Passover Discussion Questions

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We hope these questions stimulate a meaningful discussion at your Passover Seder.

Q1: Passover is the story of the children of Israel leaving slavery in Egypt, wandering in the wilderness, and reaching freedom in the Promised Land.What are you a slave to today? Why?

We are all slaves to something today. Not physical slaves but slaves in our own mind.

Kids: What do you think about the most? You may be a slave to electronics, video games, or your favorite television show.

Adults: Are we slaves to our past? Or maybe slaves to worry, work, financial pressure, or scheduling?

Q2: What represents your Promised Land? What is freedom to you?

Hiking
During Passover, we celebrate the story of the children of Israel seeking freedom in the Promised Land. But what does being free really mean to each of us?

Kids: You may feel really free during summer vacation, summer camp, sleepovers, walking your dog, or attending a sporting event. When do you feel most free?

Adults: What does freedom look like to you? When are you truly free? On vacation? Engaging in a special family activity? Cooking dinner with friends? Going for a long hike? Is freedom just having unscheduled time? Do you have a favorite activity when you feel most free in your mind and spirit?

Q3: What are your basics in your life? What are your extras?

matzo_staggered_plate
Matzo is a very simple food. The word “matzo” in Hebrew means to “drain out”. Food at its most basic. Only flour and water, oil and salt. Matzo kept the children of Israel alive while they were fleeing slavery. Eating matzo makes us think about the basics in life. What do you really need to live your life?

Kids & Adults: What do you really need in your life? What do you really need to live your life?

Kids & Adults: What are the basics in your life? What are your extras?

Q4: If you had to leave home in the middle of the night, what would you bring with you?

Hurry

When the children of Israel fled Egypt, they had to leave in the middle of the night and without much time to prepare. And they couldn’t take many possessions with them on their journey. There were difficult choices about what to bring with them from their homes.

If you had to escape in the middle of the night, what would you bring? (These can be physical or emotional keepsakes).

Kids & Adults: What would you take from your house in the middle of the night if you had to leave?

Q5: Who would you like to sit in Elijah’s chair at your Seder?

elijah_cup
Elijah is the prophet who never died. He is viewed as eternally returning to help the poor and assist those in need. When we believe in Elijah, and invite him to join us at the table, we receive a special gift or blessing because we can imagine him and his good deeds.

The special cup for Elijah, and in some families a chair for Elijah, is a reminder to invite spirit of generosity and goodness to join us at the Seder.

In some families, the children go to the door and open it for Elijah so that Elijah, or another good soul, can enter. (See footnotes below for Torah references)

Kids: Who is missing from our table this evening? Who do we need to invite in?

Kids & Adults: What special person would you most like to share tonight’s festival meal?  This person can be alive today, or not. It might be a friend, relative, or someone that you would like to meet. Please share who this person is and why you would like to share tonight’s Seder with them.

Adults: Whom do we need to help us complete our journey from “slavery” to “freedom”? Who helps each of us become complete? Who or what do we need to lead us on our journey to freedom?

Q6: The Afikoman is created by breaking an ordinary piece of matzo. What is something ordinary that has become extraordinary for you? 

hand_washing_basin

We think a lot about transformation from the ordinary to the extraordinary during our Seder.

A good example is the Afikoman. We ate matzo at the start of our journey out of slavery, but during the Passover Seder, we transform this simple humble food. We take one ordinary piece of matzo and by breaking it in half, it becomes an extraordinary piece of matzo: the Afikoman.

One example of something ordinary to extraordinary in my life is my family’s antique brass hand washer. I received it as a gift from my grandmother, Helen Fish Goldfarb. Her father, my grandfather Max Fish received it from his father (my children’s great great great grandfather Moshe Fish). It is from the late 1800’s in Dynow Poland and has been used for Passover in our family for over 100 years. Perhaps your family has an artifact or heirloom that has been handed down over the generations, layered with the history of your family, and so has become “extraordinary.”

What is something ordinary in your life that you have transformed into something extraordinary?

Kids: Is there something special you have transformed in your life because you love it so much? Maybe a special blanket or doll? Or something you received from a special relative, or is it something you made? Something you have transformed by how much you love it and need it?

Adults: How do you know that it has become extraordinary?  Do others or just yourself know this transformation?  Do you have a “public” Afikoman and a “private” Afikoman?

Q7: Dayenu means “enough”. It is an expression of gratitude. When was a time in your life that you truly experienced Dayenu? And expressed gratitude?

In Hebrew, Dayenu means “enough for us”. We both sing it and say it many times during the Seder. Dayenu can be an opportunity to recognize that you put forward your best efforts. Or, that you received a bountiful offering from someone else.

On one level, Dayenu speaks about giving thanks to God for delivering the children of Israel into the Promised Land. On another level, it is a message about setting limits on our expectations. Dayenu is about learning to be satisfied and grateful with what we have received.

Kids: Can you think of a time when you received something in your life that you are grateful for?

Adults: Was there a time in your life that you didn’t experience Dayenu, when you didn’t appreciate that you had received “enough,” but should have?

