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Synagogue hosts third communal Seder

The rabbi of the Tarpon Springs congregation hopes that celebrating Passover in a public setting will provide insight into Judaism and its traditions.

By PETER SCHWEITZER
Published April 23, 2005

This weekend, Jews across the bay area will be commemorating with family and intimate friends the feast of the Passover, the eight-day observance recalling the liberation and exodus of the Israelites from Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II For the third year in a row, a local Jewish congregation is planning a communal celebration of the feast. Congregation B'nai Emmunah of Tarpon Springs will celebrate the Passover Seder in a public, communal setting at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Golda Meir/Kent Jewish Center in Clearwater.

The reasons for a communal celebration of the Seder are clear to Dan Sultan, executive director of the Jewish Center.

"We wanted to offer this celebration for everyone," he said. "We're hoping that people from the community, both Jews and non-Jews will celebrate this important feast with us."

For Rabbi Shimon Moch of Congregation B'nai Emmunah, the setting will allow everyone a glimpse of the rich Jewish faith and its traditions.

"The Seder is really the best window there is into Jewish family values and traditions. It brings together all that is important in Judaism."

The Seder meal has a clear order, with each of 14 steps representing a different stage of the meal. Together, these 14 steps teach the lesson of the Exodus, God's salvation, and an emphasis on the power of God.

There are also practical reasons for holding the Passover meal at the Jewish Center.

Rabbi Moch said, "We simply don't have the facilities to hold such a service. The Jewish Center has a kitchen and is able to accommodate many more people. It's an arrangement that works well for both of us."

Of all the Jewish holidays, Passover is the most commonly observed, even by otherwise nonobservant Jews. According to the 2000-01 National Jewish Population Survey, 77 percent of Jews have attended a Passover Seder.

The name Passover, or "Pesach," comes from the Hebrew root Peh-Samech-Chet, meaning to pass through, to pass over or to spare. For the Jewish people, Passover holds tremendous significance because it symbolizes God's role in freedom from persecution and slavery in Egypt.

Yet there is another meaning for the word Passover that belies a spiritual experience of liberation or "passing over" from those things that enslave the individual. Even the manner in which the meal is prepared and taken symbolizes the flight from Egypt. No leavened bread may be used during the Seder. This symbolizes the frenetic quality of that first Passover when the Jews had to eat and leave quickly in order to escape those who enslaved them. The removal of all leavened items in preparation for the Passover also symbolizes the spiritual preparation necessary to partake in the Passover. In this, the leaven represents sin.

The Passover Seder meal is full of ritualistic gestures and readings that continue this two-fold theme of physical and spiritual symbolism. A shankbone is used to signify the Passover sacrifice that used to take place in the Temple. The bitter herbs serve as a reminder of the bitterness of the Israelites suffering as slaves in Egypt. The karpas, a mixture of parsley or celery, represents new spring growth as well as a spiritual rebirth. The haroset, a mixture of chopped fruits and nuts, ground into a mortarlike substance is a reminder of the bricklaying performed in Egypt. Finally, the betzah or egg represents new birth as well as the festival offering at Passover.

Rabbi Moch said there is a spiritual importance to the yearly ritual of the Seder. "God has redeemed us in the past and will continue to do so. The remembrance of past events leads us to an assurance of God's continued care in the future."

While such symbolism and ritual gestures may not be as significant to non-Jews, the Passover themes have universal importance, Rabbi Moch said. The human drama comes alive in the Passover Seder in terms of the themes of liberation, a sense of the mystery of life, sin and alienation, as well as redemption.

Moch said the Seder is not merely a historical re-enactment of what people did thousands of years ago.

"In Judaism, the actual retelling of the story is a reliving of it. This is one of the reasons the Seder is so important and sacred to us."

There is also an important educational aspect of the Seder during which the youngest child who is capable of reading asks four questions. The Haggadah (literally, retelling) is the recollection of Judaic salvation history through the use of stories, songs and games such as show and tell. The history, traditions and culture of the Jewish people are recounted and passed down from one generation to another.

The Passover Seder will take place at the Golda Meir/Kent Jewish Center at 6 p.m. Sunday. The Jewish Center is at 2010 Greenbriar Blvd., Clearwater.

[Last modified April 23, 2005, 00:54:19]