Passover will soon be upon us. As we commemorate our deliverance from Pharaoh’s cruelty around the Seder table, the food we eat is integral to both our history and our faith.

That makes our upcoming Shofar Shabbat (Friday, April 12) particularly relevant to both the soul and the stomach, as we award the Central Synagogue Shofar Award to Michael Pollan.

Michael is a best-selling author, a gifted filmmaker, an educator, a food activist, and, in pursuit of knowledge, a true pioneer.

In an age where Americans are assaulted from all sides with a barrage of inaccurate and often untrue sales messages, self-appointed authorities, and conflicting rulings on what is—and is not—good for our diets and health, Michael’s simple and direct approach counteracts the arguments of the nutritional-industrial complex with a single, simple sentence: Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.

In an environment where it seems the more information we’re exposed to, the less we seem to know, Michael does us all a kindness and a mitzvah by bringing these important truths to light. Among his works are Food Rules, In Defense of Food, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and his upcoming book upcoming Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation.

This Shofar Shabbat, which recognizes both the rules and the joy of food, promises to be an entertaining and inspiring experience. As a congregation about to begin our third annual Community Support Agriculture (CSA) program for those who support and enjoy wholesome locally grown produce, it is strongly in tune with our goals.

I encourage you to watch this eye-opening video clip in advance of Michael’s visit to Central. I am convinced it will leave you hungry for more.

B’teyavon,

Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein