Saturday, July 26, 2008

Seder Meal

It was a natural conclusion to our days spent talking about biblical foundations for the understanding of food, to have a seder meal, a feast celebrated during the Jewish passover. As you can see, Mary Ruth and Loren really got into the spirit of things as our 'parents' presiding over the meal!We gathered around the specially laid table. Each setting was headed with a small plate of symbolic food, a shell, a wine glass, a bowl of salty water, and a booklet containing a form of liturgy. Here you can see the special Seder plate at the head of the table, which contains the symbolic food:
* a green herb (parsley) to be dipped in salty water - a symbol of new life coming from sweat and suffering in the past
* a lamb shank bone (from the roast lamb) - a reminder of the lamb eaten by the Israelites on the night God passed over their houses, sparing their first-born
* bitter herbs (horseradish, onion and lettuce) - a symbol of the bitter life of slavery under Pharaoh in Egypt
* charoset (a 'pebbly' mixture of apples, nuts and spices, moistened with wine), in which the bitter herbs are dipped - a symbol of the mortar and bricks the Israelites slaves made in Egypt
* an egg (hard-boiled or roasted) - a symbol of the cycle of life, and also a symbol of mourning the destruction of Jerusalem

The liturgy recalls the Israelites escape from Egypt, the goodness of God, and offers praise to God. I helped make the unleavened matzah bread (a bit like crackers - whole wheat flour, oil and water) that was broken and shared. The liturgy also encouraged the consumption of four glasses of wine. Given that we'd spent the previous day fasting (in line with our discussion earlier), we all poured very small portions!

Once the main part of the liturgy was complete we feasted! Chicken soup with matzo balls, roast lamb, salad, vegetables, and Passover cake for dessert (much like a sponge cake made with almond meal).
We were all very full by the end of the evening, as we finished the liturgy with praise and thanksgiving.

No comments: