Passover
begins at sunset on Friday, April 3rd this year. There is probably no specific
date for the creation of the Passover Seder, but as with many laws, customs,
traditions and beliefs, it accrued over time.
The
Hebrew word “seder” means “order” -- a number of steps for the ritual meal. Today, there are a number of
"seders." Shavuot, the next Biblical Festival
which comes 50 days after the first day of Passover, also has a seder. Tu B'Shevat, the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat, which is
called the holiday of the trees. It celebrates fruits and other agricultural
products of the Land of Israel. It's seder
was developed and practiced by the Kabbalists of Safed.
In
the Torah, also known as the Five Books of Moses, the festival Passover Festival is called "Pesach", which is the Hebrew name
of the sacrifice.
The
Paschal Lamb (a rare occasion when
meat was eaten by the common person because meat was expensive) was eaten at that
time only by those who were in a state of ritual and spiritual purity. Along
with the "Pesach" there
was the Festival of Unleavened Bread
which was 7 days long. Nothing with "leaven" was ever allowed on the
Altar.
In
the year 70 of our era, Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the Romans.
Exodus 12 states Passover should be celebrated with the Pesach lamb being eaten at
midnight along with bitter herbs and matzah, while we are standing
up with our bags packed and our walking sticks in hand -- and it should be eaten quickly. So? How
do we celebrate this very important festival without a Temple, without a
Pesach, without a functioning
Priesthood?
After
the Great Revolt against Rome (66-73
CE), those Jewish Sages and teachers who were left eventually came together at Yavneh and under the leadership of
(Rabbi) Yochanan Ben Zakkai, began
the arduous task of creating and collecting the rituals, prayers and customs
that are the basis for the practices of Rabbinic Judaism. They were
extremely insightful people. They enabled Judaism to grow and change according
to the historical circumstances and reinterpreted the Torah's instructions,
creating a standard of practice. They transferred the emphasis of Temple Ritual
to the home, family and community and established mnemonic devises, a way of
remembering and recalling ancient Temple Rituals in symbolic ways and
metaphors. A perfect example is The
Seder Plate. It will be coming to a table near you in my next blog.
Be
Blessed, Choose Life & Do TOV!
Rabbi
Jeffrey Leynor
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