haroset

[42itous]

Came home from a week away armed with leftovers from last night's family seder: my mom's matzah balls, Grandfather's pot roast, potato kugel, and homemade pickles. I decided sometime in the late afternoon that I wanted to make haroset and have another seder. So we walked to the grocery store and bought apples and walnuts and matzah. Kyle helped me chop apples and nuts, and he found a PDF haggadah online.

So there we were at the table with the laptop. We hit on most of the points of interest that last night's seder had omitted in the interests of time. (Even Kyle, who'd only been to one seder before in his life, realized that Grandfather had skipped the bit about Elijah and the extra glass of wine.) I even read a tradition in tonight's haggadah that I'd never heard of before -- presumably because it's a hasidic tradition -- which is that Elijah's glass starts out empty, and as it's passed around the table each person puts some wine into it, symbolizing the fact that we must work together as a community towards universal freedom.

It was a most satisfying experience, discussing the components of the seder plate and the variations in tradition from family to family, and what it all means to me. It surprised me to learn that I can actually lead a seder if I want to -- given the right haggadah and enough time to prepare, I could lead a rather respectable one!

Comments

[merilisa.livejournal.com]

There is a great deal to be said for leaving Elijia's cup empty. He was a very nasty creature, arranging for the slaughter of hundreds of Pagan priestesses simply because they were Pagan. Mom and I conveniently leave his glass empty every year.

There is a few lovely new traditions as well. There is that of Miriam's Cup, a representation of Miriam's Well. It is generally filled with water, and some people read passages about her. There is also a tradition of putting an orange on the seder plate. Why an orange? Because one of the head honcho rabbis once said that there would be female Rabbis as soon as there were oranges on the seder plate. He meant "never" by that. Now there are oranges. ;)

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

Nice. I like those tweaks. If I ever host a seder, I will need to incorporate them.

I still love the plagues. Only Jews could have such fun recounting such misery. Gotta say that I really don't believe the whole "we mourn for the Egyptians cause they're still God's creatures even if they had to suffer for opposing HIM" (my emphasis). That's such bull. No, calf. Honestly. Though I do feel sorry for the cattle. I mean, what did they deserve?

Most Jewish services or holidays say the same thing: They persecuted us; we survived; let's eat!

[merilisa.livejournal.com]

They persecuted us; we survived; let's eat!

This is the best line I have heard all day!

[luckylefty.livejournal.com]

The story of the orange on the seder plate is actually more complicated than that. See here (http://www.miriamscup.com/Heschel_orange.htm), or google on "orange" and "seder plate" for lots of other accounts.

[lifecollage.livejournal.com]

It was a most satisfying experience, discussing the components of the seder plate and the variations in tradition from family to family, and what it all means to me.

I'm of the firm opinion that discussions like that are what Passover--and any religious tradition--are all about. If we don't talk about these things, discuss their historic and personal meanings, they lose that meaning and become rote fulfilments of commandments. There's no there, there any more.

Go you for leading seder! I think next year, I may try my hand at one.