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I love Passover
Passover is by far one of my favorite holidays. Sure, I get sick of the matzah after a few days (although I usually can continue eating matzah pizza!), but the seder meal is always fun. Passover celebrates the story told in the Torah, in the book of Exodus, when the Jews are finally freed from slavery in Egypt. While there is little historic evidence of those events, that does not stop me from enjoying the holiday.
For me, Passover is about family and friends – and having an interactive seder evening together. (Background: seder (which means order) is the meal people enjoy on Passover while reading from the Haggadah (which tells of the stories and symbols of the holiday)).
Passover is one of the most widely observed Jewish traditions – most likely because it happens in the home. You don’t need to show up somewhere and listen to rabbis read liturgy or give sermons. Instead, you can create your own Passover experience as your home becomes a small sanctuary.
Passover is a holiday that works for all ages – mostly because the symbols make it tangible. You taste the story as you dip parsley in salt water (representative of the tears of slavery) or snack on charoset (delicious mixture of nuts, apple, and wine that is reminiscent of the bricks the slaves are said to have used in Egypt).
There is singing, storytelling, symbolism – and of course wine. The seder meal is actually modeled on a Greco-Roman symposium – which often involved lots of drinking and lots of great conversation.
Passover also has big symbolic points – it is not just the story told of freedom and liberation for the Israelites. It is also about freedom today – and knowing that each of us can help bring freedom to those who still do not have it.
Many Passover seders blend the old with the new. We may have the same basic story, food, and symbols each year, but we can add our own twists. Some people have added a Miriam’s cup (with water) in addition to Elijah’s cup. Some have enacted the plagues in really fun ways (I hear ping pong balls make great hail!). Some have a nice tradition of having each person pour a little bit of wine from his/her cup into Elijah’s – to symbolize that we all have a role in making the world a better place.
Happy Passover everyone!
Matzo Buttercrunch Recipe
This matzo buttercrunch recipe comes recommended from Susan in Cincinnati. It’s from Cooking Light magazine.
It involves matzah crackers, butter, brown suger, and chocolate chips. Now that is one delicious way to doctor up the matzah!
Online Passover Seder Unites People From Around the World
Some of you may recall that last year I tweeted a Passover seder. If you missed it, you can always read my blog and play-by-play account here. On the High Holidays and each week on Shabbat we video-stream our services. So, I guess we could video-stream Passover and you could all type in using Facebook and Twitter like you do on Shabbat. But, a fun part of Passover is dividing up the Haggadah (story of Passover) so that everyone gets to read parts – and everyone (even those of us without beautiful voices) gets to sing loudly!
So we wanted to create that experience on the web this Passover, and we figured out a different way to do it. Using webinar technology, Rabbi Barr and I are hosting a seder and you are all invited! It’s on the second night of Passover – Tuesday, March 30 at 5PM EDT. We’re aspiring to have at least a dozen countries represented, so we’re hoping that even if it’s later at night in the time zone you’re in, you’ll participate. To sign up, go to bit.ly/worldseder. You can sign up to participate quietly – or you can sign up to do a reading in the seder. All you need is a computer with internet access and you’ll be able to watch and listen. If you want to participate by reading, you can use either a microphone or a telephone.
We are so excited about this. OurJewishCommunity.org might possibly be the largest synagogue in the world – and now we have the potential to host the largest Passover seder in the world.
If you want to go all out and have Passover accouterments for your seder, here’s what we would suggest:
- Seder plate with bitter herb (like horseradish), a roasted lamb bone, charoset (condiment of apples, wine, cinnamon, and nuts), parsley, and a roasted egg
- Holiday candles
- Bowl of salt water
- Plate with three pieces of matzah, covered
- Kiddush cup (or wine glass) for Elijah
- Wine
- More matzah!
Of course, you don’t need any of this, but there’s nothing like some bitter herbs and lots of wine to get you in the holiday spirit!
If you have any questions about our Passover Seder around the World, please contact me at rabbi@ourjewishcommunity.org!
Will Chelsea Clinton have a Jewish Wedding?
There’s been a lot of chatter lately, particularly in the Jewish world, about whether Chelsea Clinton and her fiancé Marc Mezvinksy will have a Jewish wedding. My primary response is: leave them alone!
While the values, traditions, and religious framework that Chelsea and Marc will adopt in their new life together should be very important to the two of them, I consider these very personal topics. I’m not sure why there has been so much reaction in the Jewish community, except that the underlying message seems to be that some Jewish professionals want Chelsea to convert – it would be like gaining one more for our team – a trophy of sorts (in their eyes).
I did blog about this topic in December – and you can read more of my thoughts there. But of course, I’ve had some more recent thoughts as well.
When I work with interfaith couples to plan their weddings, it is a remarkable opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations about what their shared life together will bring. How can we create a ceremony that speaks to the couple? How can their wedding – one of the most important moments of their lives – be imbued with a sense of shared humanity while also appreciating the uniqueness of various traditions?
I like to think that couples should spend more time time thinking about their marriages than they do about their wedding days. How will they create a life together that blends aspects of their families of origin and their respective religions? What new traditions will they create? If they choose to have children, how will they raise their children? How will they deal with the opportunities and challenges that interfaith marriage presents?
As for Chelsea and Marc, I wish them the best in whatever they decide. It is their decision. But, of course, if they need a rabbi to officiate, they should call me. I would love to have some conversations with them about the kind of family they would like to create.
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- — Congratulations to our very own Rabbi Baum for being named one of the Forward's 50 Most Influential Female Rabbis!
- &mdash: Order your Jewish Silly Bands today! Meshuga Bands are here!
- — Baum's Blog on Tisha B'Av
- — Baum's Blog on The Cost of Being Jewish
- — Join us for Streaming Shabbat 6PM Friday
- — Barr's Banter on A Belated Father's Day
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