PASSOVER 2016

On One Footעל רגל אחת

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Introduction

With this edition of our publication series, על רגל אחת On One Foot we offer you the seeds. We hope that you will take these seeds, sow them and water them in the garden of your family and your own lives, and that these seeds enrich your Passover holiday. And you can enjoy these even without standing “on one foot”! Have a wonderful holiday!

In this issue, we look at Passover from eight different perspectives. These different perspectives are inspired by the dimensions of religious culture proposed by Dr. Ninian Smart. We have adapted them and added to them, as a tool to help us open ourselves to the multiple ways of understanding and appreciating the Passover experience.

We hope this issue of Al Regel Ahat helps enhance your celebration of the holiday.

Hag Sameiah v’chasher--A joyful and “kosher” Passover to you and yours, in whichever dimensions you will be most focused this year!

Yonatan Rosner and J.B. SacksCo-Editors

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank all of our contributors--students and faculty--for enriching our Passover with their heartfelt perspectives on the holiday. D’varim min halev nichnasim el halev--Words and images from the heart penetrate the heart! We wish we could have included all the contributions we received.

We also thank our graphic designer Grace Hutchison for designing the layout, and our Marketing Department, headed by Cheri Mayman, and including Ariana Silver and Jason Gelfat for their passionate help in producing this issue. Y’shar Kohachem! Thank you!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Visionary and Idealistic Dimension A Spiritual Exodus Rabbi Devin Maimon Villarreal

The Mythic and Narrative Dimension Students Engage Rashi and Rethink the Passover Story Stu Jacobs’ TaNaKh 2 Class

The Organizational, Institutional, and Social Dimension The Essence of Pesah Dr. J.B. Sacks

The Philosophical and Doctrinal Dimension The Multiple Meanings of the Foods of the Seder Plate Students of Adi Kogman’s Hebrew Classes

The Material, Symbolic and Artistic Dimension Opening the Door for and Raising the Cup of Elijah Rabbi David Vorspan

Art in Honor of Black History Month Students in Benny Ferdman Honors 2D Class and Visiting Students from Uruguay

The Ritual and Practical Dimension My Passover Ritual Stu Jacobs

Pure to Impure to Pure Samantha Jamieson, Class of 2017

The Experiential and Emotional Dimension The Difference between Matzah and Hametz Becca Bubis

Passover Granola Submitted by Morah Dina Appleby

The Ethical and Legal Dimension Civil Disobedience and Dayenu in the Story of the Hebrew Midwives Yonatan Rosner

A Civil Rights Dayenu Alumnus Ben Markman (Class of 2015)

The Visionary and Idealistic DimensionA Spiritual Exodusby Rabbi Devin Maimon Villarreal Jewish Studies Department Chair

With Gratitude to Rabbi Dr. J.B. Sacks for introducing me to the inspiring world of Converso poetry

The Converso poets of the 17th century lived after the luster of Golden Age of Spanish Jewry but inherited many of its crowning characteristics such as a rich mystical tradition, sophisticated philosophical thought and a propensity for poetry. What the Conversos (Jews forcibly converted to Catholicism, many of whom continued to live secret Jewish lives) and their descendants who returned to open Jewish communities did lose after the Golden Age was an environment of tolerance in the countries of their birth. Though they needed to escape from their native Portugal and Spain to places such as France, Italy, and the Netherlands to live as Jews, they took their Spanish language with them, particularly when it came to writing. Furthermore, after living for generations in secrecy, the Conversos developed a remarkable spirituality that was characterized by interiority. That is, given their inability to have many external manifestations of their faith, they turned inward and fortified their religious life by focusing on internal experience.

It is with this brand of spirituality that one Converso poet, Joao Pinto Delgado, wrote about the Exodus story not only as a physical liberation narrative but as the story of the liberation of the soul from its errant ways. In one of is canciónes, he begins by writing about “este fiero Egipto de mi pecado/this cruel Egypt of my wrongdoing” and we are immediately aware of his internal focus. He continues,

“let Your holy inspiration...call on me in the desert…there, by Your doing I am stripped of the blind veil of error, the clothing of the past,let me happy rise to behold Your glory,where the sovereign object will transform my beingby miraculous effect into itself.(adapted from the translation by Timothy Oelman)

The exodus into the desert becomes the spiritual landscape where G!d can aid the author in removing his “veil of error”, allowing him to improve himself and grow. In a delightful turn, the author then concludes that this improvement and growth is less a change than it is the soul becoming itself.

