Think & Reflect:
Have you finished your Passover shopping? Have the guests been invited? Have you thought of everything? What are the most important lessons to share at Passover? The messages that have made it the most celebrated Jewish holiday and kept Judaism thriving through the centuries are summarized by Rabbi Benjamin Blech: MEMORY, OPTIMISM, FAITH, FAMILY AND RESPONSIBILITY! (Click here to read the full article) These are the values that we share at our Passover seder in so many ways. The key components make the seder the perfect teaching tool – stories, questions, food. Engagement and involvement for the youngest to the oldest through methods that work. So now that you have the first things taken care of, food & your guests, take time to plan for engagement from everyone around your table.
Questions to Ponder
Ask and answer the first question before you begin: Why is this night different from all other nights? Get a posterboard and put up the question and have everyone write their answers before they sit down. Get your questioning juices going!
Do & Share
SHARE the job of the seder with everyone who is coming. Right now, give out “jobs” to each person, young and old. Take the traditional parts and tell your guests they are in charge of teaching and doing that piece. Tell each person to come with a question (or more) to challenge the others. Have each person bring an item they would have made sure to take when leaving Egypt and explain why. There are many different items to put on the seder plate –orange, potato, banana, pinecone, cashews, a Band-Aid, a mirror and more. Find out what they are all about.
A Challenge for a Week (or longer)
The night before the seder is the best part (assuming everything else is taken care of). Searching for hametz is a ritual that is fun and meaningful. It is called “bedikat hametz”. The goal is to be sure your home is completely free of leavened items. How: hide 10 pieces of “bread/cracker” and then grab a candle, a wooden spoon and a feather. The candle is to see in the dark, the feather is to scoop the crackers onto the spoon. When you have all, wait until morning and then we burn the hametz declaring that our home is ready!!
Laura Seymour | Camp Director Emeritus | Jewish Experiential Learning Director
