Fun Torah Test 1 – Fast & Fun

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Which character in the Bible does the Torah tell us MOST about his or her emotional state?

 

YulBrynner_01

Answer: Pharaoh. There are 17 references to his emotional state. The Torah references Pharaoh’s “lev,” his heart.

Why? The Israelites escaping from slavery in Egypt, to wandering in the Wilderness, and reaching freedom in the Promised Land. This was a happy story for the Israelites.

But who was not happy? The Pharaoh! The Pharaoh had a successful slave-based economy. He was about to lose all of his slaves! This would ruin his economy and his life!

Pharaoh struggled 17 times in the Torah to deal with the reality of losing his slaves. God gave many signs and sent the 10 plagues to Egypt. But Pharaoh could not accept a future without his slaves. Pharaoh was a “slave” to his past. He was a slave to the concept that he would always have slaves, and unable to imagine that his life could change and his future would be different.

The Torah wants us to identify with Pharaoh because, like the Pharaoh, we are often reluctant to let go of our own past. In order to live unencumbered in the present, and to be ready for the future, we must leave the past behind.

Torah references for the Pharaoh

Exodus 4:21, p. 120 JPS

  • “I, however, will stiffen his heart so that he will not let the people go”

Exodus 7:3, p. 124 JPS

  • “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that I may multiply My signs and marvels in the land of Egypt”

Exodus 7:14, p. 125 JPS

  • “Yet Pharaoh’s heart stiffened and he did not heed them”

Exodus 7:22, p. 126 JPS

  • “Pharaoh’s heart stiffened and he did not heed them”

Exodus 8:11, p. 127 JPS

  • “But when Pharaoh saw that ere was relief, he became stubborn and would not heed them, as the Lord had spoken”

Exodus 8:15, p. 127-128 JPS

  • “But Pharaoh’s heart stiffened and he would not heed them, as the Lord had spoken”

Exodus 8:28, p. 129 JPS

  • “But Pharaoh became stubborn this time also, and would not let the people go”

Exodus 9:7, p. 129 JPS

  • “Yet Pharaoh remained stubborn, and he would not let the people go”

Exodus 9:12, p. 130 JPS

  • “But the Lord stiffened the heart of Pharaoh, and he would not heed them”

Exodus 9:34, p. 131 JPS

  • “But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he became stubborn and reverted to his guilty ways, as did his courtiers”

Exodus 9:35, p. 131 JPS

  • “So Pharaoh’s heart stiffened and he would not let the Israelites go”

Exodus 10:1, p. 131 JPS

  • “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. For I have hardened his heart”

Exodus 10:20, p. 133 JPS

  • “But the Lord stiffened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go”

Exodus 10:27, p. 134 JPS

  • “But the Lord stiffened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not agree to let them go”

Exodus 11:10, p. 135 JPS

  • “Moses and Aaron had performed all of these marvels before Pharaoh, but the Lord stiffened the heart of Pharaoh so that he would not let the Israelites go from his land.”

Exodus 14:4, p. 141 JPS

  • “Then I will stiffen Pharaoh’s heart”

Exodus 14:5, p. 141 JPS

  • “When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his courtiers had a change of heart about the people”

Fun Torah Test 2 – Kid Friendly

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What is the shape of Moses’ Basket? What similarities does it have with Noah’s Ark?

Answer: Noah’s Ark and Moses’ Basket were the EXACT same shape. They were both a rectangle. (Obviously different sizes). They are both called a “Teyvah” (Hebrew for Ark).

There are a lot of similarities between Noah’s Ark and Moses’ Basket (Ark):

  • Both the Ark and the Basket “delivered” the Israelites through the water
  • Noah’s Ark protected Noah’s family and the animals from the flood
  • Moses’ Basket delivered Moses (and later the Israelites) from the Egyptians through the Nile and Red Sea
  • Both Arks created a fresh beginning for the Israelites/World
  • Water destroyed the Earth in Noah’s flood and the Red Sea swallowed the Egyptians

And a little more:

  • Noah is the first reference in the Torah to a “Righteous Tzadik” person. Genesis 6:9, p. 11 JPS
  • Moses is referred to as the most “humble man” in the entire Torah. “Now Moses was a humble (anav) man, more so than any man on earth.” Numbers 12:3, p. 310 JPS
  • Neither the Ark, nor Moses’ basket was a traditional boat with a keel, easily steered or directed. Both vessels were subject to the ebb and flow of the tides and water, subject only to the will of the water, to fate, and perhaps God’s will.