Through the spiritual legacy of the Conversos and Delgado’s pen, we are offered another great story to consider on Pesah, the story of how each of our souls have become more actualized this year, and how they might continue to do so in the coming year. Consider what your “desert” is. Prayer? Meditation? Art? Camping under the night sky? What is the space that allows a Greater Presence to remove your “veil of error” so you can see things more clearly, connect with greater compassion to others, and thereby allow your soul to be more itself? Consider also how you might experience your exodus more often this year. As we celebrate the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt and the birth of our people, we can also contemplate the liberation of our souls toward a promised land of their fuller actualization shown through wisdom, responsibility towards one another, and shalom.

Editor’s Note: The Visionary and Idealistic Dimension: raises up the hopes, dreams, vision, and ideals of the group. Here Rabbi Villarreal demonstrates how the Converso community, living under the ongoing threat of the Inquisition, shifted the public focus of their hopes and dreams from a communal political freedom to a personal spiritual one, a shift that can speak to us today as we prepare for our Passover experience.

Analysis/Reflection of Karen Lonstein (Class of 2018)The Rashi comment that really changed the way I thought about the narrative was one about the messenger Pharaoh sent to Moses and Aaron allowing them to leave Egypt. Before I read Rashi’s commentary, it looked like Pharaoh ordered Moses and Aaron to come back in order to talk with them. However, according to Rashi’s commentary, perhaps it was not Pharaoh’s choice to bring them back; perhaps the messenger feared G!d and wanted to let the Israelites go to worship G!d. As a reader, this new lesson helped me understand that even the smallest character can impact a story with one decision that they make. Without the messenger, Pharaoh may have not agreed to let the Israelites go. After all, later in the story he changed his mind and refused again.

Analysis/Reflection of Henry Roland (Class of 2018)In Rashi’s commentary on Shemot 9:8 he explains how it was possible for a man to throw four handfuls of dust with only one hand. Before Rashi’s commentary, I read this without thinking anything of it. It was just a man throwing some dirt in the air. Rashi showed that everything that happens in the story can be seen as part of the miracle. Even a man throwing some dirt. G!d made miracles happen everywhere in the Torah, as well as in our lives. It is our job to be thankful and recognize these miracles in our lives just as Rashi had in the story. Rashi’s commentary gives me a better understanding of those miracles in the story and helps me recognize the miracles that take place in my own life.

Analysis/Reflection of Adam Rosenberg (Class of 2018)Before Rashi we read that Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. We did not stop to think this may have a hidden meaning. What was revealed through Rashi’s commentary was that the messenger who was sent for them had no connection to Pharaoh himself. Instead, the messenger was sent by the Egyptian people or perhaps Pharaoh’s countries. This severed lie between the messenger and Pharaoh can tell us a lot about Pharaoh’s character. It portrays Pharaoh’s stubbornness and unwillingness to cooperate. Pharaoh did not care about his own people or the plagues and could not be bothered to talk to Moses and Aaron. Pharaoh’s people, however, had gone against his will because there were truly concerned about Egypt and did not want plagues to destroy them. This seemingly irrelevant background character conveys how the smallest detail in the text, as well as the least important people, can truly make the most impact on the story and in reality.

The Mythic and Narrative Dimension Students Engage Rashi and Rethink the Passover Storyby Stu Jacobs’ TaNaKh 2 Class

Editor’s Note: The Mythic and Narrative Dimension of a culture consists of the “sacred stories” that explain, inspire or motivate its members. Here several students ruminate on the biblical Passover story, explaining how the comments of Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, 1040-1105, Troyes, France) have helped them to deepen their understanding of and connection to this central narrative of Jewish life.

Shemot (Exodus) 9:8YHVH said to Moses and to Aaron, “Take yourselves handfuls of furnace soot, and Moses shall cast it heavenward before Pharaoh’s eyes.

A Comment by Rashiand Moses shall cast it: And anything cast with strength can be cast only with one hand. Hence there are many miracles [here], one that Moses’ [single] handful held his own double handfuls and those of Aaron, and [another miracle was] that the dust went over the entire land of Egypt. —[from Tanchuma Va’era 14]

Shemot (Exodus) 10:8[Thereupon,] Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, worship YHVH your G!d: Who and who are going?”

A Comment By Rashiwere brought back: They were brought back by a messenger, whom they [the Egyptians] sent after them, and they returned them to Pharaoh.

