Sunday, April 24, 2011

My First Passover

Okay - I know it's not exactly my FIRST Passover.  I mean I have been observing/celebrating Passover to some extent my entire life.  But this is the first Passover I have actually observed much more than I ever have before.  This year we switched pots and pans, dishes, I emptied my pantry, I even sold my chametz through the shul.

The seders were the same - though this year I had a discussion with my uncle that was far more theological than we have ever had in a discussion.  We were able to converse on a whole different plane. I have a much better understanding and appreciation of my uncle.

I will admit I'm looking forward to getting back to eating a regular diet - but considering we were quite lacking in left-overs, I actually have had to cook, and believe me - it's nice to have to!!  Last night I made chicken fingers which I dipped in eggs and mazto meal, which I flavoured, and potato wedges. We cleared the plate! (well, actually, we left two fingers on the plate)

I also made a beef pie. I had leftover potatoes from the first seder - so I used that as the crust.  It is literally just mashed potatoes and beef stew.  Yummy yummy!!

Just a couple more days and we're back to normal.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

The Shabbos Nap

One of the integral practices on Shabbos is the Shabbos Nap.  After returning from Shul, and having lunch (well, we ate well at the Kiddush lunch today, so we didn't need lunch at home), one should indulge in the Shabbos Nap.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Fifteen Steps of the Seder - Part One

Did you know there are 15 steps to the Seder?  In reality, your Seder should not start until sundown (18 minutes before because of Yom Tov and having to light candles).  And it shouldn't end until sometime after 1AM!!!  Especially if you follow all 15 steps.

I don't see my family ever following the Seder to the letter, but what I learned with my Rabbi tonight so far was interesting.

We covered the first 7 steps of the Seder.  The next 7 come next week.

Step 1:
Kadesh- Sactifying the Holiday.
Kadesh also means to separate - to set apart.  This is the part where you are making the effort - you are worth making that effort.
This is the first step to personal freedom

Step 2:
Urchatz - washing hands
Why do we wash our hands at this point in the Seder? Especially since we're not eating bread - or in this case Matzah - yet?
At this point, we wash our hands in anticipation of the Karpas - the bitter vegetable. Hands are our tools of action and water is purifying.  We pour water on our hands to ensure that our actions are done with pure intention.

Step 3:
Karpas - vegetable dipped in saltwater and consumed.
Here we bless G-d for creating fruits from the ground.
Salt is a preservative, but it also has a sting.  Bitterness (the vegetable) represents lost remorse.  We are supposed to remember the sting of the past and the bitterness of failure, but also to remember the accomplishments from the past.

Step 4:
Yachatz - Breaking the middle matzah - the Afikomen
The middle matzah is supposed to be broken in two unequal half.  The bigger half - the Afikomen is the bigger half. It represents the "big picture".  While we have the big picture to be concerned with - we take the Afikomen and hide it, while leaving the smaller piece covered under the matzah cover and reflect on the 'baby steps' towards freedom.
The Afikomen needs to be eaten by Halachic midnight.  What time is Halachic midnight this year?  1:18 AM!!

Step 5:
Maggid - as my Rabbi says - this is the part where people start to get annoyed.
This is where we retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt.
On Seder night, we use our gift of speech for the central part of the Haggadah: telling the Passover story. The very word "Pesach" is a contraction of the wordsPeh Sach, meaning "the mouth speaks." The Hebrew name for Pharaoh, on the other hand, is a combination of Peh Rah, meaning "the bad mouth." For just as speech has the power to build, it also has the power to destroy. Gossip and slander drive apart families and communities.(from Aish.com)


Step 6:
Rachtza - washing hands in preparation of eating Matzah.
Water in this case represents the Torah.  Here we are saying "I'm ready to move - ready to learn Torah and what the Torah wants me to do".
We "wash our hands" to cleanse and distance ourselves from unhealthy influences. Freedom is the ability to say: "I choose not to partake." (from Aish.com)


Step 7:
Motzi Matzah - 
We are talking direction to the Almighty here.

We make the "hamotzi" blessing to thank God for "bringing forth bread from the ground." Which is odd because God brings wheat from the ground ― and man turns it into bread! In truth, God gives us two gifts: 1) the raw materials, and 2) the tools for transforming it into life.
Today, technology has pulled us away from seeing the beauty of God's creation. We fine-tune our environment with air-conditioning, synthetic foods, cosmetic surgery, and genetic engineering. Mankind is perilously close to "playing God." But in truth, man cannot create anything perfect; man can only tune into God's ultimate perfection. Which is more awesome to behold ― the world's biggest super-computer, or the human brain? Between your two ears are 10 billion nerve cells ― a communication system 100 times larger than the entire communications system on Earth.
When we make "hamotzi," we hold the Matzah with all 10 fingers – reminding us that while human hands produced this food, it is yet another gift from the Creator and Sustainer of all life.(from Aish.com)
So - those are the first 15 steps of the Seder.  Is it any wonder why they go so long!!!