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Passover Four Questions: Why IS this night Different?
I was (and still am) the youngest in my family. Do you know what that means? I get stuck with the four questions every year.
I remember one year – I was probably in fourth grade – I had just learned them in Hebrew, so I thought I was a superstar. I recited the four questions with pride. Every year since, I’ve been miserable about having to deliver them (and pretty miserable at it, given my terrible singing voice). Some years, I’ve even refused. I know = bad rabbi.
The four questions of Passover are (loosely translated):
Why is this night different from all other nights?
Why, on this night, do we eat only matzah?
Why, on this night, do we eat bitter herbs?
Why, on this night, do we dip twice?
Why, on this night, do we recline at our meal?
If you’re savvy (which I’m sure you are), you probably noticed there are actually five questions. I guess the first one is best understood as a header: Why is this night different from all other nights?
And, frankly, that’s my favorite question. Bottom line about the other four: I know the answers to #1 and #2, I don’t care about #3 (it’s a remnant from Roman banquets), and I don’t actually do #4.
Good news – we’re not stuck with these four questions. It turns out that the rabbis never intended for the four questions to be a fixed text. Rather, they were supposed to change over time.
In fact, in ancient times, the questions were intended to be spontaneous… There’s a great story in the Babylonian Talmud (edited around 500 CE, found in Pesachim 115b). At the beginning of the seder Rabbah ordered the servants to clear all the dishes from the table. Surprised, Abaye (one of Rabbah’s students) asked, “Why are you removing stuff before we have even eaten?” Rabbah responded, “Your question has served the same function as the usual four questions of Ma Nishtanah. Let’s dispense with those set questions and continue directly with the telling of the story!” (Talmud Pesachim 115b)
We can – and should – each ask our own questions. This year, I want to challenge us all to something. You may or may not attend a seder and you may or may not recite the four questions. Regardless, there’s one thing you can do – you can answer the question: Why is this night different from all other nights?
Some answers off the top of my head (ok, I’m lying, I’ve actually been thinking about this for a couple of days)…
- This night – this Passover – is different because we live in a different world. It is one in which the economy (and many people) are struggling and meeting difficulty, awaiting liberation.
- Passover is different from all other nights, because on Passover, everyone can feel Jewish. I was thinking about this on St. Patrick’s Day – a day on which people wear buttons and t-shirts that say “On St. Patty’s Day, everyone is Irish!” Let’s declare everyone a “Jew for a day” and share the message of liberation that Passover has at its core.
- Passover is different because we are encouraged to invite strangers into our home – to be warm and welcoming. This year, as Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s likely new Foreign Minister, is known to favor bigoted and xenophobic policies – Jews need to show that we are not like that. We welcome Jews and non-Jews into our homes and our lives.
- This night is different because it reminds us of the importance of not letting people live in slavery – we must be mensches, acting with human decency and respect.
What are your answers for why this night is different? You can respond here by commenting (register and login first) – or you can respond on Twitter including the hashtag #4QS in your message. (If you’re not on Twitter, I recommend it. If you don’t know what a hashtag is, read here).
Please respond before April 9th. Let’s see how many different answers we can get! C’mon people – hurry up – we have to leave Egypt quickly! No time to bake!
Ashkenazic Charoset Recipe from cookbook author Zell Schulman
This recipe doubles well. Prepare it the morning of the seder, cover it well, and refrigerate.
Ingredients
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts, or a mixture)
5 small apples, peeled and cored
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons sweet wine, or more to taste
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Processor Method:
1. Place the nuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse 2 to 3 times to chop. Remove to a small bowl and set aside.
2. Cut the apples into 1-inch pieces. Add to the food processor with the lemon zest, wine, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Pulse 2-3 times until everything is chopped into medium pieces. Scrape the bowl as needed, making sure nothing gets lodged into the blade. Remove to a 1 quart bowl. Fold in the nuts, adjust the seasonings, then cover and refrigerate.
Conventional Method:
With a sharp knife, chop the nuts and diced apples into a 1 quart bowl. Add the lemon zest, wine, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger and combine. Adjust the seasonings, cover, and refrigerate.