Mr. Jacobs’ students were asked to describe one episode of the story of Exodus that has been redefined by the study of the text through Rashi’s Biblical commentary. Following are the verses that they studied, each accompanied by Rashi’s commentary, and then several analyses and reflections by students of Mr. Jacobs on these passages.

Knowing the man had no children, the Besht blessed him for his generosity and promised him that within the year his wife would bear a child.

When the merchant had gone, a Bat Kol (an audible Heavenly utterance) called out: Did you not know that this man’s wife was barren? Because of your promise, the Holy One has to change the very course of nature. For this you will forfeit your place in the World to Come.”

Rather than collapse in despair at having lost his heavenly reward, the Besht danced with joy. Thank You,” he called back, sincerely, to G!d. “Before this I always worried that my service to You was tainted by the thought of reward, but now I have the opportunity to serve You with no thought of reward, for even the World to Come is closed to me!”

What do you—or anyone—want from spiritual practice? Enlightenment? Bliss? Happiness? Peace of mind? An end to suffering? A place in the Messianic Age? As long as you have a reward in mind, as worthy as it may be, your practice may be, even tainted. On the other hand, is it possible to act with no goal in mind whatsoever? Can the ego operate without the expectation of something in return? When one acts without a goal, with no sense of reward, the act itself becomes the point, and the reward is, then, immediate. This is what all the great mystics hope to realize: The doing is the receiving! Still, it is hard to dismiss actions that lead to worthy goals.

Pesah comes to get us to get rid our inner puffed challah and get to the essence of our being—clear, essential, raw matzah. This clarity can help us ensure that we are on the path that is marked with our own names, ones with clear goals that lead to worthy ends. Shaping what our expectations are to coincide with the greater good is certainly preferable to the current American culture of “taking care of oneself” as some high point of spiritual development. As Pesach spiritually teaches, the liberation did not happen while people were still in this mindset. Only when we connect our lives to something greater than ourselves do we, ironically, forge a true inner life. As Jews, this should include our engagement with Jewish destiny, which can best happen through attachment to a spiritual community, such as our own dTHS family. Nonetheless, we hope along the way that we shall, as well, find ways to limit our hope for even worthy rewards so that we can be in the moment, just be—and receive the reward of immediate uplift.

The vision and hope of the spiritual dimension thus reinforces what the historical retelling and the agricultural components emphasize. In light of all this:

May we, too, realize that we, like our ancestors, our both imperfect and worthy.May we, like the barley plant, nurture others from a place of humility.May we clear out the hametz not only from our shelves but from our hearts.May we lessen our desires for material rewards and focus more on our inner lives.May we connect ourselves to the Jewish past and the Jewish future.May we do worthy deeds that promote laudable goals.May we experience liberation, the deeper Pesah.May this year we all have a zissen (“sweet”), meaningful, and hence kosher Passover.

Chag kasher v’samei-ach! A joyous, liberating Passover.

We soon approach Pesah (Passover), one of the three Pilgrimage Festivals (Shalosh R’galim; the other two are Shavuot and Sukkot). All three have at least three dimensions; historical, agricultural and mystical/spiritual. But Pesah differs: it is foundational. It drives our thinking, our values and everything else, including our calendar. Indeed, as the Bible attests, for some periods of Jewish history, the month of Nisan (in which Pesah falls) was the first month of the year, and the Song of Songs is the first of the Five Megillot, the biblical books read on holidays, listed according to their order they will be read during the year. Passover’s dimensions, then, deserve closer scrutiny.

Historically Pesah recalls and reenacts the liberation of the Hebrews from Egyptian hegemony, marked by oppressive slavery. Archeologists have not found evidence of most of the Torah’s details of the process toward freedom. Nonetheless historical background can be surmised for the broader outline. In addition, why would a fledgling people want to tell a tale that highlights their own denigration—oppressive slavery and bratty behavior later? Most peoples tell stories of ancestors who were perfect in every way, defeating giants, outwitting “the gods”, performing marvelous feats. Our heroes remain very human. Indeed, getting in touch with their humbler selves makes for the best leaders, it seems, with Moses as the quintessence of this truth.

Agriculturally Pesah celebrates the beginning of the barley harvest, when it is at least in a state called aviv, which in the Passover story does not mean “spring” (as in modern Hebrew), but, rather, refers to the stage of ripening of the barley into a milky form which can nonetheless offer nutrition. Even the humble barley plant can offer tremendous nourishment, even at such a tender stage of its maturation. The agricultural dimensions thus reinforces the historical one.

