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Passover begins tonight at sunset and celebrates the Hebrew people’s escape from bondage in Egypt and the beginning of our 40-year journey to the Promised Land.
At a seder (festive gathering filled with songs, prayers, a retelling of the story of our people, and many symbolic foods) we ask, "Why is this night different from all other nights?"
A seder, which means “order,” is a ritualized meal which includes 15 distinct steps. It starts with sanctification - a blessing over the first of four cups of wine or grape juice. Eating the meal doesn’t happen until step 11 and the time it takes to get there varies widely from home to home. Some families move through the Haggadah (“story”) quickly and are finished in just minutes while others may spend hours in prayer and discussion before arriving at dinner. If you have been invited to participate in a seder, be prepared not to eat right away and know that most of the things on the table are tasted in a specific order and only after a blessing has been said. Just follow the lead of your hosts.
The seder table features a special plate, filled with symbolic foods. The plates themselves can be relatively plain or colorful and creative. The objects on them are largely the same. Every step of the night has a particular meaning and is meant to connect the participants to our ancient ancestors and remind us of the freedom we now enjoy.
Eating matzah, the flat, unleavened bread of Passover, is one way in which we symbolically relive a life of slavery and remember what our ancestors had to endure. Before the holiday begins we pack away all leavened goods - bread, cookies, pasta, cereal, etc. in remembrance of the haste with which our ancestors fled Egypt - and thoroughly clean our pantries and homes so as not to leave even a crumb behind. When Pharaoh finally let us leave, we did so very quickly as he had already changed his mind several times before. Any dough that was already prepared was not allowed to rise. Instead, it dried and baked in the desert sun as we carried it out. Many Jews also change out their dishes and utensils, using a special set that is reserved for Passover alone. Some Jews go through an extensive ritual cleansing of the entire kitchen, meant to ensure that every part of the room is kosher for Passover. Some even keep a second kitchen to be used exclusively during this eight-day holiday.
There is a roasted egg on the seder plate. It’s hardboiled first and then roasted in the oven until it’s browned and clearly charred. We do not eat this egg (but it is traditional to eat regular, hardboiled eggs as part of the seder). It is doubly symbolic, representing both the special offerings of our ancestors and rebirth...a symbol of newness, of spring. In some traditions, the egg is hardboiled but not roasted and is eaten during the meal.
Karpas, a leafy green (often parsley), is a symbol of the bright hope of spring. For some, it is also a symbol of aristocracy. We dip the parsley into a dish of salt water, which reminds us of the tears of our ancestors as they labored under Pharaoh's rule.
The bone on the seder plate is a roasted lamb bone. It’s a reminder of God’s commandment for the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb to eat for the Passover meal. Today, Jews no longer offer sacrifices and some use a chicken neck on the seder plate to avoid any appearance of engaging in this now-prohibited act. Lamb has another significance during Passover. Just before the Jews left Egypt, the blood of a slaughtered lamb was marked over their doorposts as a signal that the Angel of Death (sent by God to carry out the tenth plague - death to every firstborn son) should pass over those homes and not strike down the firstborn sons within.
Maror, the bitter herb, is usually represented by a piece of horseradish root. It is strong and biting, a visceral reminder of the pain and bitterness of life as a slave. After first eating it alone, we then dip it into a sweet mixture called charoset. Charoset, which can be made with many variations, is traditionally prepared with finely diced apples, walnuts, cinnamon, sweet wine, and honey. Its lumpy mixture reminds us of the mortar our ancestors used to build Pharaoh’s cities while its sweet taste is symbolic of freedom.
There is an orange on our seder plate. This is not a traditional object but some Jews now include one as a symbol of inclusion. This modern custom is attributed to Susannah Heschel, professor of Jewish studies at Dartmouth College. Heschel included an orange in recognition of gay and lesbian Jews, and others who are marginalized in the Jewish community. In her ritual, each person takes a segment of the orange, and before eating it, says a blessing over the fruit. The seeds are spit out as a symbolic rejection of homophobia.
"The story of Passover — the story we retell each year at our Seder tables — illuminates the core narrative of the Jewish people: we were once slaves in Egypt, but now we are free. This story still resonates today with the struggles and journeys to freedom still traveled by so many oppressed communities around the globe.
This year, when we relive the story of our own liberation, we can also think of the millions of people around the world who are still enslaved by poverty, violence, discrimination, and many other afflictions. They are women, girls, and LGBTQI people fighting for rights and equality; indigenous people protecting their land and struggling to survive the ravages of climate change; activists speaking out against injustice; and so many more. At this year’s Seder, we can challenge ourselves to take a more active and more meaningful role in hastening their freedom." (https://ajws.org/.../resources/holiday-resources/passover/)
We also turn our hearts toward the people of Ukraine, still embroiled in war,