Q8: Miriam led the Children of Israel in celebration after crossing the Reed Sea (Sea of Reeds). What does it mean to be someone who leads other in rejoicing? When have you ever danced for pure joy to celebrate? How did it feel? What was the response of the group to your dance?

miriam_cup

In Exodus after the children of Israel escaped from the Egyptians through the Parted Reed Sea and arrived safely on dry ground, Miriam took out her timbrel and led the Israelite women in dance and song to celebrate. This celebration also resulted in the bitter water becoming sweet for the children of Israel to drink.

When I was in Israel for my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah at a restaurant on the Lake in Tiberias, there was another family’s Bar Mitzvah celebration, and I impulsively crashed the party and led my family in dancing the Hava Nagilah with the rest of the party. It was so much fun!

Kids: When have you started a really fun celebration dance with your friends? What was the occasion? How did they react?

Adults: When have you really let loose for pure celebratory dance? I always think of the fun of dancing the Hava Nagilah and raising the Chair at weddings and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs.

Q9: The Reed Sea (Sea of Reeds) was the final obstacle for the Children of Israel to overcome in escaping Slavery. What is your personal Reed Sea (final) obstacle in your journey from Slavery to achieve Freedom?

Moses Parting the Sea
When the children of Israel escaped from slavery in Egypt, they faced one final obstacle before reaching freedom. They had to cross the Reed Sea.  In Exodus 14:15 God tells Moses that the children of Israel are to go forward. They are being asked to take the first step.  And what is the first step? To walk towards un-parted waters. It is an act of faith that proceeds God’s act of liberation. And so it is with our lives. The first step is ours. Then Moses is instructed to raise his staff and the waters parted, allowing the children of Israel to pass from the present-past into the future to truly cross over – Evrit is Hebrew meaning to “cross over.”

Adults: What has been your final obstacle as you have tried to escape from slavery, or break bad habit, or start a new relationship? How did you overcome the obstacle? Did you ever proceed without knowing the solution in advance?

Kids: Have you ever tried to do something new and had an obstacle? How did you overcome it?

Torah Passage: Exodus 14:12.
“Then the lord said to Moses, “why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.   And you lift up your rod and hold out your arm over the sea and split it, so that the Israelites may march into the sea and onto dry ground”

Q10: Passover can be viewed as an opportunity for a spring cleaning for the soul. What do you want to cleanse or remove from your life this Passover?

Spring Cleaning

Passover has a fun tradition that embodies this idea: it is called “the search for chametz.” Chametz means leavened bread. During Passover, we give up all leavened products, eating matzo instead of these “puffy” foods. The word matzo derives from the Hebrew term for “drain out,” and consists of just flour, salt, and oil. Chametz, however, includes all of the extras—yeast, sugar, eggs, etc. Giving up chametz and eating matzo helps us focus on the basics in our lives and reflect on our ongoing journeys from slavery to freedom. You can read more about this search here.

Adults: What are your thoughts on Spring Cleaning these days? Is there Spring Cleaning of your house, your home, and your inner self that you may be interested in exploring during these days of awe? Have you found an opportunity to look at your physical surroundings in a different way? Have you looked inside yourself in a different way?

Kids: Have you ever found anything interesting or meaningful while cleaning?

Q11: The roasted egg on the Seder plate can represent enduring through suffering or it can represent the fragility of life. Are you raw or are you ready?

Cracked Egg

During Passover, we discussed the meaning of placing a roasted egg on the Seder plate. A burnt egg can be interpreted to represent the suffering endured by the Hebrews during slavery in Egypt. The roasted egg also has a broken shell. This can demonstrate the fragility of life and hopefully inspire an appreciation for the blessed moments we’re given. At this year’s Seder, a friend who had never celebrated Passover asked me an interesting question: Do you boil the egg before it is roasted, or is it raw?  It raised the thought:  Are you raw or are you ready? Let’s explore the egg – in its broken form.

There is a context to whether or not a broken egg is good or bad. If you have a raw egg in the kitchen and you drop it, the egg shell breaks and the egg is lost. It is forever broken. You cannot simply gather the yolk and white and put it back in the broken shell. (As the nursery rhyme goes, Humpty Dumpty cannot be put back together again!)

However, there is another context when the broken egg shell is the not the end of life, but rather the beginning of life! If it is a baby bird hatching from its shell it is a beginning. A bird hatching is a truly celebrated event marking the evolution of life.

Adults: Are you in a raw state where your shell is delicate and needs full protection and security? Or are you ready? Ready to break out of your shell and enter the next phase of your life to encounter the world without a protective barrier.

Kids: What is something new that you think you’re ready to try this year?

Torah Footnotes for Dinner Table Discussions:

Torah references for Elijah and Elijah’s Cup

You have asked a difficult thing, he said. “If you see me as I am being taken from you, this will be granted to you, if not, it will not.” As they kept on walking and talking a fiery chariot with fiery horses suddenly appeared and separated one from the other, and Elijah went up to Heaven in a Whirlwind. 2 Kings 2:10-11, p. 77 JPS. Note: Elijah went up in a whirlwind” but it doesn’t say that he died.