Spiritually, Pesah, including the post-Purim preparation for it, is a period of introspection when we seek to free ourselves from the things that enslave us to the narrow places of selfishness and ego. The kabbalists (mystics) derive this understanding from a play on the Hebrew word for Egypt, mitzrayim. This Hebrew name can be playfully read as mi (“from”) tzarim (“narrow places”). Egypt was, in this mystical understanding not a specific geographic place where a specific people were constricted in their being but, rather, represents any narrow place or mindset that inhibits fullness of being. Any habit of heart, mind or body that promotes selfishness and egotism is a “mitzrayim”.

Hassidic lore recalls the Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760; founder of Hassidic Judaism. Known as well by the acronym Besht, he was a spiritual healer who reached out to the masses with passion and devotion.) journeying to Israel as Pesach was nearing. He had no money then with which to buy the needed supplies. A wealthy merchant, hearing of his plight, came forward and donated a generous amount of money that allowed the Besht to observe the week without worry.

Editor’s Note: The Organizational, Institutional and Social Dimension structures the group (including the calendar) and the institutions (including special days), thereby enabling the group to work on specific aims, and creating opportunities to further the social cohesion of the group. Dr. Sacks brings together the historical, agricultural, and spiritual threads of Pesah as an institution to propose a purpose for it.

The Organizational, Institutional, and Social Dimension The Essence of Pesahby Dr. J.B. SacksJewish Studies Faculty, Co-Director of Jewish Life

New Items for a Seder PlateStudents were asked to propose new items for a Seder plate and to give reasons for their choices.

Sophie Harris (Class of 2019)First, I would have an everything bagel. I chose this because all of the different toppings symbolize the mixture of cultures in our community all in one place working together. Next, I would have warheads. This is because at first when you suck on it, it is sour like our hard past. Then, once the sourness disappears, the candy is sweet like the victories of the Jewish people when they survived the hardships. Next, I would have an egg. This is because it would symbolize our entrapment in Egypt and how we broke through our shell and became our own people in Israel. Fourth, I would have Matzah. This would symbolize the food the Jewish people had time to make when they were escaping Egypt. Fifth, I would have grape juice or wine to represent the blood on the doors. Lastly, I would have a veggie burger. This would symbolize a common American food, (which would be hamburgers, although I am a vegetarian).

Rebecca Kaplan (Class of 2019)I believe that there are foods that could possibly relate to more of modern times. For example, an oreo can symbolize equality, in the sense of racial equality today and the fight for equality in ancient Egypt. Cotton candy represents the beauty and sweetness of being free. On the Seder plate, an onion can symbolize the pain and tears shed in slavery just like when eating the onion. lego candy can symbolize the building done in Egypt and the building of relationships in modern times. ketchup represents the sweet and saltiness of new situations. Additionally, strawberries can be added to symbolize the redness in someone’s face when embarrassed or embarrassment in general.

Andrew Starkman (Class of 2019)I would add a pita because it represents the round year. I would add green onions because they represent the whips that the Egyptians whipped the Israelites with. I would also add chocolate because it could represent the sweetness of leaving Egypt. I would add bread slices because they represent the layers of stones that make up the pyramids.

Lilly Adelstein (Class of 2017)My modern take on the traditional Seder plate would consist of a caramel apple, Tootsie Pop, marshmallow peeps, and saltwater taffy. The Carmel Apple teaches us to look at both sides of every situation and that everything in life has benefits and cons and it is our job to acknowledge both. Like life, the Carmel apple has a perfect balance of sour and sweet. The second item upon the plate would be a tootsie pop. The tootsie pops hard shell wears down and reveals a soft center. This reminded me of how even a tyrant has a heart that is capable of compassion that can be revealed under extraordinary circumstances. The marshmallow peep is shaped as a bunny and represents life and how fragile it is. Like life, the time we have to enjoy the peep is short. Saltwater Taffy shows the human ability to adapt under pressure and stretch oneself to extremes when necessary. Like people, Taffy can only stretch so thin and will eventually break., leaving behind a salty taste resembling the tears of those who were pushed beyond their limits.

Items on a Seder PlateInherited Meaning and New Meanings

Students were asked to think about the meanings of the foods on the Seder plate, both the meanings that they have learned, and the meanings they ascribed to them.

