I had not been to a seder in 30 years, save for one in Denver, CO ten years ago. This year feel the Jewish guilt kicked in so I attended two seders. The first seder was an Orthodox seder. I only knew the Rebbe Because I am a conservative Jew leaning neither right nor left. I chose to sit upright rather than lean to the traditional left during a seder. The seder is a ritual dinner with many allegories to the oppression and suffering of the Jewish people. Some think the Passover Seder was the last supper of Jesus Christ. Hence the close proximity of Easter and Passover. I am not a biblical scholar and perhaps I should not spread this non-fact-checked information. I am not certain if Substack is using algorithms to ferret out non-truth. I doubt if the substack would do that because there are many fiction authors on the substack.
I enjoyed the Chabad Seder (orthodox) held at the Rebbes home. Having never attended an orthodox seder I did not know what to expect. The Rebbe has converted his home into a synagogue. For the seder, all chametz is removed (leavened bread) the home is cleansed and a special set of dishes and cooking utensils are used for the dinner. There were over 200 guests in attendance. (This was a catered affair)
The backyard grass had been torn up and replaced with artificial turf. (no vermin allowed here). A white evangelical-type tent was erected (Jews are not evangelical and I was caught up in a moment of religious dystopia.). It was nicely done. Along the back, the 50-foot wall was a wide-angle projection of Jerusalem. In my mind it was spectacular.
As I remember events there was nothing unusual about the ceremony. Why should it? I had been gone for a mere forty years and it has not changed for over 3000 years.
Several days later I was invited to another seder. This one was at a synagogue I had attended in 1978. At this seder, I hoped to see some old friends I had not seen in the intervening decades. There was only one person who I knew, the wife of a former colleague and physician who had passed on. She had changed very little, an older version of the perfect Jewish wife. She was a singer and true to form she sang several rounds of Jewish songs. I was only too happy when she invited me to sit with her family.
I learned at this seder to never mix politics with religion. The writers of the Constitution had it correct, and it still is correct.
Prior to the formal seder the Rabbi (who was a woman who had purple hair was teaching about Passover.) The Rabbi brought up asking questions. (The seder has a portion that discusses why we celebrate the Passover. In the course of the lesson the topic of several legislators being ejected from a legislative session for disruptive and socially aberrant behavior, not their political views. Coincidentally two of the three legislators who were ejected were persons of color.
Passover at the Whitehouse
What does this have to do with Passover? Nothing and everything. Midway through the lesson a person of color stood and asked why the Rabbi was talking about politics. “I came to learn about Judaism and the Seder” He was outwardly offended and disgusted. That was an appropriate question since the Rabbi had brought up how important it was to question things. Here was a person who might be stereotyped as being more interested in Islam who came to a synagogue to learn about Judaism.
I tried to parse this. Here was a man who did not want o hear about events that haunt the ancestors of slaves. He was fed up with political blah blah blah. He wanted and needed spiritual guidance from Jews who had suffered the same bondage.. Did we fail him?
Chametz is to be removed for Passover
For Jews, in America, we need to look back only 200 or fewer years to see and understand humanity at its worst. The Passover seder remains relevant.
Passover Seder