Here is one take-away from the stories of Noah’s Ark and Moses’ Basket: Deliverance and liberation may mean accepting that there are forces that are beyond our control.

Torah References for the Ark/Basket

Noah’s Ark is a rectangle. Genesis 6:9, p. 11 JPS

  • “Make yourself an Ark (Teyvah in Hebrew) of gopher wood…the length of the ark should be 300 cubits, its width 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits”
  • Noah is the first reference of a “Righteous Tzadik” person Genesis 6:9, p. 11 JPS

Moses’ Basket: Exodus 2:3, p. 114 JPS

  • “When she could hide him no longer, she got a wicker basket (Ark Teyvah)…she put the child into it and placed in among the reeds by the bank of the Nile”

 

Fun Torah Test 3 – Over the Top

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What does the Torah say about Food during the Story of Exodus?

Answer: The Torah describes the food of the Exodus as the Food of Slavery, and the Food of Wilderness, and the Food of Freedom in the Promised Land

The Food of Slavery

While in Egypt, the Hebrews ate the Food of Slavery, which was “leeks, onions, and garlic” which all came from the ground. Not the air or the sea. In many ways, you can think of the slaves as chained to the ground.

The Food of Wilderness: (Midbar)

When the Hebrews escaped from Slavery into the Wilderness, the Hebrews first ate “Manna” a food from God. This food came from above and from the sky. They also consumed “Shabbat” which was Food for the Soul. “Man does not live on bread alone, but that man may live on anything that the Lord decrees.”

Food of Freedom

The Land of Israel is called Eretz Zavat Chalav U’dvash, “The Land of Milk and Honey.” It’s clear that to the Torah, food really matters. The Promised Land is actually a place where food is delicious!

The Foods of Freedom are “Olives, Honey, Figs, and Pomegranates.” These foods are all in the air and all have seeds in order to regenerate generations of populations, just as the hope is that the Israelites would create a cycle of generations stretching far into the future in the Promised Land.

Torah References for Food in the Torah

Food of Slavery: “Mitzraim”; (Narrow Place) In Egypt, Hebrews ate the Food of Slavery. All of these food items came from the ground.
(Numbers 11:4-5, p. 307 JPS) “The riffraff in their midst felt a gluttonous craving…We remember the fish that we used to eat free in Egypt…the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.”

Food of Wilderness: “Midbar” (Wilderness) Israelites first ate “Mannah” food from God. Manna came from the sky and heaven.

(Exodus 16:15-16, p. 148 JPS). When the fall of dew lifted, over the surface of the wilderness, lay a fine and flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” for they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “That is the Bread which the Lord has given you to eat…. The House of Israel names it Manna.”

Importance of Shabbat (Food for the Soul)

“Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath of the Lord, you will not find it today on the plain. Six days you shall gather it; on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.” Exodus 16:26, p. 149 JPS

“God has made you travel in the wilderness these past forty years. He subjected you to the hardship of hunger and then gave you Manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had ever known, in order to teach you that man does not live on bread alone, but that man may live on anything that the Lord decrees.” Deuteronomy 8:2-3, p. 393 JPS

Food of Freedom: Eretz Zavat Chalav U’dvash (Land of Milk and Honey) Israel, the Promised Land, is named for delicious and sweet food.

(Exodus 3:8, p. 116 JPS) God will “rescue the Hebrews from the Egyptians and bring them…to a land flowing with milk and honey.”

(Numbers 13:23, p. 312 JPS) The 12 spies went to the Promised Land and “reached the wadi Eschol, and there they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes…and some pomegranates and figs.”

