As the sun sets tomorrow, I, along with Jews around the world, will be celebrating the start of my favorite High Holy Day, Pesach. Pesach or Passover honors the Biblical Exodus (as told in the Book of Exodus) of Jews from Egypt. My goy (non-Jewish) boyfriend and I will be celebrating with my friend Earl and his goy boyfriend. So, as you can see, in my little corner we are going to celebrate, but we aren’t going to be completely traditional about it. We won’t be the only ones mixing the old with the new, Jew with non-Jew: there was a great piece in the NYT on Friday about yet another change the Obamas brought to the White House. For the first time ever, last year Passover was honored there and the festivities will take place again this year.
But even as I talk about changing things up, I also remember that I love Passover so much because of some of the traditions associated with it. I am a descendant of slaves on both sides, and I am proud of the Exodus story. Whatever one’s sentiments about G-d, no one can deny that this is a tale about the strength of the human spirit and survival in the face of tremendous obstacles. I am a descendant of the people who survived the atrocity of slavery, and that means I come from a line of very strong people. Passover is my opportunity to celebrate.
Passover also comes with an awesome food selection. While many bemoan the limitation on not eating leavened foods, I use it as a reminder to feel the blessing of being able to eat whatever I want in a world where too many don’t have enough to eat. Unfortunately, this year, I will be taking advantage of the health exception as an as of yet undiagnosed illness has kept me bedridden for a few weeks now. Tomorrow I will push my limits as I prepare my contributions to the evening Seder, or Passover feast:
- latkes (traditional Jewish potato pancakes)
- home-baked Matzah (unleavened bread that is typically store-bought, but here in “diverse” Waterloo, it is tough to find.)
- roasted leg of lamb
My friend Earl is contributing Matzah balls, store-bought matzah bread for the Afikomen, as well as the Passover plate. The plate usually contains the following items:
- maror: bitter herbs to symbolize the bitterness of slavery. Usually people use horseradish.
- charoset: fruit and nut paste representing the mortar that the slaves used to build Egyptian storehouses.
- karpas: a vegetable other than the bitter herb which is dipped in salt. This symbolizes the tears of pain shed by Egypt’s slaves.
- Z’roa: this is a chicken bone or shank bone representing the lamb that was offered at the Temple of Jerusalem.
- Beitzah: a hard-boiled egg which is a symbol of mourning
The evening would not be complete if all we did was eat though. Each part of the meal is integrated into a ceremony, most of which involves readings out of the Haggadah in order to fulfill the Biblical commandment that each Jew learn about our liberation from Egypt and celebrate it annually. In the process, the youngest (which will be our beloved goyim!) will ask the famous four questions:
- “Why is it that on all other nights during the year we eat either bread or matzoh, but on this night we eat only matzoh?”
- “Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night we eat only bitter herbs?”
- “Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip our herbs even once, but on this night we dip them twice?” and
- “Why is it that on all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night we eat in a reclining position?”
And also, we will be imbibing four glasses of grape juice each (fermented for the others, non-fermented for sick Chanda), one for each of G-d’s promised redemptions, as stated in Exodus 6:6-7:
- “I will take you out of Egypt”
- “I will deliver you from Egyptian slavery”
- “I will redeem you with a demonstration of my power”
- “I will acquire you as a nation”
So yes, it’s going to be a lot of fun. But even as we enjoy the food, the company and the wine, we will also be remembering that around the world too many of our human breathren are suffering. And a not insignificant fraction of them are living in Palestine/Israel, Afghanistan, and Iraq. As we pray, I will be thinking of them and recommitting myself to the struggle for a Just Peace for all.
{ 3 comments }
Yours sounds like fun, but I always feel that a Seder is not complete without a big extended family gathering that involves an undercurrent years of unspoken resentment. Also, you should make sure that the wine is the disgusting sickly-sweet kosher kiddush kind so that you feel like throwing up after the second glass, rather than being anything enjoyable. Furthermore, you need to make sure you recite the entire haggadah in Aramaic/Hebrew at top speed without stopping to explain any of it to the attendees. Finally, make sure you have at least three atonal old guys who all know different melodies for the songs at the end, but are too far gone to realize that they are singing different tunes. In short, it should be kind of like all the bad bits of Christmas, but without the presents (unless you have some small kids who are expecting a fun afikoman prize, but end up getting a lottery ticket instead due to their uncle’s twisted sense of humor).
Matt of course brings up a fair point which is that depending on your household, Passover is either awesome, mediocre or shitty.
The person I am celebrating with was actually raised in an Orthodox household, but in Montreal, so maybe they are more fun than the English.
We actually wanted to get some Manischevitz, but couldn’t find any.
Woot! We found matzos and gefilte fish!
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