Guide to Passover for Interfaith Families What is Passover/Pesach? . 1 The Seder: The Ritual Passover Meal . 1 Haggadah: The Passover Guide and Storybook . 4 The 15 Steps of the Seder . 5 Elijah’s Cup and Miriam’s Cup . 7 Passover Foods: Foods That Tell the Seder Story . 7 Some Traditional Passover Foods . 9 Your Turn to Host the Seder? . 10 Pre-Passover Preparation . 11 Guide to Passover Inviting Guests . 12 Passover Cooking . 13 for Interfaith Families Passover Themes Meaningful to Interfaith Families . 14 Engaging Children and Adults . 14 Community Seders at Synagogues: What to Expect . 15 Additional Resources . 16 Online Resources . 16 How-To Guides . 16 Cookbooks . 16 Haggadahs for Reading and Study . 16 User-Friendly Haggadahs . 17 What is Passover/Pesach? Passover is a week-long festival, usually For many Jews, Passover is the most falling somewhere in March or April. (The important of all Jewish holidays. In fact, Jewish calendar is based mainly on the more Jewish Americans observe Passover lunar calendar, and so Jewish holidays fall than any other Jewish holiday – even more on different dates on the secular American than light Hanukkah candles. In Hebrew calendar from year to year.) Part of the the name of the holiday is Pesach, with a Jewish community celebrates Passover for guttural sound forming the final consonant seven days, and the other part for eight. of the word – the same sound that ends the Why? Because it’s very Jewish to differ over name of the famous composer, Bach. details! (We’ll answer this question more seriously below.) Passover’s popularity is partly because it’s the holiday in which we retell the foundational story of Jewish history, the Exodus from The Seder: Egypt. If you’re familiar with the Exodus The Ritual Passover Meal story, the holiday is named for the part of The most well-known thing that Jewish the story in which God is getting ready to people do during Passover is to gather smite the Egyptians with the tenth and final together for a ceremonial festive meal called plague. God instructs the Hebrew slaves to a seder. Seder is the Hebrew word meaning mark their homes and warns them that the “order,” as in “order of events.” A Passover Angel of Death will be sweeping across all seder is the ritual meal that people celebrate of Egypt, killing the first born sons of all that on the first and in some cases, also the live, but that the Angel will pass over and second, nights of Passover. (Why do some spare the first born sons of every home that celebrate the seder just on the first night and bears the designated mark. Passover’s popularity is partly some on the first two nights? We’ll get to that later, we promise!) Passover is also a big deal because many because it’s the holiday Jewish families come together to share a in which we retell the The main thing to understand about a seder special celebratory meal (called the seder – is that it combines a delicious meal, the more on that in a bit). Imagine a holiday with foundational story of Jewish telling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt, the importance of Thanksgiving, but without history, the Exodus from Egypt and a lot of symbolic foods and rituals tied the breaded stuffing (more on the food rules to the Exodus story. Whether you’re hosting of Passover later). a seder at your home or you are a guest at someone else’s, a typical seder is set 1 Click logo to return to table of contents Guide to Passover for Interfaith Families The seder and the Haggadah were developed by a group of ancient rabbis who lived in the Land of Israel under Greco- Roman cultural influence comfortable – reclining on pillows and up like a dinner party with a script. There’s cultural borrowing in crafting the Haggadah, cushions and preparing to eat and drink, talk a book, called a Haggadah in Hebrew, using the Greco-Roman concept of a and argue deep into the night. which contains the ritual order of the meal symposium as a blueprint and filling in that – traditionally comprised of 15 steps, or structure with Jewish content. A symposium What the ancient rabbis did in crafting the ritual units. Usually, every guest gets a copy, was a meal with guests during which an seder was to create a very Jewish version of though sometimes people have to share if important subject would be discussed and the symposium. The topic for the evening’s there aren’t enough copies for all the guests. explored, and a specific number of cups discussion: the Exodus from Egypt and the The Haggadah functions as the “script” for of wine would be served. The hosts would meaning of liberation for our times. The the