Lilly Adelstein (Class of 2017)Each food on the Seder plate represents a universal meaning connecting the food upon the plate to the story of Passover. Along with the traditional representation of the food families have developed their own interpretations of what each food represents. My family’s Seder plate is not only a representation of the hardships of the Jewish people but of any people who has faced oppression. The Eggs upon my family’s plate are for all those in mourning regardless of whom, what, or why they are doing so. The Karpas represents every tear that has been shed due to injustice, the shank bone from a lamb reminds us that some children suffer, even die due to their parent’s ignorance, and the Haroset is symbolic of each building made from slave labor. The story of Passover is not unique to the Jewish people for many others face similar hardships as we have. What sets our story apart from the others is that we take time to remember it. We remember our past and symbolize it by having bitter herbs (maror) on our Seder plate. The different foods of the Seder plate allow us to remember our struggles and empathize with those who are going through a similar situation. My Family takes pride in the fact that Judaism values one’s ability to empathize and sees it in every food in our Seder plate. These foods remind us that we are not that different from one another after all.

Emma Nulman (Class of 2019)The importance of the foods on the Seder plate represent the different struggles the Jews have faced throughout history. The egg represents mourning and suffering. The carpas is the growth of the Jewish people throughout their lives. The haroset is the work and labor the Jews endured to get to where they are. The bitter herbs symbolizing the years in slavery and bad times the Jews went through. And finally the bone represents the strength the Jewish people had to get through these hard times and come out on top. These were all the meanings when our people first created these traditions. In current times, these symbols do not apply to our lives. Now the egg can now be the hard times in our lives. The carpas is the growth and maturity we gain throughout our lives. The haroset is our jobs and work we do to support ourselves.The bittered herbs are

Editor’s Note: The Philosophical and Doctrinal Dimension encapsulates the beliefs, philosophies, doctrines, and tenets of a culture. It thus often explains the reasons for a community’s views and traditions. Below students of Adi Kogman’s Hebrew class explicate the meanings, old and new, of the foods on the Seder plate. In addition, Ms. Kogman’s students also propose other foods that might find their way onto a Seder, offering reasons for these choices. Taken as a whole, we gain a glimpse into the next generation’s understanding of the meaning of Passover.

The Philosophical and Doctrinal Dimension The Multiple Meanings of the Foods of the Seder PlateBy Students of Adi Kogman’s Hebrew Classes

There is a ritual prominent in so many Jewish homes during the Seder, which goes something like this: a cup of wine is poured for Elijah the Prophet, a door is opened as we sing about the coming of Elijah, and then we look to the cup of wine to see if Elijah has consumed any of the liquid. I’m not entirely happy with this. Part of me would rather believe in a jolly man in a red suit bringing presents to all deserving boys and girls, than in this nocturnal shikker [Yiddish for “drinker” or a “drunk”] circumnavigating the globe, drinking our wine. I think we might be combining two separate and distinct rituals into one that borders on the silly. I believe we open the door in remembrance of the blood libel. Jews, especially during the Middle Ages, had to deal with antisemites whose hatred of the Jew led them to believe that Jews used the blood of Christian children to bake their matzah. Jews would keep their doors open during the Seder to prove they were not doing this–even drinking white wine to remain above suspicion. And what do we say when we open the door? “Sh’foch hamat-cha al ha-goyim--Pour out Your wrath upon the nations that know You not....Pour out Your rage upon them and let Your fury overtake them...”

And the cup of wine? There was a rabbinic controversy as to how many cups of wine should be drunk at the Seder. One group suggested four, representing the four expressions of redemption on the book of Shemot [Exodus], the other group believing five because there is yet another expression of redemption in that passage of Shemot relating to returning to the Promised Land. Because they could not come to an agreement on whether four or five cups were merited, they tabled the matter, drinking the agreed-upon four cups, and filling a fifth and placing it in the middle of the table, as the cup of controversy. One of Elijah’s tasks will be to answer such difficult questions, including if we should drink that fifth cup. (It was not for Elijah to drink, but to tell us if WE are supposed to drink it.) This creates two rituals fraught with meaning and purpose. One teaches us of the importance of openness and transparency in our rituals. The other teaches us that when agreement cannot be reached, that compromise is important to retain our sense of community. Let all of our Seders this year be opportunities for Jewish learning, growth, and reflection, as we give serious thought to the rituals we perform, and the interpretations we give to them.

Editor’s Note: The Material, Symbolic and Artistic Dimension includes the artifacts that people use, the symbols that matter and mean, and the music, dances and other forms which deepen experience and connection. Here Rabbi Vorspan explores the symbolism in the drama of opening the door for the prophet Elijah and the raising of the Cup of Elijah.

