A Feast of Passing Thoughts

I had a real privilege recently. A neighbor invited my husband and me to their family seder for Passover. I had been to a seder once decades ago as a wide-eyed teenager. All I remember are candles, strange food, and lots of prayers in Hebrew. I had no idea what was going on.

?Not this time.

?Our hostess started the dinner by handing out guidebooks (the “Haggadah”) with a step-by-step explanation of the seder, the order of events, and translations of the Hebrew blessings, prayers, and songs.

?I remember from reading the Old Testament straight through (also many decades ago) the Jewish religion is rule laden. (Take a peek at Deuteronomy or Numbers!) There are 613 rules (the mitzvat) in the Torah. No wonder the Jews are always being reprimanded by God for lawbreaking in the Old Testament!! Christians struggle to manage just two rules: Love your God with all thy heart and love thy neighbor as thyself. An additional 611 is mind-boggling!

Aware of the cultural predilection for rules, the specific steps and order of the seder’s traditions are no surprise. What is unexpected is the rich feast of new thoughts and sights to digest. Prayers in Hebrew are said. Candles are lit at sunset. Children are blessed. The hosts wash our hands. The matzah is broken. More prayers are said. The parsley is dipped into salty water twice. The first glass of wine of several is poured and the tale of the enslaved Jews’ flight from Egypt to freedom in the 13 century BCE unfolds.

Our hostess points out a beautiful plate that sits in the center of the table with special foods each of which has a significance in the story of liberation:

?“The Z’roa (lamb shank bone) commemorates the lamb that was sacrificed to mark the exterior door with its blood so the Angel of Death would pass over that household,” she tells us. "The matzah (a flat cracker) recalls how the Israelites had to flee the Pharoah's men before the bread had time to rise. These two things-maror(horseradish) and chazeret(romaine lettuce)- have a bitter taste and serve as reminders of the bitterness of slavery. The parsley sprigs, the karpas, represent hope and renewal. And this is a roasted egg, known as the beitza, is a symbol for spring and the circle of life.”

"Don't forget the water!," one of the children blurts.

"Yes, the salter water represents tears. We remember the salty tears that the Israelites cried then, and now, and the tears that are always part of life."

“And here's the charoset,” adds another Jewish guest. “It’s a sweet mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon and honey that is symbolic of the mortar and bricks the Israelites built as slaves of the Pharaoh. I've made two kinds. One of them is Ashkenazi style, another Sephardic. See which one you like better.”

The guests are as diverse and piquant as the foodstuffs: Jewish. Christian. Proponents of GUS(God/Universe/Source), Agnostics, Atheists. Old. Young. In between.

Throughout the meal, explanations, and prayers, discussion is rampant. “What does it mean to be free? someone asks. We discuss the glory and onus of freedom. What are the four questions of Passover and why do we ask them? Who are the four metaphorical children (the wise, the rebellious, the simple, the quiet)? We go around the table sharing which one we think we are and why. The ten plagues and the suffering the Egyptians endured because of them prompts discourse of the value of recognizing and respecting all human woe, of family, friend, or foe. Throughout the meal the children rise from the table enthusiastically acting out scenes of the exodus for us. Bowls of matzah ball soup and platters of steaming food come to the table. More wine is poured and drunk. Prayers like commas, semi colons and periods, separate and end the sections of each part of the story. It’s history, religion, culture, spirituality, tradition, theatre, and gastronomy all rolled into one.?I’m moved, fascinated, entertained, nourished physically and mentally, and utterly dazzled by the cascade of illuminating sparks of thought crackling and combusting in the room.

What a gift it is when people share their beliefs and culture!

I wondered then and now what would it be like to live in a world where all credos and mores were respected?

?What would happen if we commiserated with our foes' suffering?

How would our future be different if we high-lit, celebrated and embraced the past as a mentor?

Could we? Would we?

Maybe. But we'd have to become leaders of our all too often biased and unruly selves first.

Mazel-tov!

Susanna

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