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| B'nai Emet -> Messages -> From the President -> 2000April, 2000“Why is this night different from all other nights?”Is there another sentence that so powerfully evokes a holiday with its rich associations and memories? I believe that at this time of year nearly every Jew, whether marginally or deeply connected with Jewish practice, thinks about slavery, the exodus from Egypt, matza, and moror—and traditions linked with family and friends. Will your Seder be a night different from all other nights? As Rabbi David Hartman stated, “The Pesach Seder becomes, too often, a rote reading—a service to ‘zoom through’—rather than a drama in which people play creative roles.” As he reminds us, “You are free.” We can use that freedom to examine some of our Pesach assumptions, to choose rituals that are worthy of repetition, and to create a more meaningful Seder. A few weeks ago, I attended a Sunday morning event at B’nai Emet that featured Noam Sachs Zion, whose father, Rabbi Moshe Sachs, was rabbi of B’nai Abraham, one of our three predecessor congregations. Noam, who has lived in Israel for most of his adult life, is co-author of The Family Participation Haggadah: A Different Night (copies are available in the B’nai Emet gift shop). His presentation on maximizing participation in a family Seder was as interactive and exciting as the Seder possibilities he describes. Noam challenged his audience. Why do we starve ourselves, eating little but parsley and salt water, while we conduct the first part of the Seder? Would a Seder be more relaxed and enjoyable if we, like Noam’s family, served more substantial hors d’oeuvres before the meal? Why do we sit around the dining room table during the entire Seder? Why not begin the Seder in the living room with guests seated comfortably, and then move to the table at mealtime? Why do we insist on having the youngest child (even if that child is 37 years old) formally recite four questions that may not be the real questions on the minds of participants? And why do we too often neglect to answer those questions? The teenagers in Noam’s audience appreciated his discussion of the four children—identified traditionally as the wise, wicked, and simple children, and the one who does not know how to ask. He suggested turning that custom around. Let our children categorize the four parents and tell us how a child should deal with these four types on Pesach. This approach to Pesach might stimulate us to create new traditions. Some people incorporate “Miriam’s Cup” on their Seder tables to remember the important role Miriam played as prophet and leader after the exodus from Egypt. In commemoration of Miriam’s well that traveled with the Israelites in the desert and quenched their thirst, Seder participants may observe a new ritual by pouring water into the empty “Miriam’s Cup” until it is full. This custom has given rise to a new article of Judaica—many catalogues offer beautiful versions of Miriam’s Cup. [Read more about this custom in B’nai Emet library’s recently-acquired children’s book, Miriam’s Cup, Fran Manushkin.] Miriam’s Cup on a Seder table might remind us of the rightful place of women in Jewish history and practice. It might prompt children to notice something different and unexpected and ask why. It might also show our children that they, too, as Jewish adults, will be able to bring something new and meaningful to the Seder and to Jewish life. You may choose to try out Noam’s Haggadah, with its wealth of possibilities for storytelling, discussion, singing, art appreciation, dramatization, and game playing. You may be loyal to the Maxwell House Haggadah. Or you may exercise your creativity and adopt new traditions or even assemble your own Haggadah. But consider Noam’s message to customize your Seder according to the ages and interests of your participants, and make it a meaningful, interesting, and truly different night. |
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