#BlogExodus and #Exodusgram 5774

Yes, it's that time of year again.

Passover is just around the corner and so is Rosh Chodesh Nisan, which is just about one week away.
I've thought a lot about whether I wanted to offer up the #BlogExodus and #Exodusgram prompts again this year. And I almost didn't. But then I realized that whenever I put up the prompts, I share them with the reminder that it is entirely what you want it to be. So I decided to put forth the prompts and give it a try. Maybe I will write on all of them, and maybe I won't. But it's a start, right?

So here it is, this year's #BlogExodus and #Exodusgram prompts:

Feel free to grab this image and share it, use it, post it....add it to your blogs, whatever!

So what is this really about? #BlogExodus is really what you want to make of it. I've provided topics for the first 14 days of the month of Nisan. What you do with it is up to you -- write a blog post, tweet, Facebook, tumblr, or something that I haven't even thought of yet! Use the hashtag to share your post (I put it into the title). It's a great way to kickstart a blog or rejuvenate your languishing blog or just get yourself ready for the holiday of Passover! I will be posting my #blogExodus posts here on this blog and I will tweet them out at @imabima. There aren't any rules, so maybe you don't like the order of the topics? Maybe you want to write on only a few of them? It doesn't matter. It is what you make of it. 

#Exodusgram is a little more interpretive. While I love Instagram (I'm imabima, of course), I know some people don't. So maybe you want to share Exodus-themed photos via Facebook, Twitter, tumblr, Pinterest or....whatever! My #Exodusgram posts will go up on Instagram and then be shared to my tumblr, imabima.tumblr.com. Whatever you do, don't forget to tag with #Exodusgram so we can all share.

The themes are really up for your own interpretation. I was thinking broadly and openly about what makes Passover special and interesting to me. I hope it will translate into creative and inspirational posts from all of us!

Are you going to join in? Leave me a comment here or send me a tweet or just...jump in!
At some point in the middle, I will probably do a "roundup" post and I will retweet all the #BlogExodus and #Exodusgram posts through Twitter via @imabima. If I miss your posts, let me know so I can go back and be inspired by what YOU have to say!

*Yes, I know that I put the Shabbat dates there. I don't blog/tweet/Facebook on Shabbat but I will post on Fridays before Shabbat and on Saturdays after Shabbat is over. You can, of course, do it any way you like!

#BlogExodus #ExodusGram 5773

I love love love love Passover.
It's one of my favorite holidays.

I love the preparation that goes into this one special week of the year.
And I love the spiritual nature of completely changing the way that we eat for one week. I relish the way that it makes us so consciously aware of each morsel that we place in our mouths. I am inspired by the themes of the holiday that give us so much personal food for thought. (Yes, pun intended!)

Last year, I tried out a new way to interpret the preparation for Passover, with #BlogExodus and #Exodusgram.

I thought it was great, and I know that others did too.

So here is this year's #blogExodus and #Exodusgram theme list:

Feel free to grab this image and use it on your own blog to mark your posts.

So what is this really about? #BlogExodus is really what you want to make of it. I've provided topics for the first 14 days of the month of Nisan. What you do with it is up to you -- write a blog post, tweet, Facebook, tumblr, or something that I haven't even thought of yet! Use the hashtag to share your post (I put it into the title). It's a great way to kickstart a blog or rejuvenate your languishing blog or just get yourself ready for the holiday of Passover! I will, again, be posting my #blogExodus posts over at rabbiphyllis.blogspot.com and I will tweet them out at @imabima. There aren't any rules, so maybe you don't like the order of the topics? Maybe you want to write on only a few of them? It doesn't matter. It is what you make of it.

#Exodusgram is a little more interpretive. While I love Instagram (I'm imabima, of course), I know some people don't. So maybe you want to share Exodus-themed photos via Facebook, Twitter, tumblr, Pinterest or....whatever! My #Exodusgram posts will go up on Instagram and then be shared to my tumblr, imabima.tumblr.com. Whatever you do, don't forget to tag with #Exodusgram so we can all share.

The themes are really up for your own interpretation. I was thinking broadly and openly about what makes Passover special and interesting to me. I hope it will translate into creative and inspirational posts from all of us!

