Up until recently, I had never heard of Fennville, Michigan. Now I know all too well that this city was founded by a man named Fenn who opened a saw mill, and somewhere along the way, “Fenn’s Mill” became Fennville. I now know that Fennville is located just seven miles southwest of Saugatuck, is just one square mile in size, and is home to just a bit more than 1,400 people.

One of Fennville’s 1,400 residents was a young man, 16 years old, named Wes Leonard. In case the story escaped you, Wes Leonard is the high school junior who recently died just minutes after scoring the winning shot to keep his team, Fennville High School, undefeated for the season. Wes, a gifted athlete, was also the quarterback of his school’s football team. His sudden, unanticipated death was caused by an enlarged heart. I have never met the young man, but all stories indicate that a “big heart” was something he truly possessed.

I can’t begin to imagine the horror of this tragedy — for Wes’ family, friends and community. I wish I had never heard this story. I wish I could get it out of my head. But the story is real, and therefore it is our duty to keep Wes’ memory alive; to give his life continued meaning by passing on his legacy to future generations.

That is what we do when stories occur, stories of joy or sorrow — we listen, we remember, we pass on the tale to everyone we meet. Most of what we know comes from the stories, great and small, that we have been privileged to hear or read.

That is how we get ourselves through the pain of the loss of a loved one — by sharing the stories of his/her life at the funeral, at the shiva, and on a continuing basis on holidays, birthdays and many other occasions.

This brings us to the Seder table. Our responsibility (and our pleasure) on these first two nights of Pesach is to meaningfully recall the history of our ancestors in their miraculous path from slavery to freedom.

The seder is not just for the stories of our ancestors in Egypt. The haggadah is also inclusive of those who taught us how to keep these memories alive. And so we remember Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Tarfon, Ben Zoma, Rabbi Yosi Hagelili and Rabban Gamliel, to name just some of them.

Some have added to their seder a tribute to other aspects and people from Jewish history — from the time of the Crusades, Inquisition, Shoah, etc. Some speak about the more modern plights of Jews from Ethiopia or the former Soviet Union, and their struggles for freedom. Many of us also connect the seder to the birth of the modern State of Israel.

Don’t stop there — use Pesach night as a time to share your personal histories. Invite people to your table who have stories to pass on, stories that you would otherwise not know and they would be forgotten.

One of the greatest gifts of the Jewish people to the world is our instinct for keeping memory alive. Do not view the Seder as a “speed contest” to see how quickly one can get to the gefilte fish. Rather slow down the pace, share what you know, and be a good listener.