All a foreigner needs to know for…
Seder Pessakh
(according to my mum. seriously.)
0) There is no real point in reading the Hagada, because it is not even in Hebrew. This is why we are going to tell you (shortly, before the food gets cold) about the essence of Pessakh and the Hagada. Here it comes:
1) The word 'Hagada' (הגדה) comes from the verb to tell (להגיד), and this is the main thing about Pessakh – telling the youngsters again and again the story of the Jewish people (a.k.a 'the people of Israel' back then) and the escape from Egyptian slavery. A well-known quote from the Hagada goes "…in every generation all Israeli people should consider themselves as if it was them who escaped from Egypt". But why is that?
2) It is because freedom is one of the highest values for mankind. Not just physical freedom, but also freedom of mind and soul – not being occupied by anything that is earthly and of substance.
3) Also because the lack of freedom and the lack of state (diaspora) is a big issue for the Jewish people. And also because having freedom and having a state can (and maybe even does) make us forget how it was for us when we didn't have a place of our own. Another well-known quote is "…love the foreigners, because you yourself were once a foreigner in Egypt". Menachem Begin accepted Vietnamese refugees under this very spirit.
4) The 10 strikes that the Jewish god laid upon the Egyptians are a harsh part in the Hagada, and is meant to teach the people of whatever nation that they are responsible for the actions of their governors, and they are the ones to be punished if it turns sour. Relevant to so many nations today, and Israel especially…
5) A Jewish holiday without mentioning god? Not really… According to the bible he made an alliance (Brit) with the people of Israel (Jews to be) for we/they were the chosen ones. Accepting the foreigners and telling the story of the Hagada is actually signaling our young generations – don't be vain for being the chosen ones. Feeling like the chosen ones kept the Jewish fire burning throughout history when Jewish people had no home. Now there is a home and we must abandon the 'chosen people' line.
6) Leil Haseder (free translation: night of the order) is called that way for the sequential order of actions that is dictated to us by the Hagada book – the Seder Pessakh ceremony.
7) The big decorated table is a custom to show that we are self-confident and in no rush, unlike our ancestors who rushed away from Egypt on one intense night.
8) Having boiled egg with salty water – an egg stands for grief in the Jewish tradition. Salty water is a symbol for tears. These two are a way to mention the Jewish grief for the destruction of the temple. Dodgy connection, I know, but Jewish people don't need much of a reason to celebrate some good grief.
9) For that reason it is custom to break a glass when getting married – remembering the grief even in happy times.
10) Let's say it again: Grief.
11) Matsa is the Kosher bread. The people of Israel escaping from Egypt didn't have time to bake bread for sandwiches to take with them on the road from Egypt. The dough didn't have time to rise and Matsas are the result – sad sad bread. This is why throughout Pessakh no bread or wheat product is allowed.
12) As KIDS are the target market for this entire evening, and because of the great importance of the topics being dealt around the table, there are elements that are meant to keep kids awake throughout the long evening. Afikoman is a piece of Matsa that is being hidden around the house by the conductor of the Seder. At the end of the evening the kids rave the house in attempt to find it – he who finds it gets a reward. It's all about the incentives…
13) Walnuts are being handed to the kids to play with to pass the time.
14) The door of the house is kept slightly open the entire evening and a fancy glass of wine is poured – all of this is for 'Eliyahu Hanavi' (Elijah the profit) that, as you all know, visits every Jewish house in the night of the Seder and sips a bit from the wine when nobody notices. Kids are shocked when their attention is pointed to the fact that the cup is suddenly less than full…
15) The Seder plate has a few bizarre elements that call for explanation:
a. Leg of a chicken (being referred to as 'arm' in Hebrew) – stands for either the strong arm (idiom for harshness) that god showed the Egyptians.
b. Karpas – a piece of lettuce that stands for the hard work of the Jewish slaves in Egypt. Only god knows why… no, literally: only god knows why is there a connection between the two.
c. 3 Matsas – symbolize 3 three ancient fathers of the Israeli people: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
d. Kharoset – a sweet gray mixture of stuff that is a real treat and stands for the cement that was used to build the pyramids.
e. Egg – one of the Pessakh sacrifices.
f. Maror – (from the word 'Mar' - bitter) a bitter vegetable to symbolize the bitter life of slavery.
g. Khazeret – a spicy thingy that stands for something.
16) The name Pessakh is from the word 'pasakh' which means skipped. Before the 10th and last strike was laid upon the Egyptians – the death of the oldest son in every family – Jewish people went from house to house and marked the doors of the Egyptian houses with red paint. God skipped all the unmarked houses when committing the action.
Last thing but a very important one:
This short guide is very shallow and superficial and gives you merely a taste of the traditions around the table of a secular family. There is so much more to Pessakh, the stories, the meanings, the conclusions to draw, the ideas to discuss – this is just the tip of it. If you are into it, groups can be arranged to discuss more, read more texts, ask more questions and ponder upon them all night long. Done a few times with the right people and the right accessibility to written sources and Judaism – it is fascinating. No less.
Hag Sameakh!