(Deuteronomy 8:7, p. 393 JPS) “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains…a land of figs and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey; a land where you may eat food without stint, where you will lack nothing…when you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the lord your God for the good land which he has given to you.”

The Story of Charoset: The History of the Jewish Diaspora through Food

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As a community and culture, Jews are resilient. Time and again, the Jewish people were forced to leave their homes, beginning with the expulsion from Jerusalem, and continuing through our history.

Again and again, a challenge forced them to start anew. Another country, another culture, another threat. Yet despite each threat and challenge, the community came together quickly and began to write another chapter in a new place. One theory is that Jewish resilience is explained by the ability to travel with the teachings of the Torah, to always be “at home” even when separated by geography from each other and the Land of Israel.

Interestingly, there is no “Israeli” recipe for Charoset. Perhaps that is because Charoset is a food of slavery, and in returning to Israel Jews are free. After all, we end every Seder: “Next year in Jerusalem.”

Charoset is always made as a sweet dish. But it is a conundrum. If Charoset is a food of slavery, representing the mortar for the bricks made by the slaves, why is it sweet? One thought is that slavery can be “sweet” because it is safe and familiar.

My goal is to celebrate the Jewish Diaspora. I want all six varieties of Charoset to represent a universal message that all the people of the world, despite different flavors, share the common quest to escape from modern day slavery and return to our Promised Land. We have been inspired and educated by the work of authors and researchers like Claudia Roden, who have studied Jewish food traditions from around the world.

Charoset tells the tale of the Jewish Diaspora. Wherever Jews landed they made the traditional Seder dish with whatever foodstuffs were local. The recipe changed but the tradition of representing the bricks and mortar of the Israelite enslavement in Egypt did not.

1. Ashkenazi Charoset

This is the most traditional Charoset. Its signature ingredients are apples, walnuts, cinnamon, honey and Sweet Manischewitz Wine. This is the most simple and kid friendly recipe. We make this Charoset with the young kids during our cocktail hour before we start our Seder. The young kids love getting involved.

2. The Classic Spanish Sephardic Charoset

As with all our other recipes, this Charoset relies on the local bounty of the Iberian Peninsula. Pears, pistachios, figs and hazelnuts highlight this tapas style Charoset. Vivid red and yellow linens and olive wood serving vessels transport you straight to Barcelona. We especially love the introduction of hazelnuts, pistachios, and figs into this dish.

3. Italian Charoset

Pine nuts, pears and almonds evoke the flavors and textures of Italian sweet and savory food. If a Jewish family, living in the Piedmont, were making a locally based Charoset, they would find all the ingredients here. It’s a beautiful dish, and like many, my family loves Italian cooking. This is my wife’s favorite Charoset recipe.

History:
The history of the Jews in Italy spans more than two thousand years. The Jewish presence in Italy dates to the pre-Christian Roman period. Despite periods of extreme persecutions and expulsions from parts from time to time, the Italian Jewish community has always been resilient and plays an important role in Italian culture. As of 2007, the estimated core Jewish population in Italy numbers around 45,000

The first documented Jews in Italy were the ambassadors sent to Rome by Judah Maccabee in 161 BCE. When the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492, many of them found refuge in Italy, where they were given protection by King Ferdinand I of Naples.

The Venetian Ghetto was the area of Venice in which Jews were compelled to live under the Venetian Republic. It is from its name in Italian (“ghetto”), that the English word “ghetto” is derived: in the Venetian language it was named “ghèto.” The Venetian Ghetto (incidentally, the first Ghetto) was instituted in 1516.

4. Piedmontese Charoset

The Northern region of Italy, the Piedmont, is surrounded on three sides by the Alps. This region is dotted with nut trees, especially chestnuts. This recipe from Piedmont for Charoset, rich with chestnuts and other nuts, brings to mind “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” whenever we think about Piedmont. Local nuts are integral ingredients in this Charoset. In our recipe, we first boil and blend the chestnuts to give a rich flavor and smooth texture.

