REMEMBERING AND RELIVING; WEDNESDAY MARKS THE FIRST DAY OF PASSOVER FEAST.Byline: Holly J. Andres Andres may refer to:
Why is this Wednesday different from other Wednesdays of the year? The answer is that Passover, the Feast feast, commemorative banquet symbolizing communal unity. Generally associated with primitive rituals and later with religious practices, feasts may also commemorate such events as births, marriages, harvests, and deaths. of Unleavened Bread, begins after sundown. As stated in Exodus Exodus (ĕk`sədəs), book of the Bible, 2d of the 5 books of the Law (the Pentateuch or Torah) ascribed by tradition to Moses. The book continues the story of the ancestors of Israel in Egypt, now grown in number to a large landless 12:14-20, Jews Jews [from Judah], traditionally, descendants of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, whose tribe, with that of his half brother Benjamin, made up the kingdom of Judah; historically, members of the worldwide community of adherents to Judaism. are commanded to eat unleavened bread beginning the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan for seven days and to treat the first day as a memorial and a feast to God. Jews outside of Israel observe Passover for eight days. Gathering in the evening with family and friends, Jews will hold Seders to remember and to celebrate the Israelites' freedom from slavery slavery, institution based on a relationship of dominance and submission, whereby one person owns another and can exact from that person labor or other services. and their exodus from Egypt. A Seder is a ceremonial meal in which certain foods symbolize aspects of slavery that the Israelites endured in Egypt. Each person at a Seder is given a booklet, known as a Haggadah, that contains prayers, readings and songs that are used to tell the Passover story. ``The entire Seder is simply the symbolic telling of the Exodus. When we participate in a Seder, we have an opportunity to identify emotionally with what the freed Jewish slaves must have felt, both the excitement of being free and also the fear of leaving a country for a new land. During a Seder, we can try to consider or imagine that we were part of the exodus, too,'' said Rabbi rabbi [Heb.,=my master; my teacher], the title of a Jewish spiritual leader. The role of the rabbi has undergone a number of transformations. In the Talmudic period, rabbis were primarily teachers and interpreters of the Torah. E. Robert Kraus Robert Kraus (1925 – August 7 2001) was an American children's author, cartoonist and publisher. He drew more than 400 cartoons and 21 magazine covers for The New Yorker. of Temple Beth Torah in Granada Hills. Passover - or Pesach, the Hebrew word for ``passing over'' - refers to God's words in Exodus 12:13. The Israelites were to mark their homes with lamb's blood so that God would pass over them, while the firstborn first·born adj. First in order of birth; born first. n. The child in a family who is born first. Noun 1. firstborn - the offspring who came first in the order of birth eldest of Egypt were slain to persuade Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave. For Andy and Ellen Oppenberg, the Seder is an opportunity to share their religious heritage, family memories and food with their family and friends. ``Passover is a little history lesson,'' said Andy Oppenberg, the vice president of the Hebrew school Hebrew school can be either (1) the Jewish equivalent of Sunday school - an educational regimen separate from secular education, focusing on topics of Jewish history and learning the Hebrew language, or (2) a primary, secondary or college level educational institution where some or education program at Temple Beth Torah. ``My two children are excited about the Seder. My wife and I try to make it meaningful for them. When I was growing up, I experienced formal, very traditional Seders. My question as a child was always, When will it ever end? ``But now we want to do it. It has meaning for us, for our family and for our friends. What's important for my children to learn from this evening is to have reverence for their Jewish heritage, reverence for this holiday of freedom and reverence for the family. I hope that they will always experience the warm feeling that I've felt for this holiday,'' said Andy Oppenberg. Ellen Oppenberg said that her memories of Passover are of family coming together for an international feast, thanks to having both Greek and Romanian grandmothers. ``The Seder was a very big deal in my family, almost like Thanksgiving Thanksgiving annual U.S. holiday celebrating harvest and yearly blessings; originated with Pilgrims (1621). [Am. Culture: EB, IX: 922] See : America Thanksgiving national holiday with luxurious dinner as chief ritual. [Am. Pop. , but bigger than Thanksgiving. It was something that we looked forward to, and it was fun watching the Seder come together,'' said Ellen Oppenberg, who has invited about 20 people to her Seder this year. ``At my own Seders now, we have lots of questions and discussions about what we're reading. We relate the story with current events. We've had some really good philosophical questions in the past. This year, after having seen the `The Prince of Egypt,' I expect we will be talking about the movie, especially with the children who will be with us. We'll probably try to see how accurate it was in telling the Exodus story. That's just one of the ways we try to make our Seders user-friendly,'' Ellen Oppenberg said. Food traditions play a major part in family Seders. The ceremonial foods and Passover recipes handed down from generation to generation evoke e·voke tr.v. e·voked, e·vok·ing, e·vokes 1. To summon or call forth: actions that evoked our mistrust. 2. memories of past Seders, linking them with the present. ``It wouldn't be Passover without chopped liver Chopped liver is a spread from the Jewish cuisine. It is often made by sautéeing liver and onions in schmaltz (i.e., rendered animal fat); adding hard-boiled eggs, salt and pepper to the sautéed liver and onions, and grinding that mixture. ,'' said Rita Oliphant, a long-time member of Temple Beth Torah, who only makes her specialty once a year for her Seder dinner. While chopped liver isn't one of the symbolic foods served, questions about food play a role in one of the better known parts of the Seder. Traditionally the youngest person at the table asks the ``four questions'': Why do we eat matzo? Why do we eat bitter herbs? Why do we dip our vegetables? Why do we recline re·cline v. re·clined, re·clin·ing, re·clines v.tr. To cause to assume a leaning or prone position. v.intr. To lie back or down. when we eat? ``Passover is such a special holiday with many traditions, including the food. There's a saying about `welcome the stranger.' That's one of my other traditions, having a place for someone who doesn't have a place to go for Passover. I learned that from my father who came here from Russia in 1910. The real meaning of Passover is to share what you have with people who don't have. Share the good times,'' Oliphant said. ``I'm just grateful that we're in a country where we can openly celebrate Passover.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Claire Castagnola, 13, and her teacher Avigail Shapiro make matzo covers at Temple Beth Torah Hebrew School. John McCoy/Daily News |
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