This section of the page higlights an upcoming Jewish Holiday
Passover
The Story of Passover:
Passover (in Hebrew: Pesach) is a holiday on which Jews celebrate our freedom from slavery in Egypt. The bibilical book of Exodus begins with the story of Passover. How the Pharaoh of Egypt saw the Israelites as a danger to his rule and made them into slaves to build his cities, eventually throwing baby boys into the Nile to drown. One such boy was placed in a basket on the Nile and found by a daughter of Pharaoh. Even though she knew it had to be an Israelite baby, she adopted him, named him Moses and raised him in the palace, unwittingly using Moses's actual mother as a wet-nurse (arranged by Moses's sister Miriam).
Moses always maintainted a sense of right and wrong that transcended his time and as a young adult he saw an Egyptian taskmaster stiking a slave mercilessly. Moses, in a fit of righteous indignation, killed the taskmaster. When he realized that his act was witnessed and word would soon get back to Pharaoh, Moses fled into the wilderness and settled down with a Priest of the Midianites, Yitro, and marrying one of his Daughters. While tending sheep for Yitro, Moses followed one up a mountain, and there he saw a burning bush that was not being consumed by the fire. Out of the bush God gave Moses the commandment to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelite people go.
A reluctant Moses, accompanied by his brother, Aaron, went to Pharaoh. Pharaoh refused them time and again, and God sent down the 10 plagues on Egypt: blood, frogs, vermin, wild animals, cattle disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and then finally death of the first born of the Egyptians. To avoid the final plague, the Israelite familys each sacrificed a lamb as a sacrifice of protection (pasach), and put the blood on the door posts of thier homes so that God would protect (pesach) or pass over thier homes.
After this 10th plague Pharaoh relented and let the people go under the leadership of Moses. The people had to leave quickly, and they took with them bread that did not have time to rise. But Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army after the Israelites. Seemingly caught between the advancing army and the Sea of Reeds, the Israleites were stuck until the sea split open and they were able to pass on dry land, once they were all across safely the sea returned to its natural state and drowned the Egyptian army. To celebrate thier complete freedom the Israleites proclaimed, "Who is like Adonai among the gods that are worshipped? Who is like God, majestic in holiness, performing wonders, doing miracles?"
Our Celebration:
Today Passover is celebrated through the telling of the story that surrounds a festive meal, the Seder, and eating foods symbolic of the sotry and the Israelites re-birth as a free nation. The main food item is that of Matzah, the unleavened bread that is eaten at the Seder and in place of leavened bread through the course of the holiday. No bread or leavened products are consumed through the 7 days of passover, and some Jews clean out thier houses of bread products entirely before the Holiday, using a feather to pick up the last few crumbs.
At the seder, which is conducted on the first night usually in family homes. Many will participate either in a second night seder or an additional seder on any of the other nights (excepting the last night) in order to celebrate the holiday with thier congregation or others not at the first night seder. The seder has 4 cups of wine, one for each of the promises God made to the Israelites upon thier leaving Egypt, and the table is adorned with 3 matzot in a stack, and a seder plate. On the seder plate are foods symbolic of both the spring-time and the exodus: Lettuce and Parsely represent the green of spring, and the egg represnets the idea of re-birth of the Israelites after slavery. The shankbone, traditionally lamb, but any type of kosher animal bone can be used, reminds of the Pesach sacrifice at the time of the 10th plague. Charoset, an apple, wine and walnut mixture, reminds us both of the mortar the Israleites used to make the bricks for Egyptian cities, but also the sweetness of freedom. The final item on the plate is the Maror, bitter herb, that is a reminder of the bitterness of slavery. Additionally salt water is on the table as a representation of the tears of slavery.
As the Seder commences, it begins with the first cup of wine and then continues with a blessing for the Karpas (Parsley) which is dipped in salt water and eaten. Then the middle of the 3 Matzot are broken, with one half being hidden away as a fun game of hide and seek for the kids to find. The Top matzah (and additional Matzot if needed) is then distributed and after a blessing it is eaten plain. Following a blessing for the eating of Maror the maror is eaten with the Matzah, and many, following Hillel's tradition, then eat the Matzah topped with Maror and Charoset. At this point some seders (including the one at B'nai El) will serve vegtables and other appatizer foods to be eaten during the telling of the story. Other Seders tell the story first to the second cup of wine and then continue with the other food blessings.
The story is told by taking a passage from the Book of Deuteronomy and using those words to describe the expreience of the Israleites during the Exodus. It starts with a child or children asking questions about the unusual nature of the evening's meal ,and then continues with the answers in the form of the story. At the recounting of the 10 plagues, each participant removes a little win from his or her cup, reducing our joy as we remember that innocent Egyptians suffered as well. Then we recount all of God's miracles, saying after that each miracle alone would have been enough.
Then the symbols of Matzah, Maror and Pesach (the shankbone) are explained according to the custom of Rabbi Gamliel. After a couple of Psalms of praise we drink from the second cup of wine and enjoy the meal.
At as the meal ends, the children look for the Afikomen, the peice of Matzah that was hidden away, and the one who finds it gets a special prize. The found piece is broken and distributed to everyone as a "dessert". The purpose is, that at the beginning of the Seder we were hungry, so we ate Matzah, but after the meal we are full, therefore we are eating more Matzah simply to follow the commandment. After the blessing for the food we have eaten, the third cup of wine is drank. WE recall the prophet elijah and pray for his return (literally or metaphorically) to usher in an era of freedom for all people. The Seder concludes with more Psalms of praise, the fourth Cup of wine, and the phrase, "Next Year in Jerusalem," a prayer that each city in which we hold seder the next year will be Jerusalem, literally an ir-shalom -a city of peace.
B'nai El will hold a community seder on the Third night of Passover this year, Friday April 14th at 7pm. Call the Temple office or e-mail us at info@bnaiel.org if you would like to join us, the cost is $22 for Adults, $11 for chilren 5-12, and $3 for children under 5.
