Passover is a
Jewish holiday that commemorates the story of the Exodus, when Jews were freed
from slavery in Egypt. It is celebrated for seven or eight days and
one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays.
Tonite marks the Passover over with a Seder, a
ritualized dinner to commence the Passover. A few years ago, my daughter and I were
guests at Temple Shalom for the Passover Seder, it was a great experience
reading the scriptures and following the tradition.
The day is not far when all of us on the
planet, will learn about each other, and see the beauty and essence in each
tradition and possibly celebrate and commemorate. Knowledge leads to
understanding, and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of the
otherness of others, thus creating a cohesive enjoyable world for us. Please do share this with your non-Jewish
friends.
"Festivals of the World" is an
educational series by Mike Ghouse that has been active since 1993. When we live
in the same communities as neighbors, we might as well learn about each other.
The best way to build cohesive societies is for its members, is to participate
in festivities as well as commemorations of each other, or, at least understand
each other's' joys and sorrows. Please note the simplicity in writing is
designed for people of other faiths to learn and to know, so we can function
cohesively.
I am pleased to introduce Rabbi David Hartley
Mark, who will be helping me share information about Jewish Holidays. The
information follows the article. You
will find information about most holidays by searching the name of the holiday
in the search box at http://foundationforpluralism.blogspot.com/
it will also be shared at various yahoogroups including Foundationforpluralism@yahoogroups.com
Thank you.
Mike Ghouse
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Passover, Festival of
Freedom
By Rabbi David Hartley Mark,
M.A., M.Phil.
Jewish Educator and
English Instructor
Of all Jewish holidays, Passover’s
theme is the most universal: the message of freedom. ‘Way back in 1400 BCE,
during the reign of the mighty Pharaoh Ramses II (or perhaps his son,
Merneptah), an invisible God reached out of the heavens and into human history.
“Let My people go!” ordered Moses, His prophet, and, shocked and demoralized by
ten plagues which afflicted his country, his cattle, and his people, Ramses had
no choice but to comply, according to the biblical Book of Exodus.
Today, this message continues to
resonate in oppressed nations worldwide, where uncounted millions of human
beings yearn for the very freedoms which we Americans take for granted: freedom
of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and
freedom from fear.
What do Jews do during Passover, Pesach in Hebrew? For the seven-day
(eight, outside of Israel) period of the holiday, observant Jews refrain from
eating leavened foods, and instead eat foods consisting of matzah,
the grain of which (usually wheat) has been mixed with water and baked before
eighteen minutes have passed, in remembrance of the speed in which the
Israelites departed Egypt during the Exodus.
In synagogue or temple, Passover features temple
prayers and Torah (The Holy Scroll of the Pentateuch, or Five Books of Moses)
Readings relating to the Exodus and to the Springtime Harvest, as well as the
Prayer for Dew, reminding us of the holiday’s agricultural roots as the start
of the Harvest Season in Israel.
The holiday is largely home-based, with the seder (Hebrew, “order”) meal, the
special feast, at its center. This year, Jews will enjoy their seder-meals on
Friday and Saturday evenings, April 3 and 4.
The Seder is a repast full of symbolism: while
singing and chanting prayers and songs from a special book called the Hagadah, (Hebrew, “the Telling”), we eat
white horseradish, the “bitter herb” which reminds us of the bitterness of
slavery, and dip green parsley, the symbol of springtime, into salt water, to
recall the bitter tears of slavery, while often reclining at the table in the
attitude of free people. Indeed, the seder represents the earliest audio-visual
learning experience known to humankind, and everything we do there is meant to
provoke questions and discussion, often far into the night—although we
encourage our youngest children to become involved, too, since we center our
Judaism on religious education and positive experiences. Jews must remain
Jewish; it is our fate and our good fortune.
It is a dinner full of ritual, in which the
participants partake of four cups of wine, to represent the four promises God
made to our ancestors: “I took you out of Egypt; I saved you from Pharaoh’s
wrath; I liberated you from slavery; I took you to be My special people.” Because
of this, the number four resounds throughout the Seder-Meal: the Hagadah-book
tells the youngest participant to ask Four Questions relating to different
foods, different aspects of freedom. It describes Four Children: the Wise, the
Wicked, the Simple, and the One Who Does Not Know How to Ask, referring either
to actual types of children who must be educated in ways suitable for their
learning abilities or personalities. It might also symbolize all human beings,
who must pass through different stages of development, before learning to
understand and accept human differences—a crucial stage in reaching World Peace
among the Races, Religions, and Ethnicities. That is the Universal Message of
Passover—liberation from hatred and prejudice, and we pray for the swift
arrival of that day.
Passover marks the beginning of the spring
harvest season. Accordingly, the temple service during the holiday includes a
prayer for dew, representing both God’s visible grace upon the earth, and the
gentle rain which sustains the standing barley. May Passover 2015 bring
blessings of peace and freedom for all!
Rabbi David Hartley Mark has an extensive educational and
teaching background. He has earned several
academic degrees including a Master’s in Philosophy, advanced studies in
Judaism and Rabbinical studies.
