I love Passover

March 27, 2010 · Filed Under Baum's Blog 

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!

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