History:
The main Jewish settlements in Piedmont began in the 15th century and consisted of Jews who escaped persecution in Eastern France. These Jews escaped a few decades after the Spanish persecutions, when in 1492 the Catholic King and Queen of Spain Ferdinand and Isabella forced all Jewish and Arab subjects to convert, flee or die on the stake.

Many Jewish families were forced to leave their homes between 1941 and 1943, and lived in the country or in the mountains until the Liberation of the North of Italy in late April 1945. They were concealed by Italian families or by groups of partisans who took the life-threatening risk of hiding Jews. Despite this, all the Piedmontese Jewish Communities lost a very high number of members in the Nazi-fascist persecutions and deportations. Some of the smaller communities never recovered and closed their Synagogues after the War. This recipe is our attempt to honor their spirit.

5. Moroccan Charoset

Dates, walnuts and cloves give this Charoset its deep color and thick consistency.
We love the delicious tangy flavor and smooth texture. It is so rich with flavor of the dates and cloves. This may be my favorite Charoset. Make extra for leftovers after the Seder!

History:
Moroccan Jews are the descendants of an ancient Jewish community. Jews in Morocco date back from well before the Diaspora and the Spanish Inquisition. Just before the founding of Israel in 1948, there were about 250,000 to 350,000 Jews in Morocco, then the largest Jewish community in the Muslim world. Fewer than 2,500 Jews remain today.

6. Chinese Charoset

Common ingredients in Chinese cuisine are highlighted in this version of Charoset: soy sauce, pine nuts and honey. This is a slightly savory Charoset in contrast with the other sweet options.

I used to live in Japan and work for Kikkoman Soy Sauce. I also traveled in China and studied the Fugu Plan, a Japanese rescue plan to save Jews from the Nazis by settling them in Shanghai during World War II. This Charoset recipe creates a connection between the wandering Jews of China and the Passover story.

7. Iraqi Charoset

A simple Iraqi Charoset – just pure date syrup and chopped almonds.

History:
Jews arrived in Iraq, then known as Mesopotamia, as slaves beginning in 721 BC, the first of three exiles of Jews from Jerusalem. When the kingdom was conquered by the Achaemenid Persians in 539 BC, they gave Jewish people the choice to return to Judea. However, many decided to stay. Thus, the origin of Babylonian Jews.

8. Yemenite Charoset

Given my extensive travel in the Middle East, I thought that including a Charoset from Yemen to highlight the Jewish experience beyond Israel was important and interesting. We hope you will savor the combination of flavors with the dates, raisins, sesame seeds, and aromatic spices.

History:
The traditions of the Yemenite Jews are strong, dating back over 2,000 years. Some say the history of Jews in Yemen dates as far back as the time of King Solomon, while others say they arrived at the request of Bilqis, Queen of Sheba. Evidence proves that Jews were in Yemen as far back as the third century, and historians say that it was most likely trade that brought them there. In any case, Yemenite Jews formed a large community on the Arabian Peninsula.

9. Indian Charoset

I wanted to highlight the flavors of the Jewish Experience in India. The combination of Indian flavors and Jewish Tradition creates such a delicious and unique recipe. We hope that you will love the combination of flavors of the mango, papaya and cashews along with aromatic Indian Spices.

History:
Did you know that Jews have lived in India for over 2,500 years and were the first foreign religious group to enter the country? Of all the Diaspora communities, the Jews of India are among the least known but perhaps among the most interesting. There are three major historical Jewish communities in India: Bene Israel, a 2800 year old community settled mainly in and around Mumbai; Cochin Jews, an ancient 2000 year old community whose members have mostly emigrated to Israel; and Baghdadi Jews, a 300 year old community based in Calcutta that originated from Jewish business people who came from Baghdad beginning in the 17th century.

10. Curaçao Charoset

I had the opportunity to visit the amazing Mikve Israel Emanuel Synagogue there which is the oldest continuing operating synagogue in America. While visiting, I learned about a unique type of Charoset that’s in little ball shapes and I was inspired to create a version for Breaking Matzo. As a tribute to Curaçao, we’ve added orange-flavored Curaçao liqueur to the recipe as well as coconut, a popular ingredient there. We hope you enjoy the recipe.

