A Place at the Seder

Some of my most wonderful memories from my youth are our family holiday celebrations. My grandparents, aunts and uncles and those, my parents, of blessed memory, called "strays", ones who had no family or who were alone, always had a place at our table. They were welcomed with warmth and love. The one holiday which stands out in my mind though, is Passover. There are very few holidays on the Jewish calendar that require as much preparation. It's probably like the anticipation and planning for those who celebrate Christmas.

In my home, we all pitched in wrapping and boxing the dishes used during the rest of the year, schlepping them down the basement and carting the Passover dishes and utensils, only used during the holiday, upstairs to be washed and put in place. The house would be cleaned checking every nook and cranny for crumbs of "chametz" (anything with leaven). There is a ritual that goes along with that which I will cover in the next article.

The thing which struck me even as a child was that on Passover, along with the regular family and extended family, there were always non-Jewish guests. Many were people my mom worked with at the Essex County Welfare Board, some were my father's patients or people who worked in his nursing home, others were friends of my sister's or brother, or were my friends and their families.

My father loved running the "seder", a Hebrew word for "order." He would always explain the order of the service, what all the rituals and traditions meant, and invite everyone at the table to read and participate -- Jewish or not. He would always start each seder with his own personal statement which usually went something like this:

"It's wonderful that you are here with us to share in this holiday which recalls the Israelite Exodus from Egypt, because plainly and simply, if we never got out, you wouldn't be here!" 

He was probably right. If the Israelites never left, history would be very different.

Having non-Jewish people attend and participate was an idea which has stayed with me over the years. At the beginning of the seder, it says, "All who are hungry come and eat." I think the "hungry" refers to and includes those who hunger for family, acceptance, and belonging to a group. As a Jew, and as a Rabbi, I never push people away. I do my utmost to be as inclusive as possible without intruding upon someone else's BS (belief system & the other kind too).

When I came to Texas, I continued this philosophy. For many years, I've conducted Passover Seders for a number of different churches. I feel like an ambassador for the Jewish people, going places that other rabbis fear to tread. On many of those trips I met people who grew up in places where they had never met a Jew, much less a rabbi. I always have a great time and the attendees are so grateful. They tell me how much they appreciate the knowledge and background information they receive. I use this experience to show others how we are connected. If they claim to follow Jesus, the Jewish teacher, then this gives them a context which they normally never get about him.

There is great Blessing in giving others "a place at the table." Jesus and his Jewish students never attended a "seder", because in his day, the Temple was still standing. Seders did not appear until later times. So, if the "Last Supper" wasn't a seder, what was it? Look for the answer in my next blog.

Do TOV, Choose Life!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

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