I had an mid morning meeting at my church. I am on various committees and ministries at church and from time to time we have meetings.. Today's meeting was for the Seder committee. Hmm.. you might think it a bit weird for Roman Catholics to have a seder to celebrate passover. But you need to remember that Christ was a Jew. We think of it as a learning experience for our faith formation classes. The Holy Family would have celebrated passover on Holy Thursday. I think it is important that our students learn about who Jesus was, and before their was a christian religion, our people where Israelites.
We have quite a bit of planning to do. Our Passover Seder will be held on Apr 12.
I know a bit about what a Seder is. I have even been to quite a few of them. When I was younger and attended catholic school in New Jersey, we held a Passover Seder every year. Its just been a really long time since I have been to one. So to refresh my memory I did some research.
For those of you who have no idea what a Seder is.. Here is what I have come up with.
The Passover story involves a retelling of the story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. This story is in the Book of Exodus in the Bible. The Seder itself is based on the Biblical verse commanding Jews to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt: "You shall tell your child on that day, saying, 'It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.'" (Exodus 13:8)
The word "seder" literally means "order" in Hebrew. The name comes from the fact that there are 15 parts of the ritual service, all revolving around the upcoming Passover dinner. Food is an important symbolic element of Passover.
Parts of the Passover Seder
1. Kadesh (Santification) - During this part of the seder, each participant's cup is filled with wine or grape juice. The Kiddush is recited aloud, then everyone takes a drink from their cup.
2. Urchatz (Handwashing) - Water is poured over the hands to symbolize ritual purification. Traditionally a pitcher is used to pour water over the right hand first, then the left. Usually people say a blessing during the handwashing ritual, but no blessing is said.
3. Karpas (Green Vegetable) - A vegetable such as lettuce, cucumber, radish or parsley is now dipped in salt water and eaten. It is sometimes said that the salt water represents the tears our ancestors shed during their years of enslavement.
4. Yachatz (Breaking the Matzah) - There is always a plate of three matzot (plural of matzah) on the table during a seder. (These matzot are part of the ritual meal - there are other matzot elsewhere to feed the seder guests.) At this point the seder leader takes a piece from the middle of the plate and breaks it in half. The smaller piece is put back between the remaining two matzot. The larger half becomes the "afikomen," which is hidden somewhere for the children to find later on. Alternatively, some homes place the afikomen near the seder leader and the children must try to "steal" it without the leader noticing.
5. Maggid (Telling the Passover Story) - During this part of the seder participants retell the Exodus story. The youngest person (usually a child) at the table begins by asking the Four Questions. Each question is a variation of: "Why is this night different from all other nights?" Participants will often answer these questions by taking turns reading from the Haggadah. Next the four types of children are described: the wise child, the wicked child, the simple child and the child who doesn't know how to ask a question. Thinking about each kind of person is an opportunity for self reflection and discussion.
This part of the seder concludes when the second cup of wine is poured. As each of the ten plagues that struck Egypt is read aloud, participants dip a finger into their wine and put a drop of liquid onto their plates. At this point the various symbols on the seder plate are discussed, then everyone can drink their wine!
6. Rachtzah (Handwashing) - Participants wash their hands again, this time saying the appropriate blessing (Netilat Yadayim). After saying the blessing, it is customary not to speak until the blessing for the matzah.
7. Motzi (Blessing for the Matzah) - Now the motzi (blessing for bread) is said over the matzah. It goes: "Baruch atah Adonai, Elohaynu, melech ha-olam ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz." In English: "Praised are You Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth." Next the blessing mentioning the mitzvah (commandment) to eat matzah is said.
8. Matzah - Everyone eats their matzah.
9. Maror (Bitter Herbs) - Because the Israelites were slaves in Egypt we eat bitter herbs to remind us of the harshness of servitude. Horseradish (either the root or a prepared paste) is most often used. Put a dollop of maror on a piece of matzah and eat it.
10. Korech (Hillel Sandwich) - Next participants make a "Hillel Sandwich" by putting mar or and charoset between two pieces of matzah. They then eat their sandwiches.
11. Shulchan Orech (Dinner) - Now it is time for the meal to begin! Passover seder staples include hard-boiled eggs, matzah ball soup, brisket and even matzah lasagna. Dessert often includes ice cream, cheesecake, or flourless cakes, often made with chocolate.
12. Tzafan (Eating the Afikomen) - After dessert participants eat the afikomen. Remember that the afikomen was either hidden or stolen at the beginning of the seder, so it has to be returned to the seder leader at this point. In some homes the children actually ransom the afikomen back to the adults.
13. Barech (Blessing) - A third cup of wine is poured for everyone, the blessing is recited and then participants drink their glass. Now an additional cup of wine is poured for Elijah and a door is opened so that the prophet can enter the home.
14. Hallel (Songs of Praise) - The door is closed and everyone sings songs of praise to God before drinking the fourth and final cup of wine.
15. Nirtzah (Conclusion) - The seder is now officially over but most homes say one final blessing: "L'shanah haba'a bi Yerushalayim!" This means, "Next year in Jerusalem!" and expresses the hope that next year Passover will be celebrated in Israel.
The Symbols of the Seder Plate
There are six symbols that can be placed on the seder plate but not all of them are required. They are:
Vegetable (Karpas) – This part of the seder plate dates back to a first and second century tradition in Jerusalem that involved beginning a formal meal by dipping vegetables in salt water before eating them. Hence, at the beginning of the seder a vegetable – usually lettuce, cucumber, radish or parsley – is dipped in salt water and eaten. It is sometimes said that the salt water represents the tears our ancestors shed during their years of enslavement.
Shank bone (Zeroa) / Roasted Beet – The roasted shank bone of a lamb reminds us of the tenth plague in Egypt, when all firstborn Egyptians were killed. The Israelites marked the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a lamb as a signal that death should pass over them, as it is written in Exodus 12:12: "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn - both men and animals - and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt... The blood will be a sign... on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt." The shank bone is sometimes called the Paschal lamb, with “paschal” meaning "He [God] skipped over" the houses of Israel.
The shank bone also reminds us of the sacrificial lamb that was killed and eaten during the days when the Temple stood. In modern times, some Jews will use a poultry neck instead. Vegetarians will often replace the shank bone with a roasted beet, which has the color of blood and is shaped like a bone, but is not derived from an animal.
Hard Boiled Egg (Baytzah) – There are two interpretations of the symbolism of the hard boiled egg. One is that it is an ancient fertility symbol. The other is that it is a symbol of mourning for the loss of the two Temples, the first of which was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E. and the second of which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E. Hard boiled eggs were traditionally the food of mourners and hence they were an appropriate symbol for the loss of these sacred sites.
Charoset – Haroset is a mixture that is often made of apples, nuts, wine and spices in the Ashkenazi tradition. It represents the mortar the Israelites were forced to use while they built structures for their Egyptian taskmasters.
Bitter Herbs (Maror) – Because the Israelites were slaves in Egypt we eat bitter herbs to remind us of the harshness of servitude. Horseradish – either the root or a prepared paste – is most often used. A small amount of maror is usually eaten with an equal portion of charoset. It can also be made into a "Hillel Sandwich," where maror and charoset are sandwiched between two pieces of matzah.
Bitter Vegetable (Hazeret) – This piece of the seder plate also symbolizes the bitterness of slavery. Romaine lettuce is usually used, which doesn’t seem very bitter but the plant has bitter tasting roots. When hazeret is not represented on the seder plate some Jews will put a small bowl of salt water in its place.
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