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April 2023 • Southern Jewish Life
The first night of Passover begins the commemoration of passing over the Israelite homes because of seeing a special sign. The night of First Contact commemorates the not-passing over of the Earth because of seeing a special sign. On Passover, the angel of death flew past the Israelites, sparing them of the final plague on Egypt. On First Contact Day, the Vulcans flew down and landed on Earth after detecting the planet’s first faster-than-light space vehicle. Each event was a turning point into the dawn of a new era. One freed the Israelites from being confined to Egypt. The other freed everyone from being confined on Earth, into the community of the galaxy. The first night of Passover, in 2023, is April 5. The night of First Contact is April 5, 2063. It’s exactly 40 years away, much like entry into the Promised Land was for the Israelites just after leaving Egypt. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years. The Vulcans, from a desert planet in 40 Eridani, much more efficiently traversed their 16.3 light year journey. That proximity could explain how, while Vulcan people won’t arrive for another 40 years, there is already a Vulcan presence on the planet. The largest cast iron statue on the planet is a statue of Vulcan, whose gaze passes over Birmingham — not just on this night, but on all other nights as well. The statue first materialized as Birmingham’s entry in the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. After a long and arduous trek, it took its place atop Red Mountain in 1939, perhaps as a harbinger of things to come. No city or historical society officials have denied — or confirmed — or been asked — about whether the statue doubles as an interstellar observation post. Aside from this year’s convergence of dates, how else is Vulcan related? The Vulcan salute originated from a Another 40 years hand symbol used by the Kohanim in certain Jewish rituals. (Perhaps the of wandering Vulcans influenced Aaron thousands of years ago?) One could have seen until First Contact the Vulcan statue doing the salute, except its hands are cleverly occupied is made… with a spear and hammer. Another commonality involves the Jewish calendar being based on the lunar calendar. Similarly, the salute offered by the toga-clad Vulcan statue is a lunar salute to the city of Homewood. There are several special adjustments which turn this year’s first seder into a special First Contact Seder. While the Rabbinic Assembly was too busy kashering their kitchens for Passover, the Rabbitic Assembly put aside their seasonal egg-related activities and hopped into conference to provide the following food for thought. The seder works in fours: four questions, four sons, four cups of wine (a necessity for anyone with four sons). (Or three sons.) (Or two sons.) The First Contact Seder thus modifies four parts of the seder. The karpas — the eating of a green plant — symbolizes the Vulcans because they’re vegetarians. Yachatz — the separation into halves of the middle matzah — resembles the separation of the middle fingers in the traditional Vulcan salute. Maggid — the retelling of the Passover story — becomes reminiscent of how long it takes Vulcans to describe things, and their propensity for not continued on previous page