The Connection to Passover and Parting of the Reed Sea: 2 Kings 2:13, p. 77 JPS

(Elisha) picked up Elijah’s mantle, which had dropped from him, and he went back to the Jordan River. “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah? As he too struck the water, it parted to the right and to the left, and Elisha crossed over.”

These are references to Moses striking the rod and parting the Reed Sea, and the Israelites Crossing over the Reed Sea to escape slavery.

Torah Reference For Miriam’s Dancing Question:

Exodus 15:19-22, p. 146 JPS

For the horses of Pharaoh, with his chariots and horsemen, went into the sea; and the Lord turned back on them the waters of the sea; but the Israelites marched on dry ground in the midst of the sea. Then Miriam, the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all of the women went out after her in dance with timbrels. And Miriam chanted for them “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; Horse and drive he has hurled into the Sea.”

Shortly thereafter, when the Israelites, had only bitter water to drink, the Lord gave the Israelites Sweet and Potable Water.

Q12: When you’ve been faced with a difficult experience, were you able to learn something from it?  Did you internalize these lessons and continue to grow afterwards? Or did you miss an opportunity to learn and grow?

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Exodus, the Hebrew slaves were given gold and silver by the Egyptians (Exodus 3:22). After crossing the Sea of Reeds, the Children of Israel (comprised of mixed multitude of Hebrew slaves and some Egyptians), used this gold and silver to build two objects: a Golden Calf (Exodus 32:4) and they also build the Arc of the Covenant (Exodus 25:11).

Some built The Golden Calf, an idol to worship in the instead of God, which greatly angered God. This demonstrated that some of the Children of Israel had lost their way, returning to idol worship, and giving up faith in God.

Others built the Arc of the Covenant. A box beautifully decorated with the gold and silver from Egypt. Inside they placed two sets of tablets containing the Ten Commandments, one set was written by God and broken by Moses while other was written by Moses and intact. They protected the Arc of the Covenant in the Wilderness and later brought it to the Land of Israel where it was placed in Shiloh for 369 years.

The Golden Calf was an object to worship and had no benefits and no lasting significance.  The Arc of the Covenant was a vehicle to enable worship – not the object – but the lessons contained within. The lasting impact of the Arc of the Covenant has been significant  – as we continue to honor the learnings it holds today.

Here are a few questions for your seder inspired by the biblical use of gold and silver, hopefully they inspire lively and thought-provoking discussions.

Adults:

  • What is an example of your “gold and silver” (your learnings) from a difficult experience?
  • Did you have an experience of creating a Golden Calf?
  • When have you created an Arc of the Covenant with your learnings?

Kids:

  • Have you had a difficult experience and learned something valuable?
  • Have you even forgotten your lessons and made the same mistake again?
  • What is an example of a lesson that you learned that you would never forget?

Looking Forward to a Magical 2017!

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As we enter the New Year, I wanted to reflect on Breaking Matzo. We launched Hanukkah and Passover editions in 2015 and Succot edition in 2016. I am extremely grateful to all of you for joining our community. Sharing your personal stories of how to make Hanukkah and Passover and Succot magical for your families has been truly inspiring for our entire community.

I launched Breaking Matzo to help people create a space for Sacred Time for loved ones in order to make Jewish Home Holidays magical and meaningful. In some ways, it goes back to my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah. Caroline discussed the meaning of Sacred Time (Leviticus 23) in terms of a Holiday versus Holy Day.

Caroline said, “The way you decide to spend your day determines whether it is a Holiday or a Holy Day. Notice how close they are. A Holiday belongs to us; it is about what we want to do, when we want to do it. It is about having fun, and we really don’t think about what we are even celebrating. A Holy Day belongs to God, it is about thinking about God, and reflecting. It is meaningful and personal. But in the end, any sacred occasion can be a Holiday or a Holy Day.”

Holy Days are meant for Philosophy and Meaning. Holidays are meant for Food, Family, and Fun. It is my fervent hope that Breaking Matzo helped your Hanukkah, Passover, and Succot become Holy Holidays…full of Food, Fun, and Philosophy in order to stimulate your mind, touch your heart and uplift your soul.

If this really happened, then we achieved our goal of truly making your Jewish Home Holidays (Hanukkah and Passover and Succot) Magical, Meaningful, and Memorable.

Best wishes to you, your family and friends, for a Healthy and Happy New Year. We look forward to sharing a Magical and Sweet 2017 together.

What is the Story of Hanukkah?

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Many of us are more familiar with the symbols of the Hanukkah holiday — the Menorah, the dreidel, the latkes — than the story behind the holiday itself. Here’s a little refresher course.

Hanukkah tells the story of Judah the Maccabee leading a small Jewish army in a revolt against Antiochus and his mighty Syrian Greek forces in the year BCE 164. At that time, the Greek Empire spread over a huge territory in the Middle East, including what is now Syria, and the land of Israel. The Syrian Greeks ruled over the land of Israel and did not allow the Jews to practice their religion freely.