This recipe was used with permission from the author. Simply Seders is a publication of Macmillan (1998).
Sephardic Charoset Recipe from cookbook author Zell Schulman
Sephardic Charoset
Makes approximately 3 ½ cups.
This recipe looks more like jam when it is finished. It’s great to spread on matzah and keeps for weeks in the refrigerator. Soaking the dates and raisins in boiling water makes them easier to chop.
Ingredients:
½ pound pitted dates
¼ pound white raisins
¼ pound dark raisins
1 Granny Smith apple
2 teaspoons sweet wine
¼ cup orange juice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ cup almonds
Processor Method:
1. Soak the dates and raisins in boiling water 5-10 minutes. Core, but do not peel the apple, then cut it into 2 inch pieces. Mix the wine, orange juice, and ginger together.
2. Insert the metal blade into the processor bowl. Use a mesh strainer to drain the dates and raisins. Put these into the processor bowl with the apple. Pulse several times. Add the liquid and almonds; pulse several more times until it looks like a coarse paste. Remove the charoset from the bowl and place it in a sealed container. Refrigerate.
This recipe was used with permission from the author. Simply Seders is a publication of Macmillan (1998).
Passover Pizza Recipe from cookbook author Zell Schulman
Serves 12
Your children or grandchildren will love this pizza. Don’t tell them what’s in it, and they’ll never know they are eating zucchini. I like using Italian tomatoes when they are in season. If you cut the pizza into smaller pieces, you’ll have a great appetizer.
Ingredients:
3 cups grated zucchini
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup matzah cake meal
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup sliced black or green olives
2/3 cup finely chopped green onions
½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
3 medium ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 9X13 inch pan. Use your food processor, or the largest holes on a grater, to grate the zucchini. Place the zucchini in a strainer and press hard to remove the excess liquid from the zucchini strands.
2. Combine the zucchini with the eggs, matzah cake meal, and salt. Mix well, and spread evenly in the pan. Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for about 10 minutes. Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees.
3. On the cooled zucchini crust, layer these ingredients evenly, in the following order: 1 cup of cheese, olives, green onions, and red bell pepper, and remaining cheese. Sprinkle with the oregano and basil. Arrange the tomato slices in even rows. Sprinkle lightly with salt if desired. Bake 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool 5 minutes before slicing. Serve at once.
This recipe was used with permission from the author. Simply Seders is a publication of Macmillan (1998).
Adult Bat Mitzvahs at Age 90!
As much as I prefer not to think of myself as a “follower,” I have to admit that there are times when my 7th grade tendencies set in and I want to know what’s hot – and what’s not. So when I check out the New York Times during the day, I generally look to see what the most popular (e-mailed) articles are. And then I jump on the bandwagon.
This morning I was a bit surprised to see how popular the article about 90 year old women celebrating their Bat Mitzvahs was.
When I saw the headline I thought: what’s so newsworthy about this? After all, I had a Bat Mitzvah; I know plenty of adults who have celebrated their Bar/Bat Mitzvah (including my mother, who incidentally sent me an email when I was writing this blog to tell me I should encourage adult women to have Bat Mitzvahs); and I am a female rabbi.
When I read the article, though, I realized how amazing it is. When the women in this story were children living through the Great Depression, their brothers’ Bar Mitzvah ceremonies were major events, while there was no opportunity to formally recognize these girls entering the Jewish community as young women.
Sure, today girls have Bat Mitzvahs and women are rabbis (Rabbi Sally Priesand was the first female rabbi ordained in America in 1972). But that doesn’t mean I should take it for granted.
So, I’m glad this article was so popular – it reminds me of the power of Judaism. In liberal Judaism we make informed choices – and I am so pleased that these self-proclaimed “feisty” women embraced their choice to stand before the community and proclaim their Jewish identity in a Bat Mitzvah ceremony.