meal, and often everyone attending issue invitations, which would state the topic number of cups of wine to be served: four. is invited to take turns doing the readings for the evening’s discussion and the number The meal: sumptuous, with symbolic foods contained throughout the book. of cups of wine that would be served. (The representing different parts of the Exodus more potent the wine that a particular story. The rabbis who originated the seder The seder and the Haggadah were host served, the more he or she would be envisioned the food, drink, and discussion developed by a group of ancient rabbis admired in community gossip). continuing on as late as people would like who lived in the Land of Israel under Greco- At the beginning of the evening, guests – even until dawn. Passover is the ultimate Roman cultural influence. They did some would arrive and be invited to get dinner-party-Jewish-holiday. 2 Click logo to return to table of contents Guide to Passover for Interfaith Families Did Jesus of Nazareth Jesus’ lifetime had the Haggadah and and because many Christian readings of participate in seders, with matzah ritual seder that we are familiar with today, the Gospels interpret the texts to mean and a Haggadah, similar to the because many of the rabbis who crafted that Jesus was crucified at the time of one Jews use today? it lived after Jesus’ lifetime, and after the the Passover holiday, it’s not surprising The short answer is “well, sort of but Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by the that some Christians find it meaningful to not exactly.” Romans. incorporate some form of the seder into their own religious life. Easter and Passover As a 1st Century Jew living in Judea, Jesus The rabbis who developed the Haggadah always take place during the same season, assuredly celebrated Passover, and some were trying to find a meaningful way for and sometimes they even overlap. As with New Testament scholars think that the Last Jews to celebrate Passover in the aftermath the December holiday season, there are Supper was probably a Passover ritual meal. of the destruction of the Temple and the many opportunities for Jewish and Christian However, during the time that Jesus lived, exile of most of the Jews by the Romans, families and congregations to share the ancient Temple in Jerusalem was still several decades after the life and times traditions, stories and fun activities when standing, and Jews primarily celebrated the of Jesus. Jews could no longer go on a Passover and Easter arrive in the spring. holiday in a different manner than the seder pilgrimage to Jerusalem and bring lambs as we know it. and other offerings to the Temple, so the One note on the subject of churches that hold their own seders: Interfaith families may want to be aware that some Jews feel It’s very unlikely that Jews during Jesus’ lifetime had the Haggadah conflicted or negative toward church seders, whereas other Jews feel good about them and ritual seder that we are familiar with today, because many of and are willing to be guests at them or the rabbis who crafted it lived after Jesus’ lifetime even help lead them. If you or your family get invited to a church seder, our advice is to check in with one another about your feelings, feel free to ask the organizers of the Passover, in the Holy Land during Temple ancient rabbis reconstructed the ceremonial event anything you want to know in advance times, was above all a pilgrimage festival. aspects of the holiday so that they could and decide what you want to do based on Jews would bring offerings from wherever function for Jews living in exile. your own comfort level. they lived to the Temple in Jerusalem, and they would celebrate over meals including Many Christians have a deep interest in There are also some interfaith seders or lamb (important to the Exodus story) and Passover, and some churches hold Seders secular seders tying the Exodus story to the matzah (unleavened bread – we’ll explore of their own. Because Passover, the Exodus struggles other communities have had for the meaning of this ritual Passover food story, and the themes of liberation and their own liberation and dignity. More on later). It’s very unlikely that Jews during redemption were very important to Jesus, that later. 3 Click logo to return to table of contents Guide to Passover for Interfaith Families Haggadah: The Passover Guide and Storybook First Nuremberg Haggadah, circa 1449 – Handwritten on parchment using ink and The Haggadah is the guide book everyone watercolor, with square and semi-cursive uses at a seder. Haggadah is Hebrew for Ashkenazic script.