Mattathias, the High Priest of the Hasmoneans, led the initial revolt against the Syrian Greeks and appointed his son Judah the Maccabee (“The Hammer”) as the leader. The Maccabees were greatly outnumbered by the Greeks, who had a vastly superior number of soldiers and fought on top of warrior elephants. Judah bravely led his small army in battle and through his skill defeated the Greeks.

According to legend, because the Greeks forbade religious study, the Jews studied Torah in secret and occupied the children by playing the dreidel (spinning top) so they would keep watch and warn the adults when the Greek soldiers were coming.

After the Maccabees triumphed over the Greek army, one of the first tasks was to clean and reorder the holy Temple, which had been defiled and ruined by the Greeks. According to the Talmud, when the Maccabees prepared to light the Menorah (candelabrum) which traditionally served as an eternal light in the Temple, they could find but one small jug of oil—a supply that was enough for only a single day. They searched and searched but couldn’t find a source for more oil. Still, the Maccabees lit the Menorah and miraculously the oil lasted for eight days.

There are two major themes in the story of Hanukkah. Some rabbis emphasize the celebration of the Miracle of the Oil and how, according to the Talmud, because of the faith of the community, the oil lasted for 8 days when there was only one day of oil.

Other sages, hewing closer to the Book of Maccabees, highlight the great military victory by the underdogs, the Maccabees, over the large, well-equipped Syrian Greek Army.

We find that both aspects of the Hanukkah story resonate. The Miracle of Oil symbolizes God’s care for the Jewish people, and the Jewish faith in their God. Our pride in the Maccabee’s victory complements this theme by reminding us of the need for bold human action in the face of challenge. We celebrate the faith in God that allowed one day’s oil to burn for eight, and we honor the heroic actions of the brave men and women who rescued their fellow Jews during the Maccabean Revolt and returned home to purify the Temple.

We continue to celebrate the Hanukkah story by lighting the Menorah each night of the eight-day celebration, eating foods like latkes and donuts that are cooked in oil, and playing Dreidel and sharing Hanukkah gelt (coins) to remind us of the bravery of the heroic Maccabees.

Why We Light the Menorah

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The tradition of the Menorah dates back to the story of Exodus (Exodus: Chapter 25). God commanded the Israelites to light the Menorah in the portable Temple in the wilderness. The flames of the seven-branched Menorah became a metaphoric “guiding light” for the Israelites, and the Menorah and the Eternal Light became fixtures in every Jewish house of worship.

In the story of Hanukkah, Antiochus and the Syrian Greeks sought to extinguish the flames of Judaism by forbidding traditional Jewish practice and desecrating the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, literally putting out the lights of Jewish worship. Mattathias, Judah, and the Maccabees rekindled Jewish life by defeating the Greek empire, returning home from victory and turning their energies to purifying and re-dedicating the Temple, including re-lighting the Menorah.

Lighting the Menorah allows each of us—adults and children—to participate in the ongoing miracle of renewing the light of Judaism, generation to generation. And we recognize that today we are blessed to be able to do so freely, without fear of persecution.

How to Play Dreidel?

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The Dreidel (or spinning top) is one of the most joyous parts of Hanukkah celebrations. And the whole family can play together, no experience necessary!

The word dreidel (or sevivon in Hebrew) comes from a German word meaning, “spinning top,” and is the toy used in a Hanukkah game adapted from an old German gambling game.

Hanukkah was one of the few times of the year when the rabbis permitted games of chance.

Here’s how to play (watch video below to see it in action!): Players begin by putting into the collective pot a certain number of coins, chocolate money (known as Hanukkah gelt), nuts, or other small objects.

Each player then takes a turn spinning the dreidel. Each of the four sides of the top has a Hebrew letter: nun, gimmel, hey, and shin.

The side that is on top when the dreidel stops spinning determines whether a player gets a reward, or nothing at all. Here’s how the reward is calculated: Dreidel_w_Captions

What do the letters mean?
The letters on the dreidel were interpreted to stand for the first letters of the Hebrew statement, “Nes gadol hayah sham,” which means “A Great Miracle Happened There” and refers to the defeat of the Syrian Greek army and the re-dedication of the Temple. In Israel, the dreidels are slightly different. The shin (ש) is replaced with a pey (פ), transforming the Hebrew statement into Nes gadol hayah po, “A Great Miracle Happened Here.”

According to legend, the game dates from the time of the original Hanukkah story, when the Syrian Greeks banned Torah study. Groups of Jews are thought to have secretly met to study Torah. The children would be on the lookout for the soldiers, while innocently playing a game with a spinning top, the dreidel, outside the door. If the children saw a soldier approach, they would alert the adults studying Torah inside.

judaicaOn a personal note, I am enormously proud and inspired by my mother, Myra Yellin Outwater, who wrote and compiled the photos in an incredible book called “Judaica.” I wanted to share her beautiful work with you. Here is a link to her Dreidel Gallery .

 

 

 

Contemporary Yiddish and North American Songs for Hanukkah:

Here are a couple of favorite songs to sing during Hanukkah:

I Have a Little Dreidel

I have a little dreidel,
I made it out of clay.
And when it’s dry and ready,
Then dreidel I shall play.

