Let all who are hungry come and eat ~ Kal dichfin yeitei v’yeichul.
This phrase, found in the Passover Haggadah, follows the teaching about matzah, the bread of affliction. It is one of many important symbols found on a Passover Seder table – all edible reminders of how the story is retold of the Israelites journey from slavery to freedom. The Passover holiday is one of the major Jewish festivals that occur yearly each spring. Beginning on the 15th of the Hebrew month Nisan, it lasts for seven days for Israeli or Reform Jews, or eight days if you are an Orthodox or Conservative Jew living outside of Israel.
We learn about the passage from slavery to freedom, led by Moses, in the Book of Exodus in the Bible. Moses beseeches Pharaoh, “Let my people go!” Pharaoh repeatedly denies his request and God intervenes, sending ten plagues to torment the Egyptians. From blood, frogs, insects, wild animals , livestock disease, boils, fiery hail, locusts, darkness, to eventually the death of male first-born Egyptian children. This final plague motivates Pharaoh to release the Israelites. However, when they were alerted that they could depart, they rushed, which did not give them enough time to allow their bread dough to rise. As a result, the Israelites created Matzah, a flat cracker, which is eaten throughout the holiday and is one of the most recognizable symbols of Passover.
While most Jews celebrate holidays in community, this is the perfect pandemic holiday as it is celebrated at home with family. It is also one of the most observed holidays by Jews. A special meal is prepared, called the Seder, and the service preceding the meal is written in a Haggadah. Seder means “order” and Haggadah means “the telling.” Throughout the service and the meal, families retell the story of the Exodus in Egypt. All of the ritual foods are explained, each with a blessing recited before eating them. A Seder plate often sits in the center of the table with six symbolic foods:
- Maror, the bitter herbs, to remind us of the bitterness of slavery in Egypt.
- Charoset, a sweet mixture of chopped apples, nuts, cinnamon, and sweet red wine, represents the brick and mortar used by the Hebrew slaves to build Pharaohs’ pyramids.
- Karpas, a vegetable, brings hope of spring and renewal as new seedlings begin to sprout. Many families use lettuce or parsley and these are also dipped into saltwater to remind us of the tears shed by the slaves.
- Zeroah, the shank bone, while not eaten at the meal, is meant to remind us of the Passover sacrifice, when a lamb was offered in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.
- Beitzah, the roasted hard-boiled egg, recalls the festival sacrifice. We eat hard-boiled eggs during the meal as they serve as a symbol for mourning when mourners consume an egg after a funeral.
- Three stacked matzot (plural of matzah) found on the Seder plate serve multiple purposes. The Seder leader breaks the middle matzah, putting aside half to be used as the afikoman, or “dessert.” Many families hide the afikoman and the children are sent to search for it and offer it back to the leader at a price. The Seder cannot continue or finish without the eating of the afikoman.
During the Seder, families also sing joyous melodies such as Dayenu, “it would have been enough,” as we recall all of the miracles God bestowed, and The Four Questions, often asked by the youngest member of the family. This begins with the question: Why is this night different than all other nights? It is actually answered with four statements about the differences such as eating matzah only instead of other breads, eating bitter herbs, dipping them twice in the saltwater, and reclining as if we are royalty when eating (and not slaves).
Wishing those who celebrate a wonderful Passover holiday. As the Seder concludes we say, “Next year in Jerusalem!” but I think we can all agree that we may want to amend it to just say, “Next year with more family and friends” as we all hope the pandemic ends swiftly.