The article about 90 year olds does raise another thought. I imagine that the older we are, the more powerful Bar/Bat Mitzvah can feel. There’s a tradition in some circles to have a second Bar Mitzvah at age 83. Why wait? Maybe I’ll have another Bat Mitzvah soon to gather some data for a comparison. Now I just have to go meet with the caterer…
Have you seen this? “The Hebrew Mamita” Vanessa Hidary
A friend recently forwarded me this powerful video of poet Vanessa Hidary talking about what it means to be Jewish… and identity… and stereotypes. I think it’s fabulous and thought-provoking. Reactions? Comment!
Wordle - What are the Big Words in my Blog?
Have you guys seen this very cool website where you can paste in some text or a link and it makes a “word cloud,” giving greater prominence to words that appear more frequently? I took all of my blog entries to date, and pasted them in. And the picture that appears above is what I got (you can click to enlarge it).
I think it looks cool, but more important, I think it says a lot about what I’ve been writing/thinking about in my blog.
The largest words are “Jewish” and “people” – both of which I’m pretty interested in. Makes a lot of sense since we view Judaism from a humanistic perspective. Of course, the words “Judaism” and “Jews” are also prominent.
Other big words are “comment” (because that’s what I want you to do), “share this” (because I also want you to do that), and “know” and “think” (because I also want all of us to do that). “Congregation” is big too – because that’s what we are – a worldwide Jewish community for the 21st century.
Interestingly, the word “God” is pretty big – so we do talk about God quite a bit, despite what some might think. I apparently like “Hanukkah,” because it’s pretty large. “Sukkot,” and “Valentine’s,” and “Christmas” are all the same size – suggesting I gave equal weight to each to each of them. I’m cool with that.
Other big words that I’m glad I’m blogging about: talk, believe, experience, idea, show, friends, feel, make, see, support, world, and community.
The Wordle also shows that I’m not afraid to be critical (”Chabad”) and that my blog is open-minded and participatory (”think” and “comment”). There are some words that seem to be missing, like “action” and “gathering.” Maybe I’ll write more about them and remake my Wordle. Clearly, playing with the Wordle website is an excellent use of my time…
Bribing Jews to move to Dothan, Alabama - a Band-Aid, Not a real Solution
Have you heard about the Reform synagogue in Dothan, Alabama that is bribing Jews to move there? If you are Jewish, pass a background check, and meet their standards during a visit, this congregation will pay you $50,000 to move to Dothan and be part of the Jewish community there for 5 years. To see the full story, watch this video.
Sounds like a good deal, right? Maybe for the families who pocket the cash, but not for the Jewish people as a whole. I admire the congregation for trying to find a solution to meet the changing needs of the Jewish community. But, I have to say…. I think there are better approaches. Their solution seems like a temporary one that focuses on the past. They are seeking to make Dothan what it once was, and ignoring the realities that fewer Jews live there and fewer Jews affiliate at all. Judaism needs to instead evolve and find new and different ways to meet the needs of 21st century Jews.
The Dothan congregation is hoping to bring 20 Jewish families to their community, which means spending a million dollars. A million dollars could go a long way to help the Jewish people. Disclaimer: I am biased. Imagine, for example, if that million were spent on OurJewishCommunity.org. That money would create a contemporary Jewish experience that would speak to tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of Jews, including those in small communities like Dothan. Instead, the Dothan solution will reach about 70 families (the 50 who are there now and the 20 who may move there). They may be actively involved in the Jewish community for the next five years, but unless they all stay and have tons of babies (statistically unlikely) who quickly grow up and want to stay in Dothan (statistically unlikely) and affiliate with the synagogue (statistically unlikely), I don’t see great potential for growth there.
Of course, I wish OurJewishCommunity.org had more money to accomplish our goals (and we only need less than $200,000!). But, even if the Dothan philanthropist doesn’t want to give his money to OurJewishCommunity.org, imagine if he instead gave the money to an admirable cause that helps create peace, cure disease, and/or save lives. I would feel a million times better about those million dollars going to help in concrete ways with wide reach - rather than just going to twenty families. Of course, that’s just my two cents. I don’t have millions.
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- — Passover page is up!
- — Baum's Blog on Chelsea Clinton and a Possible Jewish Wedding
- — Join us for Streaming Shabbat 6 PM ET Friday
- — Barr's Banter on International Women's Day