It has a lovely body.
With leg so short and thin.
And when it gets all tired,
It drops and then I win.

Chorus:
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
I made it out of clay;
And when it’s dry and ready.
Then dreidel I shall play

(Chorus again)
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
I made it out of clay;
And when it’s dry and ready.
Then dreidel I shall play

Oh Hanukkah
Oh Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah!

Come light the Menorah.
Let’s have a party.
We’ll all dance the hora.

Gather round the table,
We’ll give you a treat,
S’vivon to play with,
Latkes to eat.

And while we are playing
The candles are burning low.
One for each night,
They shed a sweet light,
To remind us of days long ago.

Hanukkah Discussion Questions

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1.  Hanukkah is a holiday of re-dedication, a festival celebrating the re-establishment of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem by the Maccabees.
 Is there something in your life that you want to improve or to which you want to rededicate yourself this season?

2.  Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of a small jug of oil lasting for 8 days.
As you light your Menorah, ask this question: What “miraculous” events, large or small, do you wish to celebrate this year?

3.  Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the underdogs, Judah the Maccabee and his band of rebels, over the great Syrian Greek army.
What is an example of an underdog victory that makes you proud?

4.  Judith was a heroine whose bravery and ingenuity helped save the Jewish people.
Who are some female heroes in your life? What great women leaders do you admire? Why?

5. Hanukkah has become a major gift-giving holiday. Sometimes, we focus too much attention on giving and receiving lavish gifts.
Can you think of a way to share this holiday that might make a real difference to the lives of your family, friends, neighbors, or to strangers?

6. As we light the Menorah and recall the Miracle of the Oil (lasting for 8 days even though there was only enough oil to last 1 day), we have an opportunity to think carefully about the precious and limited natural resources of our planet.
What is one practical action you can take to help preserve or re-new the great “temple” that is our planet by making the most of limited resources?

7. The dreidel and the Menorah are both important Hanukkah traditions. While our ancestors played the dreidel in order to protect their hidden study of Torah, we are instructed to play openly and display the Menorah for all to see.
What is something you are proud of in your life? With whom do you share it? How do you share it?

8. On this final night of Hanukkah, the light of our Menorahs burn brightly with all of the candles aglow. According to tradition, we are not supposed to use the light of the Menorah for reading, studying, or work. We are supposed to simply enjoy its wondrous light.
What would you like to think about or discuss as you enjoy the beautiful light of the Menorah with your loved ones? 

What’s in a Name? 5 Things to Know About Hanukkah.

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  1. According to tradition, Hanukkah, or the “Festival of Dedication,” celebrates the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its defilement by the Syrian Greeks in 164 BCE.
  2. The holiday is also known as the “Festival of Lights.” Hanukkah usually takes place in December, during the winter solstice, a period when the days are shortest and darkest in the northern hemisphere.
  3. The number 25 matters, the name can be broken down into ה”כ ונח, “They rested on the twenty-fifth,” referring to the tradition that the Maccabees ceased fighting on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev and restored the Temple.
  4. Hanukkah is also called a “Second Succoth” because the Maccabees were away at war during the fall harvest festival and could not celebrate the Succoth holiday in its proper time.
  5. The term “hanukkat ha’bait” means “dedication of the home,” referring to the Jewish tradition of dedicating a new space by affixing a mezuzah (a small piece of wrapped parchment with verses from the Torah) to one’s doorpost.

Further Reading:
-הכונח (Hanukkah) can also be read as the acronym for: ללה תיבכ הכלהו תורנ ח, “Eight candles, and the law is like the House of Hillel.”

This is a reference to a famous disagreement between two ancient rabbinic academies—the House of Hillel and the House of Shammai—about how to properly light the Menorah: to count down or to count up? According to Shammai, eight candles should be lit on the first night, seven on the second night, and so on down to one on the last night (because the miracle was greatest on the first day). Hillel, on the other hand, argued that we should start with one candle and light an additional one every night, up to eight on the eighth night (because the miracle grew in greatness each day). The rabbis of the Talmud adopted the position of Hillel.

“Our rabbis taught the rule of Hanukkah: … On the first day, one [candle] is lit and thereafter they are progressively increased … [because] we increase in sanctity but do not reduce.”
– Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 21b

The earliest sources for the story of Hanukkah are the First and Second Maccabees, which describe in detail the Maccabean revolt and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. These books are not part of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible); they are called Jewish Apocryphal books.

Later, Flavius Josephus (first century CE) wrote about Hanukkah in his historical accounts. Josephus connected the story of the military victory with the symbol of light, and the holiday still is often referred to as the “Festival of Lights,” following his terminology.

Multiple references to Hanukkah are also made in the Talmud. The story of the miraculous jug of oil lasting eight days is first described in the tractate of Shabbat (page 21b), first committed to writing about 600 years after the events described in the books of Maccabees. Interestingly, only a few sentences of text are devoted to the story of Hanukkah while there is a much longer discussion of when, where, and how to light the Hanukkah candles.

