This was my first Pesach in Israel, and I'm sure it was for many of you as well. I am used to a fairly traditional reform/conservative seder that lasts a few hours at maximum. And for some reason, I was expecting the orthodox of the orthodox seder this year. I was wrong, but I wouldn't say I was let down. For pesach, I went to my friend's aunt's family. Jake's (my friend) Uncle married into a Yemenite family so I had the pleasure of experiencing what I now think of as a typical saphardic seder. Thankfully everybody spoke very good English, although, the entire serder was in Hebrew. Everybody read faster than I could ever imagine, and so the seder would have otherwise gone fairly quick. But in between readings from the Haggadah, at every moment possible (or not possible) someone would start an argument. Not an argument like you see at an American dinner table. An authentic, vulgar one with yelling and sweating. I kid you not, the giant hulk of a man sitting across from me had veins popping out of his head. They would go something like this: Alone, in his early twenties, would take a shot of whatever 120 proof beverage he was drinking. His uncle would pour himself one while Alone's father would yell from literally the opposite end of the table at him for drinking. Jake's other cousins would start talking about whatever. The grandmother, a very traditional, observant, stout lady, would muster all her strength to yell one of two things: the next reading or "Sheeeeekeeeed!" I honestly had a lot of fun observing a true Israeli seder. What was yours like?
Pesach has always been a special holiday for me. My favorite movie is The Prince of Egypt. I find the seder to be quite enjoyable. But the most important part of the holiday is remembering that we were once slaves in Egypt and that we escaped and we were given the Torah at mount Siani. Not our ancestors. Everyday, each one of us faces some sort of "slavery" every day, we cross our own "red sea" and everyday we obtain some sort of knowledge from our actions. To add to that, us Jews have always seen oppression. The pass over story serves as a reminder that we have, we can, and we will overcome oppression and how we can cope with it mentally. But wait, there's more. We are also reminded to ask questions and the importance of questions. Questions are what educate us, an answer is just a dead end. What does Pessach mean to you?
In America I hate Pesach, but in Israel I love it. In America, I feel like I am stuck eating matzah while my Christian friends receive candy for Easter. Celebrating Passover in Israel gave me a stronger connection to the country and the holiday because the majority is celebrating and I am finally in the place that the Jews were trying to travel to.
ReplyDeletePessach to me means, a time of being with family and remembering that we were once slaves in Egypt. In my family we rarely eat dinner together, so Pessach is a time where we all come together. As annoying as it is to not eat bread it is importnat. It is important to keep the traditions that are ancestors laid forth.
ReplyDeletepesach to me is an important time to be with your family and a time of traditions. I have celebrated pesach with the same people since I was little. Each year we spend more time talking to each other and appreciating each other than we do reading for the ceder. I do believe it is important to celebrate our freedom from hard times, but the ceder doesn't have to be too long as long as you are having fun with the people you are with. As my safta, that I spent this years pesach with, would say, "eating bread and not keeping kosher doesn't matter, as long as you are a Jew in your heart".
ReplyDelete