An Insight Into Passover

Each Jewish holiday is a lesson in life. What is the unique lesson of Passover? Freedom. It's the type of freedom that has given the Jewish people it's power to survive and to thrive. It's not a freedom of the body as much as a freedom of the spirit. And this freedom is available at Passover-time to help you achieve whatever you want. A person with true freedom knows no bounds, and can achieve whatever they wish. They are free to change themselves and change the world!

On Sukkot, the holiday of joy, the Jewish people focus on the need to increase their joy. On Rosh Hashana, they commit to working on goals. On Yom Kippur, they focus on a sense of regret and a returning to where they should be. On Passover, the holiday of freedom, everyone thinks they are free and gives thanks for that freedom.

The challenge of Passover is to appreciate that this may not be true.

The holiday of Passover marks the anniversary of the birth of the Jewish nation. The story of the Jewish nation is one of individuals who became a family, who became a people. The great individuals who laid the spiritual foundation of Jewish people hood were Abraham and Sarah, their son and daughter-in-law Isaac and Rebecca, and their son and daughters-in-law Jacob, Rachel and Leah.

>From Jacob, Rachel and Leah came a family of 70 people who, due to a famine in Israel, were forced to migrate to Egypt. In Egypt, this family grew and prospered to such an extent that they eventually came to be seen as a threat to their Egyptian hosts. Respect and admiration turned to contempt, and finally to an organized program of enslavement and oppression. After 210 years, and a series of unheeded warnings by Moses to Pharaoh which resulted in the Ten Plagues, God liberated a nation which had grown from the original family of 70 people. Seven weeks later this newly conceived nation received the Torah at Mount Sinai.

Slavery takes many forms; not all shackles are made of iron. Once slavery becomes a way of life, the slave may even become unaware of his own servitude. Passover is a "virtual reality experience" in freedomand the Haggadah is the guidebook. It assists each Jew in unearthing his own "slavery". The Seder is a seminar on how to be truly free, and on Passover night they re-enact the transformation of leaving Egypt and slavery, and moving on to freedom.

Out of the original events of Passover emerged the greatest and longest standing empire of the world. Not an empire of space, but an empire of thoughtJewish thought. The story of Passover is the story of the beginnings of the Jewish people, a people that set out to form a "new world order" with a new morality and new concepts of life.

Experiences come through two vehicles: Experiences of the body, and experiences of the mind. Passover is a "mind" holiday. We have to become freenot from a physical oppressor, but from a spiritual, mental one. Ideas may enslave us. Pressures, self-imposed limitsall these are in our mind. To be free of them, we must first understand them. But first we must become aware of those things that enslave us on a "subconscious" level.

The Haggadah is the story of the birth of the Jews as a people. It deals primarily with the events in Egypt which led from slavery to liberation, though it also spans the entire period from Abraham to the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. One could say that the Haggadah is the national birth certificate as well as the Declaration of Independence for the Jewish people. More than just a historical document, it also speaks of the ideals and values which constitute the essence of their national consciousness and identity.

The word "haggadic" means to tell, or to relate. The Haggadah is a vivid narrative which is set in the context of a parent-child dialogue. Passover, with the Haggadah as its focus, tells every Jew three things: who you are, where you came from, and what you stand for.

The message inherent in the Haggadah is that Jewish identity and continuity hinge on encouraging children to ask questionsand being prepared as parents to provide sensitive and substantive answers. In Judaism, being learned, knowledgeable, and wise is not only a goal, it is a prerequisite.

Passover celebrates this history. The first 2 nights of the 8 day holiday are celebrated with lavish meals called Seders. The Passover Seder is a special Jewish ritual which takes place on the first evening of Passover in Israel, and on the first and second evenings of Passover in the Jewish diaspora. The next ones will be on Monday night April 2 and Tuesday night April 3, 2007. Incorporating the holiday meal, the Seder relives the enslavement and subsequent Exodus of the Children of Israel from Ancient Egypt through the words of the Haggadah, the drinking of Four Cups of Wine, the eating of matzot, and the eating of and reference to symbolic foods placed on the Passover Seder Plate.

The Seder is considered an integral aspect of Jewish faith and identity. As the Haggadahwhich contains the complete Seder serviceexplains, without the Exodus, the Jews would still be slaves to the Egyptian Pharaoh and would never have realized their role as a nation. Therefore this is an occasion for much praise and thanksgiving to God. It is considered a mitzvah (commandment) to embellish one's retelling of the Exodus on this night. Often the Seder lasts into the early hours of the morning of the next day, as participants continue to learn Torah and talk about the events of the night and sing special Passover songs included in the Haggadah.

Unlike other public holiday observances that are traditionally held in the synagogue, the Seder is specifically designed to be conducted by a family at home, with or without guests. The words and rituals of the Seder are a primary vehicle for the transmission of the Jewish faith from parent to child, and from one generation to the next.

There are a number of foods eaten during the ritual Seder family meal partaken on the first two nights of Passover. Family customs may vary the items served at the Seder, but the following food items traditionally appear on the Seder plate:

Matzoh: Three unleavened matzohs are placed within the folds of a napkin as a reminder of the haste with which the Israelites fled Egypt, leaving no time for dough to rise. Two are consumed during the service, and one (the Aftkomen), is spirited away and hidden during the ceremony to be later found as a prize.

Maror: Bitter herbs, usually horseradish or romaine lettuce, used to symbolize the bitterness of slavery.

Charoses: A mixture of apples, nuts, wine, and cinnamon, as a reminder of the mortar used by the Jews in the construction of buildings as slaves.

Beitzah: A roasted egg, as a symbol of life and the perpetuation of existence.

Karpas: A vegetable, preferably parsley or celery, representing hope and redemption; served with a bowl of salted water to represent the tears shed.

Zeroah: Traditionally a piece of roasted lamb shankbone, symbolizing the paschal sacrificial offering.

Wine: Four glasses of wine are consumed during the service to represent the four-fold promise of redemption, with a special glass left for Elijah the prophet.

As Passover approaches, remember friends and family with a beautiful centerpiece for the Seder table. Fresh flowers add elegance to any gathering and are sure to enhance the special times that are shared during this holy time.

Be sure to contact your favorite flower shop to order your Passover flowers or plants early. If you would like to send a gift of food, your florist will be able to make a wonderful gift basket filled with kosher delights to help you and your friends celebrate the holiday.

Whether you are setting your own special Seder table or going to the home of friends or a family member, be sure to remember to stop by your favorite florist for lots of great holiday gift ideas.