History:
Did you know that the oldest Jewish community in the Western Hemisphere is in Curaçao, an island north of the Venezuelan coast? Jews have been living on this island since the 1600s. While their numbers are dwindling, there is still an active Jewish community on the island today. It is also the site of the Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, the oldest continually active synagogue in the Americas.

Who are the Ashkenazi? Who are the Sephardim?

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The Ashkenazi

Jews who ended up in Modern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Europe are called the Ashkenazi. They created communities from England to Russia, including Poland, Germany, France, Austria and Hungary, moving from place to place as persecution and politics required.

Jews lived primarily in Northern Europe. At their peak in 1931, Ashkenazi Jews accounted for 92% of the world’s Jews. Just before the Holocaust, the number of Jews in the world stood at approximately 16.7 million. Sadly, 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. After the Holocaust, many of Northern Europe’s Ashkenazi Jews fled to find safe havens around the world.

The Sephardim

Around the start of the second millennium, Spain became a great center of Jewish life and learning, and the Jewish community flourished in Southern Spain and Portugal for centuries. When the Spanish Inquisition forced Jews to leave, many Jews left Spain for Italy and the Ottoman Empire including modern day Turkey, Greece, Morocco, Iran and Iraq. These Jews are called Sephardim.

The Sephardim developed distinctive characteristics that would sustain them through the Diaspora. They even developed their own language, Ladino, written with Hebrew characters, but with words and grammar that come from Spanish.

After the expulsion from Spain, the Sephardim fled, allover the world. They were ultimately welcomed, or at least accepted by the Ottoman Turkish Empire and established longstanding communities in Turkey, Greece, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, and beyond.

Today, in addition to those Jews who originated in Spain, the term Sephardim has come to refer to traditionally Eastern Jewish communities of West Asia and beyond. Though they do not having genealogical roots in the Jewish communities of Iberia, they have adopted a Sephardic style of liturgy and Sephardic law and customs imparted to them by the Iberian Jewish exiles over the course of the last few centuries.

Passover vs. Pesach

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Passover vs. Pesach. Many people wonder whether the “right” name of the holiday is Passover or Pesach. Both are right. But they mean different things.

Pesach (the noun) is first mentioned in the Torah in Exodus 12:11, p. 136 JPS

“This is how you should eat it…you shall eat it hurriedly, it is a Passover offering.”

Pesach (the noun) literally means the Sacrifice

Exodus 12:21, p. 137 JPS
“Moses then summoned all of the elders of Israeli and said to them “Go, pick out lambs for your families, and slaughter the Passover offering. Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood…and apply the (blood) to the two doorposts.”

Any household that didn’t make (the) Pesach Sacrifice lost their first-born child. This represents a loss of life, of future generations and it represents the transformation of the Hebrew slaves of Egypt, to the Israelites wandering in the Wilderness and reaching Freedom in the Promised Land.

Sacrifice in Hebrew is Korban, literally “to draw closer,” to become closer with God or man by making a sacrifice. It does not mean “giving something up.”

Passover (the verb) is first mentioned in Exodus 12:23, p. 137 JPS

“The Lord will pass over the door”

“For when the Lord goes through to smite the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, and the Lord will PASSOVER the door and not let the destroyer enter and smite your home. You shall observe this as an institution for all time, for you and for your descendants”

As a result, Pesach is the ritual sacrifice of the lamb and is also the Passing Over of the Israelites home by the sign of the blood on the lintel from the Pesach sacrifice. It is a circular and interactive movement. (Similarly balance is both a noun and a verb. It is truly the interactive state of being.)

Afikoman: Ordinary to Extraordinary

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The Afikoman is the Middle piece of matzo. One interpretation suggests the Afikoman may represent the sacrifice of Isaac, since Isaac was the middle generation of the early Israeli patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Another suggests that it also represents the Passover lamb.

