So I am sharing eight articles and videos about Passover.
1> World War II Passover Haggadot - the Haggadah is the book(let) we read during the Seder, which is the meal that commemorates the escape from slavery in Egypt. Unlike the Torah, this is not a set book, although the outline is generally the same. Many groups have made their own, reflecting the personality of the community. In modern times, these include ones based upon Star Wars, baseball, and so many others.
2> A reading from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
z'l (of blessed memory), because a newsletter I receive
asked why "empathy" has become such a negative term and what it
really means. Part of Passover is to open our homes and invite people to join
the meal, not to proselytize (not a part of our faith) but to obey the repeated
requirement of our Torah to care for the strangers in our midst and to honour
guests at our table.
3> Another bit of history, telling how Americans celebrated Passover while fighting in Europe
during World War I, "The War to End All Wars". Which, unfortunately,
it wasn't. The story notes that when the USA entered the war on April 6, 1917,
"it was erev Pesach", the night before the holiday began.
4> The oldest existing haggadah, recovered from the Cairo Geniza, without the illustrations and decorations so common today. Also a printed one from two centuries later, the first one known. These are the annual reminder of our pact with G-d, how the Hebrews traveled out of Egypt to the land promised, that we read from every Passover.
5> More haggadot, from the Leo Baeck Insitute collection. As the Day 4 materials teach, the haggadah moved quickly from being just the prayers and stories to something beautifully illustrated.
6> A quick video about how matzah is made for the holiday - unlike the rest of the year, the matzoh for Passover must be made, start to finish, in eighteen minutes or less. I always heard "shmurah matzah" as being handmade, instead of the regular boxed squares, as all matzah must be watched to be sure it is made in the correct amount of time.
7> Because the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts on Saturdays, I wanted to post the story of tenor Richard Tucker serving as cantor to a Seder in 1967 for the armed forces in Saigon, but I forgot before jetting out of town. So I posted about a chaplain who didn't allow the International Date Line to cancel the celebration, and added the other when I returned.
8> Just because I didn't do the annual "Eight Songs of Passover" doesn't mean I will entirely skip music. "Dayenu" is my mother's favourite song from the holiday, and we always sing it. Repeatedly.
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