Throughout Jewish history, rabbinic commentators have interpreted the story of Hanukkah in multiple ways, with some emphasizing the underdog military victory of the Maccabees, while others focused instead on the miracle of the oil. In the Jewish mystical tradition there are many reflections on the symbol of light and the need to search out God’s holy light in all of life—including the darker parts of existence.

Roger Federer Serves Up the Sabbath

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In 2017, Roger Federer, the greatest tennis player of all time, took an unprecedented leave of absence from the professional tennis tour to rest his soon-to-be 36 year old body and rejuvenate his mind. Federer said, “After playing for almost twenty years, all of a sudden you realize, I think this body, and maybe the mind, deserves a break”.[1] I would like to explore Roger Federer’s philosophy of taking a break in the context of the biblical tradition of the Sabbath.

What does Sabbath mean?

Sabbath means to stop and set apart time. For what purpose? As Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote in his book The Sabbath, “The Sabbath is entirely independent of the month and unrelated to the moon. Its date is not determined by any event in nature, such as the new moon, but by the act of creation. Thus, the essence of the Sabbath is completely detached from the world of space. The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath, we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world.”

Sabbath is first mentioned in the Torah in Genesis (2:3) when God rested on the seventh day after creating heaven and earth.

As Heschel wrote, “It is, indeed, a unique occasion at which the distinguished word qadosh is used for the first time: in the Book of Genesis at the end of the story of creation. How extremely significant is the fact that it is applied to time: “And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.” There is no reference in the record of creation to any object in space that would be endowed with the quality of holiness.” Even God needed a time to rest and reflect.

The Israelites first experienced Sabbath in Exodus (16:23) while wandering in the wilderness after fleeing slavery in Egypt. God fortified the Israelites by providing manna for sustenance and Sabbath for sacred sanctity. Sabbath is described as sacred time in Leviticus (23:3).

So how does the biblical connection of Sabbath relate to Roger Federer in 2017? To understand the connection, I will provide a bit of background. Roger Federer is acknowledged as the greatest tennis player of all time. From 2003-2015, he won 17 grand slam titles, 90 percent of his matches, and made it to 10 straight grand slam finals. In addition, Federer holds the record for most consecutive semi-finals at a grand slam, 23, and most consecutive quarter-finals at a grand slam, 36. However, after his Wimbledon title in 2012, he went 19 grand slams without winning a title. He suffered his first major injury in 2016. The 2016 French Open was the first grand slam event he missed in his active career and ended a run of appearing in 65 consecutive grand slam tournaments. Some critics said that it was time for Roger Federer to retire. Had his best tennis passed him by? He even experimented with a new racquet and new coaches.

Wimbledon 2016 was the critical juncture in Roger Federer’s career. I had the privilege of attending Wimbledon 2016 and watched Roger Federer play Milos Raonic in the men’s semi-finals on Wimbledon’s Centre Court. In the fourth set, Roger fell and severely injured his knee. His movement was not the same from that point forward. He ended up losing the match 3-6 in the fifth set. When Federer met with his doctors and the team they told him, “Look, buddy, you need to rest right now”. “Once the decision was made, Federer and his wife, Mirka, walked out of the room, and looked each other in the eye and said, ‘No problem. OK. We’ll take six months.’ I mean, it hurt for a few days. Like it’s supposed to. Then, honestly, for me it was over. It was done. I knew I wasn’t supposed to be playing. I dealt with it like I think I should.”[2]

The next day, Roger Federer announced that he would not play in the U.S. Open and, in fact, that he was not going to play the rest of the 2016 tennis season. Roger Federer was taking a 5-month break from competitive tennis. He wanted to rest his body, heal his knee, and rejuvenate his mind.

Roger Federer announced his return to competitive tennis in January 2017 in time for the Australian Open. In January 2017, I ruptured my left Achilles for the second time and had reconstructive surgery. My doctor put me on 40 days of bed rest (Reflections Between Passover and Shavuot: What can you learn from wandering in the wilderness for 40 years (or 40 days)?). While lying in bed recovering, I was inspired by Roger Federer’s comeback at the Australian open. I even bought a tee shirt (pictured below) which stated that “champions are born in January” (my birthday is in January). Roger Federer’s recovery inspired me during my recovery from injury.

Legends T-shirt

When he was asked about his chances at the Australian open, Roger humbly stated, “at the first press conference after the first match in Melbourne I said I would be happy having lost today if my body is feeling well…I thought in the best case I could make the quarters, and beat one good player. Maybe two if things went crazy well. That was my expectation. That’s why it feels so much better, this one, because I never thought in a million years I was going to win.”[3]

In an unprecedented run, Roger actually won the Australian Open soundly defeating his arch rival, Rafael Nadal, in the finals. Roger went on to win his next two tennis tournaments in the U.S. at Indian Wells, CA and Miami, FL, defeating Nadal in both. Roger Federer was having one of his greatest tennis seasons and was on course to regain the number 1 world ranking as the oldest player to achieve this ranking. What did Roger Federer promptly do after winning the Miami tournament? He suddenly announced another personal Sabbath, taking off the entire clay court season, including the French Open. This second pause in his active schedule was unparalleled. Nevertheless, or as a direct result, he returned for the summer grass court season and won Halle Tournament in Germany and ultimately won Wimbledon for the unprecedented eighth time. While he lost in the U.S. Open in the quarter finals, he continued to play very well. Roger then took another break this fall. In October, he returned to competitive tennis to win the Shanghai Open while defeating Rafael Nadal in the finals, representing a fifth consecutive victory over his arch  rival. This past weekend, Federer won his hometown tournament in Basel, Switzerland for the 8th time, giving him a tour-leading 7th tournament victory in 2017. Roger’s 2017 winning percentage is 93% which is the third best of his career.