The Afikoman is a metaphor for transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. At our Seder (see Afikoman Magic Trick), we take an ordinary piece of matzo and break it in half in order to create the extraordinary Afikoman.

For centuries during the Passover Seder, one of three pieces of unleavened bread, matzo, is broken in half, wrapped in a napkin, hidden, and later retrieved, and served as the last morsel of food eaten at the end of the ancient Jewish feast. This bit of unleavened bread is called the “Afikoman.”

For Jewish children, the Afikoman holds their attention until the end of the Seder. In some families the children “steal” the matzo and are paid a ransom in order to get it back to the table. In other families it is hidden and the children search for it and are rewarded (Our family does the latter).

Some Jews from Middle Eastern countries considered that the Afikoman had special powers and kept a piece of it as a good luck charm.

Afikoman is actually a Greek word that means “that which comes after.” The meaning of “hidden” is derived from the fact that the Afikoman takes place in the part of the Seder that is under the larger rubric named “Tsefunah” which means “hidden.” So that which comes after the Afikoman is hidden.

In the Exodus story, the Israelites faced a “Moment of Choice.” They were caught between the Red Sea in front of them, and the Chariots of Pharaoh’s army coming to slay them from behind. Exodus 14:9, p. 142 JPS. The Israelites were “by the sea, near Pi-hahiroth (Mouth of Freedom) and before Baal-zephon (the false god of the hidden North).” Zephon and Tsefunah come from the same Hebrew root and means “hidden.”

The Israelites had a stark and complicated choice to make. Did they advance to uncertain future – or return to familiar slavery? Ultimately they chose to follow Moses into the waters of Red Sea. Suddenly, God parted the Red Sea, enabling the Israelites to escape slavery and enter the Wilderness. God made the waters of the Red Sea swallow up the Egyptian army and their chariots after the Israelites were safely across.

When we eat the Afikoman, we are literally and figuratively digesting our past and preserving it inside our hearts. We are no longer prisoners of our past, or of the false god of the hidden north. We are free from constraints on our mind, and able to enjoy the present unencumbered.

The Seder Plate

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The Seder Plate is the story of Passover on one single plate. The Seder plate is a most efficient and symbolic way to make sure that the major themes of Passover are never forgotten. Each element in the plate has a specific role in the story of deliverance, and no Seder table is complete without a Seder Plate.

 

seder_plate_decorative seder_plate_white

The Symbols: Salt water, Charoset, Bitter Herbs, Roasted Egg, Roasted Shank Bone, Fresh Herbs

Salt Water

  • Represents the tears and emotion of slavery
  • Double dipping of vegetables
  • Crossing two bodies of water, Sea of Reeds and Jordan River, to freedom

Charoset is a sweet, dark-colored paste made of fruits and nuts. The word “Charoset” comes from the Hebrew word cheres — חרס — “clay.”

ashkenazi_charoseth
  • Charoset represents mortar and slavery, recalling the mud that Jewish slaves used to secure the bricks for Pharaoh’s monuments.
  • Charoset is sweet because slavery can be familiar, and we can endure it for a certain period of time.

Maror is a bitter tasting herb.

  • Bitter Herbs recall the bitterness of the slavery of the Jews in Egypt
  • The Bitter Herbs also remind us of bitterness and suffering, in our own lives, and in the lives of others around the world

Roasted Egg

roasted_egg

  • The egg represents life
  • The egg is roasted because it represents the end of “old” life and a move to the future
  • The egg is roasted because fire is both a cleansing and a transformation;
  • An example, the Burning Bush was the catalyst for the transformation of Moses. The bush burned but was but not consumed by the fire

Roasted Shank Bone

shank_bone

The shank bone of a lamb is roasted and placed on the Seder plate. The shank bone is a symbol of the lamb sacrificed the night before the Jews were led out of Israel. The lamb’s blood was placed over the entrance to each Jewish home to protect those who lived inside.

