Jewish Gifts and Knowledge

It’s been a long time since we celebrated a Passover Seder at my parent’s

home. My mother had changed the dishes, cleaned the refrigerator & stove,

used a feather and candle to be sure all of the chumetz were removed, and

we switched to “Kosher for Pesach” foods.

As our relatives and guests entered our home, they kissed the mezuzah,

which was on the doorpost of our house. We also had personalized

mezuzahs by our bedroom doors.

Our guests brought us beautiful Jewish gifts. We received candlesticks, matza

plates, Kiddish glasses, cute aprons, platters with Passover pictures

painted on them and many other Jewish gifts.

Each person was asked to recite a part of the Passover story from the

our beautifully illustrated Hagodahs, which were written in both English and Hebrew.

There were separate Hagodahs with easy-to-read text for the younger children.

Each year a different child asked the four questions as our family

continued to increase in number. As the child finished, his or her

parents would kvell with pride at the recitation.

After a couple of hours of prayers, we began to pass around the foods on

the beautiful Seder plate: haroses, matzoth, gefilte fish etc. We would open the door

for Elijah to be welcomed to the dinner. For the children, it was

exciting to think someone might mysteriously enter the house and join us.

Then the dinner began…from chicken soup with matzah balls to brisket to

potatoes. We also had mandrel brot, chocolate cake, sponge cake, and

cookies for dessert.

After dinner, with stomachs full and eyes getting droopy, we sang

songs… with some of the men pounding the table to the beat of the song.

Some of us had practiced the songs from recordings. The children went

to play with their Jewish holiday gifts as they waited for the dishes to be

cleared. Later, everyone kissed one another goodbye.

As a child, the Seder seemed to go on forever. Now, as an adult and with

my parents deceased, it is one of my favorite memories…those of my

father leading the prayers and my family participating in a very

ritualistic experience. During the Seder, we told the story of the

Egyptians and the Jews. It was a story of our history and made us proud for being Jewish. It also gave my extended family a

perfect time to spend a warm and friendly evening together.

by Susie Klein

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The holiday of Purim is behind us.

And as important as the celebration of a Jewish holiday is?

It’s also important that we take something with us.

That are lives are somehow different.

Here’s something I was thinking about on Purim.

And something I hope to think about every day as well.

… I mentioned in my last Torah Minute that G-d’s name is not in the Megillah.

Because G-d was there, but He was hidden.

There was no “splitting of the sea” like on Passover.

Purim is a day that we need to look deeper to see G-d.

To see that He was there pulling the strings.

… It’s one of the most fundamental Jewish teachings.

Every human being is created in the Image of G-d.

There is something G-dly in every person.

And with some people?

G-d’s presence is like the splitting of the sea!

You can’t miss it.

With others?

You need to look a bit closer to see it.

And sometimes we meet someone and…

“It just isn’t there.”

The holiday of Purim should remind us that the problem is with us.

That we need to look deeper. And deeper. To see beyond the external.

And if we do that with every person we meet?

We will find the Image of G-d!

All the best,

Moshe

Rabbi Moshe Katz

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