Federer Wimbledon
Roger Federer excelled in 2017 not because he worked harder and played more tennis. Roger Federer played better tennis because he rested, he paused, because he experienced Sabbath. Federer said, “That gave me a lot of power for this year. I said, I have to come out of this six months rejuvenated. Fresh. Hungry. Ready to go. We were able to achieve that”. “It gave me a totally different outlook on the season. I don’t have to overplay. I’ve got a month here, so really relax, take my time. When I play I want to enjoy it.”[4]

As Vladimir Horowitz, the world-class pianist, once said when he was asked how he played the music so much better than anyone else, he replied “it is not the music that I play better than anyone else, it is the pauses that I play better”.

In today’s society, there is compelling conviction to strive to do anything and everything. We are overscheduled. We overdo. Our children are massively over programmed.

If God can take time to have Sabbath on the seventh day…

If the Israelites could find sanctity in the Sabbath and transform themselves in order to arrive in the Promised Land…

If Roger Federer can experience a Sabbath sabbatical and then defy age by re-establishing himself as the most dominate tennis player in the world…

…so can we!

Game, Set, Match!

To understand how Roger Federer deals with a loss, please watch this post-match video:

Watch how positive Roger Federer is in the face of adversity:

Additional Reading:

Federer’s storybook season, “Roger Federer Is Still Rocking” written by Jason Gay in The Wall Street Journal on October 31, 2017.

Jason Gay wrote a wonderful article “We need to relax like Roger Federer” in The Wall Street Journal on July 21, 2017.

I also recommend My Jewish Learning “Shabbat Rest and Renewal” for additional exploration about the meaning of Shabbat.

Time Magazine article, “Q&A: Roger Federer Talks to TIME About Nadal, That Win in Melbourne, and Partying Till Dawn” Sean Gregory, TIME Sports, Feb 02, 2017.

[1] Gregory, Sean. “Q&A: Roger Federer Talks to TIME About Nadal, That Win in Melbourne, and Partying Till Dawn” TIME Sports, Feb 02, 2017.

[2] Gregory, Sean. “Q&A: Roger Federer Talks to TIME About Nadal, That Win in Melbourne, and Partying Till Dawn” TIME Sports, Feb 02, 2017.  (accessed October 19, 2017)

[3] Gregory, Sean. “Q&A: Roger Federer Talks to TIME About Nadal, That Win in Melbourne, and Partying Till Dawn” TIME Sports, Feb 02, 2017.  (accessed October 19, 2017)

When Hanukkah and Christmas Collide

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When our eldest son mentioned that he would be spending Christmas with his girlfriend’s family this year, I admit I felt a pang of sadness. Even though I haven’t claimed that holiday for thirteen years, it still stung.

Flashback to November of 2003 when I was just a few steps away from completing my conversion to Judaism. Until that point, our inter-faith family had luxuriated in both Hanukkah and Christmas, but primarily Christmas as I’d been raised Christian and my husband’s assimilated reform family also celebrated Christmas. Ours were never religious Christmases, however. We never attended church, nor connected to the real meaning of the observance, and to me, so mething had always felt wrong, like it was a hollow, a bowing down to consumerism, a day of over-eating and drinking.

In 1994, when we started our family, my husband and I made a deliberate decision to strive for clarity in our religious identities, and raise our children Jewish. The one thing we struggled with was December. Why was giving up Christmas so hard?

blasberg_3So back to November of 2003. I was lamenting aloud the mess sappy pine needles were bound to make on our new living room carpet. That very same eldest son, who was three months from becoming a bar mitzvah, challenged me. “Mom,” he asked. “Why are you even getting a tree? We’re Jewish.”

Up to that point, the two-year conversion process had been easy, fairly academic, more like a work in progress, a pursuit to put me on equal footing with John and the kids. I set out wanting to be a good example for them, in the midst of shuttling them to religious school twice a week. But here was this son, posing a logical but difficult question, one I had to consider very seriously. It would mark a turning point, as I noticed our younger two searching my face for reaction. Any ambivalence or wavering would have been an absolute sinker.

“You’re right,” I said. “We are Jewish. Maybe this is the year we stop getting Christmas trees.

The rabbi I was studying with had forewarned me of the fragility of this moment. “Intellectually, you may be ready to do this,” he said. “But it is going to be hard for your younger children.” I tried to remember his sage advice as the fallout from my son’s challenge unfolded.