  • The Shank bone gives meaning to Passover – Pesach – the sacrifice of the lamb, and the signal for the Angel of Death to “pass over” each Jewish home.
  • A deeper meaning of the Shank Bone: Reminder that we must often give up our past life in order to reach a better future
  • Another way to think about the Shank Bone: If the Jews had not sacrificed the lamb, each firstborn child in each family would have been taken away. When our child is gone, so is the future.
    • Abraham / Isaac sacrifice
    • Afikoman / middle piece of sacrifice

One-way to think about the importance of the shank bone: It really is about a sacrifice. There were two sacrifices involved in the Passover story. The Israelites sacrificed the Pesach lamb; the Egyptians were compelled by God to give up their own first-born child. For the Israelites, sacrificing the Pesach lamb and using its blood to mark their doorways, was a defining moment – the moment when they truly identified as the Israelites and not as slaves in Egypt.

Parsley

The fresh herb on the Seder Plate can be any fresh green herb, typically parsley but easily dill or any other fresh taste will do.

  • The fresh herb reminds us of spring, hope, and renewal.
  • Spring is a time of new life and growth.
  • Fresh herbs also remind us that Passover is a spring holiday, celebrated when the world begins to turn green again.
  • Wherever Jews are living and celebrating the Seder, Passover speaks to the Spring.

The Seder Plate is the outline of the Passover story. If all you were able to accomplish during a Seder were to discuss and understand the role of each element is included on the Seder Plate, you would truly understand the meaning and message of Passover.

Numbers in the Seder

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Numbers have special significance in Judaism. Nowhere in our tradition is this clearer than in the Passover Seder ritual.

In the Seder we have one, two, three, four, and five. Why? What do these numbers mean to us? What else could they mean?

One

One baby goat or kid (Cha Gad Ya) to be sacrificed
One God

What else might “one” represent?

Two

Two hand washes during the Seder
Dipping vegetables twice in the salt water
Two bodies of water, the Red Sea and the Jordan River. Israelites crossed two bodies of water, Red Sea and Jordan River, during the story of Exodus

What else might “two” represent?

Could dipping vegetables twice in salt water suggest that the first “dip” is to cleanse yourself of Slavery to reach the Wilderness, and the second, cleansing in the Wilderness to prepare for Freedom in the Promised Land?

Three

Three pieces of Matzo
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, The Three Patriarchs.
Isaac was to be Abraham’s sacrifice (like the Affikoman)
Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel, the three Matriarchs
Past, Present, and Future

“Past is History, Future is Mystery, All we have is now, which is why it is called a Present”

Slavery, Wilderness, and Freedom in the Promised Land
(Mitzraim, Midbar, Eretz Zavat Chalav U’dvash)

What else might three mean?

Four

Four Cups of Wine
Four Questions
Four Sons
Four Seasons
Four holidays: Shabbat, Pesach, Shavuot, and Succoth
Four Directions “Seeing in 360 degrees”

When God spoke to Abram and made a covenant with him, he asked him to look in all four directions, North, South, East, and West.

North, South, East, West
Genesis 13:14, p. 23 JPS

And the Lord said to Abram, “Raise your eyes and look out from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west for I give all the land that you see to you and your offspring forever.”

North – Ziphon (Hidden)
South – Negbah, (Dry Parched) came from slavery
East – Kedem, Beginning
West – Yama, Sea Full of life
The Four Rivers of the Garden of Eden: Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates

What else might four mean?

Five

Five books of Torah
Five women prophetesses

Miriam – Exodus 15:20, p. 146 JPS
“Then Miriam the Prophetess”

Deborah – Judges 4:4, p. 520 JPS
“Deborah, wife of Lappidoth, was a prophetess; she led Israel at the time”

Huldah – 2 Kings 22:14, p. 832 JPS
“And Asaihah went to the Prophetess Huldah…”

Isaiah’s Wife – Isaiah 8:3, p. 861 JPS
“…with the Prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son, and the Lord said to me (Isaiah)”

Noahdiah – Nehemiah 6:14, p. JPS
“Noadiah the prophetess…”

What else might five mean?