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Post by sharon on Mar 24, 2012 18:39:45 GMT -6
Passover is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates and commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. It usually occurs in April, although now and then it will begin at the end of March.
It is an 8 day holiday, and the first two nights include a ritual meal called a Seder. The Seder's purpose is to remember ourselves and to teach children about Exodus. It includes many specific foods, which are symbolic of different things. The Seder is a series of 14 ritual steps, and intersperced among them are traditional prayers, songs and readings. Families also develop their own traditions, so two Seders are hardly ever the same.
For the duration of the 8 day holiday Jews are to abstain from eating Chametz (leaven), which is defined as any of the 5 forbidden grains (wheat, spelt, oats, barley and rye) which have come in contact with water for more than 18 minutes and therefore have been allowed to rise. That means your general cakes, cookies, breads, cereals, etc are all out. Many Jews also avoid another category of food called Kitniyot with includes rice, beans, corn and legumes.
Matzah, which we do eat, is made under carefully supervised conditions so that it is completely baked in less than 18 minutes after the flour and water are mixed.
Observant Jews not only don't eat forbidden items during Passover, but will not own them, so they clean their house top to bottom and make every effort to remove any crumb of chametz that might be in their house. It brings new meaning to "spring cleaning."
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Post by deannemdm on Mar 25, 2012 13:40:27 GMT -6
Thanks for sharing Sharon!
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Post by ReneeW on Mar 26, 2012 9:33:31 GMT -6
A couple of years ago at my church for our once-a-month "family night" they taught the families about Passover and my kids LOVED it. They had the kids paint red paint on fake doorways so the kids had a little activity to help them remember the story -- and then we read books, ate some unleavened bread, etc. We still have a book about Passover that we read regularly. Thanks for sharing more of the traditions with us!
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Post by sharon on Mar 26, 2012 17:01:54 GMT -6
Thanks for reading ladies.
That's fun that they did that at your church. I think it's interesting to learn about other religions.
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Post by bunsy on Mar 26, 2012 17:13:12 GMT -6
I've been thinking about you Sharon. Our "Meal in the Upper Room" at our church is coming up this year. My aunt has asked me to come to her church and help her with the Seder she is planning for her congregation. I have no idea what she is doing and am awaiting instructions. It should be interesting to see it done in a different way.
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Post by sharon on Mar 26, 2012 18:38:38 GMT -6
What is "Meal in the Upper Room?" Sounds interesting.
Yes, I have heard that Seders at churches are different and interesting. I would love to hear more as you know.
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Post by bunsy on Mar 26, 2012 18:45:52 GMT -6
It is simply the name my church uses for their Seder dinner. My understanding is that it is in recognition that The Last Supper was a Passover celebration that Jesus then changed at the end to the celebration of Holy Communion.
I'm not a theological person at all. I'm a go with the flow person. I don't know the "whys" but I just experience my experiences.
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Post by sharon on Mar 26, 2012 18:52:15 GMT -6
Makes sense. My understanding is that this is exactly why churches sometimes do a Seder - not because they are commemorating Passover or the Exodus the way we do, but because they are paying tribute to Jesus' Last Supper. I'm usually very into the "whys" And Passover is DEFINITELY about whys.
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Post by sharon on Mar 2, 2013 18:03:37 GMT -6
Just a few weeks until Passover!!
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Post by sharon on Apr 8, 2014 4:33:20 GMT -6
Next week!
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