“What?” my youngest bellowed. “If we don’t get a tree then Santa wont come!” I’d opened a can of worms and things deteriorated quickly. “And if Santa doesn’t come, we wont get presents!” Her shrieks of horror echoed through the house. And from that moment on I was officially the Grinch who stole Christmas. My daughter’s tears of grief over missing out on presents brought rebukes from me that might mark my low point as a parent.

And it wasn’t just the 7 year old who got mad, it was the grandparents too. They were askance that I would make a decision that had ramifications for everyone. You see, I’d always hosted Christmas. Santa had come down our chimney. I decorated the house, the tree, cooked the festive meal, bought and wrapped gifts from Santa, gifts from us, as well as gifts from several of the grand parents and distant relatives who “weren’t sure what our kids were into. I’ll write you a check.” The management of who got what from whom, and keeping it equal, was a task that occupied a large percentage of my mental bandwidth.

I began to vehemently resent the materialism, but still, did that give me the right to cancel the holiday for all nine of us? I shuddered at such power, but proceeded into the unknown. With a determined façade that I hoped masked a guilt-ridden interior, I became resolute in creating a new solstice glow. Storing away a lifetime of nostalgic tree ornaments and collecting colorful menorah instead.

My rabbi helped me pick up the pieces. “Don’t think of it as losing Christmas, think of all the traditions you are gaining.” In the years that followed, we celebrated Shabbat, Hanukkah, Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Simchat Torah, and Sukkot with extra zeal. During Hanukkah we set aside each of the eight nights for a special, albeit often school-night, observance. There was a nightly candle lighting with the kids betting on which flame would last the longest, prayer, singing, latkes, acts of charity, exchanging small gifts, and for the special Shabbat dinner during Hanukkah we’d include friends and get up a lively game of Dreidel. Andy Goldfarb could get especially enthusiastic, teaching the kids the fine skill of spinning the dreidel on its handle.

So why wasn’t I prepared for our son’s recent proclamation that he’d be elsewhere for Christmas? I’ve obviously modeled the freedom to choose one’s own path and our December traditions leave blank spaces for our adult children to fill in as they wish. Indeed this is what I set in motion 13 years ago when I said, “There will be no more Christmas trees.”

This year as Hanukkah begins on Christmas Eve, the holidays really do collide, both on the calendar and possibly, as was in our case, at the heart of an inter-faith family.

As for my son, after a little meditation, I’m ok with it. I might flex and release my Jewish muscle every December, but I know the love we’ve created in our family transcends a date on the calendar. And that the loss I might feel is not for Christmas but for my young family. Kids grow up and leave and I will miss them no matter the date. Together or apart, I have taught them to delight in the miracle of the season: the miracle of the oil, of independent thinking, of generosity, and of keeping our internal flames shining in the world.

Jeannie Blasberg is a writer living in Boston. Her debut novel, Eden, will be released May 2017 by She Writes Press. Please visit her website or Facebook page to learn more.

Hanukkah in the Modern World

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For much of Jewish history, Hanukkah was considered a minor holiday. Today, the holiday has become a major celebration on the Jewish calendar for both secular and religious Jews.

Maccabees as Inspiration: One reason for the renewed interest in Hanukkah in the modern period is that the early Zionists, including many secular writers and activists, drew inspiration from the Maccabees, viewing them as models of heroic Jews, willing and able to fight for their freedom. The story of the victory of the few against the many, the bravery and skill of Judah and his small, smart army, gave Zionists great inspiration.

Hanukkah in the Holocaust: There are inspiring stories about how Jews in the Holocaust foraged for scraps of potato skins and bits of butter to create light for makeshift Menorahs. They did so not only to maintain the tradition, but also to assert their faith in miracles even in their darkest hour.

The Maccabiah: The Maccabees had come to be associated with physical prowess and the Maccabiah was chosen as the name for the Jewish Olympics. The Maccabiah has become a major contest for Jewish athletes from around the world, modeled on the Olympics – another Greek tradition.

Some thoughts about Hanukkah in America: Hanukkah has enjoyed a major resurgence in North America, due to its proximity to Christmas. Popular with both observant and secular Jews, many view Hanukkah as “the Jewish Christmas.” In the spirit of American pluralism, many public institutions mark Hanukkah with Menorahs alongside Christmas decorations.

Consumerism, of course, has played a significant role in the recasting of both of these ancient holidays with roots in religion, Hanukkah and Christmas, as major gift giving occasions. For contemporary Jews, Hanukkah invites us to think carefully about how to preserve and renew Judaism in a pluralistic society.

But Jewish questioning about how best to maintain and develop its culture in a multicultural world is not new. In the days of the Maccabees, many Jews were attracted to Greek culture, and adopted various Hellenistic ideals and practices into their lives. In fact, large numbers of Jews considered the Maccabees religious zealots, who refused to allow for Jewish cultural evolution. Tragically, in the time of Judah and his Maccabees, there was violent civil unrest between competing factions within the Jewish community.

Today, we continue to wrestle with complex questions of Jewish continuity and innovation, and our relationship to larger cultural influences. What must we preserve? How much change is necessary to keep Judaism vital and relevant? How can we remain one people with a variety of approaches to Jewish life?