forward to seeing many of you at JCOGS’s annual Second Night Passover Seder where we will welcome Rabbi David and his family back from his sabbatical in New Zealand.
As I shared at JCOGS services last Friday night, I have been thinking about the modern Hebrew word for “tie” as we prepare for Passover this year. Not “tie” as in “necktie,” but “tie” meaning “equal in competition,” as if the soccer team Hapoel Jerusalem tied Maccabi Haifa by a score of 1-1. In such a case, the result would be a called a “teiko (תֵּיקוּ),” or tie.
The origins of this modern Hebrew word are quite ancient. The Talmud records that when two rabbis disagree and no consensus can be reached, the text declares: “teiko” or, “let the matter stand.” In other words, a tie.
Yet a famous rabbinic interpretation also reads teiko as an acronym for (ת)Tishbi (י)Yitaretz (ק)Kushiot (ו)U’Baayot, meaning “the Tishbite will come and answer all challenging questions and difficulties.” “The Tishbite'' is a name for Elijah the Prophet, as in “Eliyahu HaTishbi.” Many stories imagine Elijah as a mysterious time traveler, appearing as a kind, elderly man to help those in need. “It is Elijah,” the prophet Malachi writes, “who will turn the hearts of the parents toward their children and the hearts of the children toward their parents.” In doing so, Elijah has the power to solve our “teikos,” the challenging questions and difficulties we are yearning to resolve.
Traditionally, we open our doors as the Seder nears its end and welcome Elijah to our table. Gathered around Elijah’s cup, many of us sing “Eliyahu Hanavi.” We hope that the presence of Elijah blesses our home.
What might Elijah’s blessing be? This year, as we reckon with the suffering in Israel and Gaza and its reverberations across North America, many of us are facing heartbreaking questions and divisions within our families and communities. I pray that Elijah’s spirit brings us the answers we seek, and that his message of peace and reconciliation visits us all.
With wishes for a Zisn Pesach, a sweet and peaceful Passover,