Are you going to play along? Leave me a comment here or send me a tweet or just...play along!
At some point in the middle, I will probably do a "roundup" post and I will retweet all the #BlogExodus and #Exodusgram posts through Twitter via @imabima. If I miss your posts, let me know so I can go back and be inspired by what YOU have to say!

*Yes, I know that I put the Shabbat dates there. I don't blog/tweet/Facebook on Shabbat but I will post on Fridays before Shabbat and on Saturdays after Shabbat is over. You can, of course, do it any way you like!

#BlogExodus and #Exodusgram Update!

What a fun project this is turning out to be!

I was hopeful that #BlogExodus would inspire some new bloggers or some "retired" bloggers out of retirement....and it has!

Here are some of the BlogExodus posts I've seen so far... (titles are blog titles, not post titles!)
(Follow #BlogExodus on Twitter for other posts that I may have missed)

Sh'ma Koleinu
TorahBlahnik
Davka.org
The Table
Jane the Writer Writes
A Good Question!
Cookie Crumbs
RavIma
Under a Tree in Oconomowoc
Blessed Little Bird
oh, I almost forgot my own posts!
Thoughts from Rabbi Phyllis 

Are you posting for #BlogExodus and I missed it? Let me know in a comment!

And, very cool, I'm really enjoying the different ways that people are interpreting #Exodusgram, the photo project.

You can see some of them here, using Webstagram and others at a Twitter search for #Exodusgram.
Make sure to check out the Bible Belt Balabusta's creative Lego Exodusgram pics!
(It is much trickier to link to other people's pics, so I'm going to have to get you to go click around to see them. Trust me, it's worth it. Very cool.)

Are you doing Exodusgram and I've missed it? Help me out!

Here are some of my Exodusgram pics.... (which you can follow on Instagram or my Tumblr)

Learn and Teach (Day 3)

The Narrow Places of Mitzrayim (Day 1)

Chametz (Day 2)

 Remember, there aren't any rules....so if you haven't started, there's still time to join in! (Feel free to rearrange the order of the days to suit yourself!)

#BlogExodus and #Exodusgram

There's always a lot to get done to prepare for the holiday of Pesach.
Not only do we have to get our homes ready for the week of leaven-free dining, there's an important spiritual aspect to preparing ourselves for the experience of the Exodus.

Luckily, there are a couple of weeks prior to Passover in which to get ready!

A few years ago, I participated in Tweet the Exodus. It was one of the most fun online projects I've ever participated in! I'm not sure we could reprise it even if we wanted to!

So onto new and different projects.

This year, I'm inviting YOU to join me (yes, you. The person reading this post...friend, family, colleague, blogger, reader...) in two projects during the first part of the month of Nisan, the month in which Passover falls. You can do one or both...or just jump in at your whim!

The first is #BlogExodus. This is pretty simple. I've provided topics for each of the first 14 days of the month of Nisan...just write a blog post about that topic on the assigned day! Use the hashtag to share your post, even in your title. This might be a great way to kickstart your blog (are you new at it?) and it might be a great way to get yourself ready for the themes and ideas of the holiday! I've decided to post my #BlogExodus posts over at rabbiphyllis.blogspot.com - my "rabbi" blog. (But I'll tweet them at @imabima!) If you don't blog, and want to participate, maybe you want to tweet the topics, or use your Facebook posts to explore these themes...

The second is a little more...blurry. Or...open to interpretation. I'm totally into Instagram (I'm imabima, of course) on my iPhone. I have noticed all sorts of fun daily challenges on Instagram, and I've decided that I'm going to take photos related to these themes. I think this will be far more challenging than merely writing about the themes and I'm hoping that it is a fun challenge. Also, if you don't have a blog or don't feel like writing...take a picture instead! (And you don't have to use Instagram to share your photos, you can share them on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr (I'll admit, I have one but I don't use it, any ideas?)...whatever makes you happy!) Whatever you do, don't forget to tag it with #Exodusgram so we can all share.

The themes are totally up for your own interpretation! I tried to think broadly about what the general themes of Pesach are, and how they would translate into blog posts, photos, etc.

Feel free to grab the picture above and share it....and use it in your posts, etc.

Are you going to play along? Let me know! Leave me a comment here, send me a tweet, or send up a signal fire...
(And yes, I know that some of the dates are Shabbat. I don't blog/tweet/Facebook on Shabbat but I will post after Shabbat is over. I'm good with that....you can do it any way you like.)