New to Passover?
The Biblical feast of Passover can be fun for children and the entire family. On the evening of Passover, families and groups throughout the world gather at tables around the seder plate and traditional symbolic foods to celebrate freedom from bondage.
The Passover meal, seder, can be as formal or as casual as a group chooses to make it. The table is centered around a seder plate, sectioned for teaching aids in the form of food such as bitter herbs and sweet charoset.
The meal is a multi-sensory lesson developed long before anyone knew to call it that. Each participant should have a haggadah, a program for the evening, so everyone can follow along with those conducting the meal without confusion. Each person is encouraged to consider that they were delivered out of slavery personally; as though they walked with Moses and the rest of Israel out of Egypt.
This would be a great year to attend a first Passover.
Public Seders
Many communities host public seders where anyone from the curious to the devout gather to experience Passover. They’re led by someone with experience conducting the meal, often a rabbi, and are an excellent introduction to Passover and opportunity for community involvement.
Most are open to anyone who would like to participate but some may require reservations. There is often a fee for the meal. Check local papers in the religion section or local events for announcements of seders in the area.
The length of a public seder ranges from an hour to several hours. Be sure to ask how long it lasts if time commitment is a concern. Be prepared to cry, to laugh, to eat, and to enjoy the experience. Everyone is a participant in a seder.
Family Seders
An alternative to the public seder is to have one at home. Many haggadah’s contain complete information about how to conduct the meal and may include songs and activities. They may also contain kosher-for-Passover recipes. Seder plates are widely available online and frequently at local stores.
The story of Passover can be adapted to children of almost any age and they love to dress up and act it out. Some haggadah’s are geared especially for children to enjoy the event.
One advantage of conducting a home seder is being able to control the length of the meal. If dedicating the time for a traditional seder is a problem the rabbinical approved 30 minute seder guide may be the ideal choice.
The Food
Passover offers cooks the chance to display their creativity. There are several fine cookbooks featuring unleavened meals for Passover. Since leaven is not used during the week, coming up with familiar dishes is challenging.
The prohibition against leaven allows those who participate to gain a better understanding of what it was like to leave behind the familiar foods of captivity. It’s an opportunity to experiment with new foods and new ways of preparing them. One of the main themes of a seder is feasting for freedom, and there is usually feasting aplenty.
A Party Like No Other
Passover is a time of rejoicing and coming together as a community, even if the community is one person or one family. During Passover each person who sits at the seder is linked with others worldwide.
The knowledge that each participant joins with every other soul involved in celebrating Passover contributes to a sense of wholeness and belonging. The seder table extends not only across space to encompass the world, but across time to encompass the patriarchs and the prophets. Few experiences even come close.
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