Adding Some (Conversational) Spice to the Seder

by Claire Rosenberg, Staff Writer

March 24, 2011

In my personal experience, Seders are largely identical from one year to the next, with a sequential reading from the Haggadah, followed by a gefilte fish course, matzoh ball soup, and brisket, and then capped off with a long awaited race through the Birkat Hamazon. The newly released second edition of Creating Lively Passover Seders: a Sourcebook of Engaging Tales, Texts and Activities by David Arnow, PhD,  aims to deepen our understanding of the standard order, and to provide new opportunities for everyone to engage in the retelling of the Exodus story at this year’s gathering.

The book presents so much material, that it is nearly impossible to digest it all in a short period of time. I found myself particularly drawn to the chapter on reconnecting Passover and Nature, and to the importance of recognizing this holiday as the Festival of Spring that it is. Being something of an undercover feminist, I also found myself engrossed in “Women of the Exodus: Redeemed by their Righteousness,” which is chapter 14 in the book.   We know that the Haggadah is in many ways a Midrash (An interpretation or study of a biblical story created to fill in perceived gaps) based on the recounting of the Exodus in the bible. Women are often mentioned in that account, yet in the translation to the Haggadah, as Arnow suggests, there seems a hesitancy to include them. The only woman mentioned by name is Hadassah (also known as Esther), and even then, only on the second night’s Seder. This is only one of many fascinating asides to the text of the Haggadah, which are meant to instigate animated discussions at Seder tables.   This is what Creating Lively Passover Seders does best; it brings to light aspects of the Seder and the Exodus story that may not have struck participants before, and builds a platform on which to address them.

Another highlight of the book’s offerings is the attention paid to translating the Exodus story into more relatable circumstances.  I spoke at length with the author by phone, and when asked about the parallels drawn between the Exodus story and our modern day reality, he had this to say: “The holiday is not just about something that happened a long time ago, it’s about applying it to our lives today. The Haggadah says that “In every generation, people should see themselves as if they had just gone out of Egypt…” and that really calls out for making it current.  You want to build a bridge between what the holiday is/was about, and today, so that we can connect with it.”

One suggestion made in the text is the addition of a seasonal item to the Seder Plate, which can represent a more current issue for the Seder Guests. In our conversation, Dr. Arnow told me that he is considering adding a small Egyptian or Tunisian flag to the plate this year, hoping to draw the parallels between the ousting of Mubarak and the recounting of the Exodus.

I was pleasantly surprised by how well this book caters to adults, but as a teacher, was also hoping to draw more youth-appropriate activities from it. I asked Dr. Arnow to recommend an activity for Seders catering towards children, and he suggested utilizing “Reliving the Exodus: The Story of the Last Night in Egypt,” which is chapter 18 in the book.  In this activity, participants are led through an interactive version of the Exodus story in which one room is designated as Egypt, or the starting point.  In this room, each guest collects a pack containing matzo and bitter herbs, along with red construction paper to affix to the doorposts, symbolizing the blood on those of the Jewish homes in Egypt. Participants should read the included story “Last Night in Egypt,” which is based on a Midrash about the last plague. This segues well into a discussion about whether or not the Jewish families should have sheltered the first-born children brought by their Egyptian mothers, much like the righteous Gentiles who took in Jews during the Holocaust.  Having the children then lead the Seder party on a journey through the home carrying their matzot will allow them to truly relive the journey of the Exodus. The matzot from this activity are then used to create the first sandwich of the Seder, drawing a parallel to the first meal eaten in the desert after the Israelites departed Egypt.

For more mature audiences, there are numerous texts and conversation starters, although one interactive option Dr. Arnow recommended to me in our discussion, was to engage participants in an activity found on page 25 of the book. Two potential United States Seals are presented, the first of which Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin met on July 4th, 1776 to create for the newly independent American nation. As depicted in the book, they settled on an image of Moses leading the Israelites through the Red Sea, and while Thomas Jefferson chose to adopt the image as his personal seal, it was tabled on a national level, and in 1782, a new seal was created, one which depicts a pyramid. Guests can address the decision to use a pyramid, which may be the greatest result of slave labor in history, as opposed to the depiction of our release from servitude, and offer their opinions on this choice.

Based on the plethora of options in the book, I asked Dr. Arnow what he would want communicated to potential readers, and he stressed that this is a thick book with many offerings, of which one chapter can supply more than enough activities for a family Seder. In addition, he told me “If you look back at our earliest descriptions of Passover in the Mishnah, you’ll see that they had a very interesting approach, in that they were balancing things in place and time, with certain constants, and there were other things left open to spontaneous activity, which was the telling of the story, and was meant to change from year to year. That balance between the fixed, which tie us together as a people, and the open, which allow us to tell the story and make it our own, was a brilliant incite so long ago. Now it’s a matter of restoring that balance.  This book is not about breaking down the rules. But it is about doing something radical (which means to break down) and going back to our ancient mishnaic roots.”

Creating Lively Passover Seders is not a Haggadah, nor is it meant to be a replacement for one. It is intended as a supplement, which will aid you in bringing meaning to the words of the formal Seder. For those who are seeking a new Haggadah, Arnow recommends My People’s Passover Haggadah, a two volume publication complete with full commentary. However, regardless of which Haggadah you read from (The Maxwell House version widely available at supermarkets is traditional for my family,) the supplemental conversation is what actually determines the impact of the proceedings. The many Seders I’ve attended often blur together in my recollection, but I can now say that I am excited about the opportunities for change I encountered in this publication.

Claire Rosenberg is a staff writer for the New Vilna Review. She is also a Jewish semi-professional living in Connecticut, where she teaches, writes, does yoga, and runs the occasional 5k. She spends the majority of her time these days applying to Masters Programs in Israel and creating recipes to post on her vegetarian food blog, www.bokchoybohemia.com.