The Material, Symbolic and Artistic Dimension Opening the Door for and Raising the Cup of Elijahby Rabbi David VorspanRabbi-in-Residence, Jewish Studies Faculty

Art in Honor of Black History Month Students in Benny Ferdman’s Art Honors 2D Class and Visiting Students from Uruguay

“The medium is the message.” Marshall McLuhan

There are times when material, technique and approach informs, or rather gives form to, a content far beyond the original thematic point of inspiration. The following works are samples of student art that was displayed in the lobby during Black History month: The first is a very large portrait of Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), the great African-American social reformer, abolitionist,early supporter of women’s suffrage, orator, author, and statesman. Indeed, he was the first African-American nominated for Vice President of the United States, as the running mate of Victoria Woodhull on the Equal Rights Party ticket. The other is a large interpretive diagram of a slave ship.

Editor’s Note: The Material, Symbolic, and Artistic Dimension incorporates all creative expression. The following sublime works of student art are surely this. Their submission for this Pesah issue invites us to reflect on the Black experience of slavery in the United States and the Black journey through the culture of Jim Crow through the 1964 Civil Rights Act and beyond. How is Moses like Frederick Douglass (or the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), and what does his life teach us about Moses (and Aaron)? What do conditions on a slave ship teach us about slave quarters in Goshen? It is not merely that the biblical story served as the framework for African-American self-understanding and hopes for liberation. Rather, Frederick Douglass and the slave ship (and others) served and remain powerful symbols which evoke and stir our emotions, much like our image of Moses and the pyramid, for example, evoke and stir our emotions. Each community’s experience has much to teach the other.

Frederick Douglass

Slave ShipDetail

Editor’s Note: The Ritual and Practical Dimension: incorporates what people actually do, their customs, rituals, practices, and traditions. Here Stu Jacobs speaks of a family practice done in preparation for Passover that not only enhances each year’s Seder experience, but renders it a different experience each time.

Picture caption: See just a sampling of the 100+ different Haggadot scattered around my mother-in-law’s home.

My father-in-law, Ron Levine (zichrono livracha, may his memory be a blessing), had a very strict ritual when it came to preparing for Passover. His ritual didn’t involve the typical intensive cleaning or late-night cooking (cooking and cleaning were definitely two areas in which, let’s just say, he lacked some expertise). No, his ritual was to buy the newest Haggadah, hot off the presses. No matter that the liturgy of our Haggadah has not changed significantly for quite some time. We all know the answer to the question, “How is this Seder night different from previous Seder nights?” It isn’t all that different, actually. Yet every year he would buy another Haggadah, and, every year, he would study it and compare the new insights to those he had learned in the past. Being an ordained rabbi, and a clinical psychologist, purchasing and perusing new books was his passion, especially those that contained Jewish interpretation offering opportunities for depth of meaning and personal awakening. This would serve as preparation for his favorite night of the year, when he would lead his family Seder. When beginning the Seder with Kadesh (sanctifying the holiday with the 1st cup of wine), he had many options. Would he talk about the similarity between the word kiddush (the wine blessing) and the word kiddushin (traditional Jewish marital contract) which implies that G!d renews marital vows with the Jewish people on Passover night (from Haggadah of Chassidic Masters)? Or would he relate that the first cup of wine opens the channel for divine energy to flow down to those open to it (from Holistic Haggadah)? Or he would recite the blessing addressing the feminine conception of G!d (B’rucha At…) and speak of the midrash that it was actually the women, “inspiring” their husbands to continue to procreate (with the help of a little Kiddush wine), who kept the Israelite people alive in the face of Pharaoh’s genocidal decree (from The Women’s Passover Companion) ? This yearly ritual, while unchanging, actually opened the door to a dynamic and meaningful Seder experience for my father-in-law and his family each and every year. This inspired a ritual of my own—I make sure to pull at least one haggadah down from the bookshelf every year, to prepare myself for the Seder experience.

Whatever the ritual may be, whether the whirlwind bouts of cleaning, making great-grandma’s charoset from that same stained recipe card, or inviting at least one new guest to the Seder table each year, let’s remind ourselves that these unchanging rituals are the keys to making our Pesach holiday vibrant and meaningful.

The Ritual and Practical Dimension My Passover Ritualby Stu JacobsJewish Studies Faculty

“-his hand was scaly,as white as snow.”(Exodus 4:6)

To be tumah, impure,is as easy as livingand as simple as dying.

“-behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.”(Exodus 4:7)

Imperfectioncomes by being around-touching-the end of lifeor the start of the pathtowards death.

Skin is stretchingaround bonesinto identity.Where it fails,there isimpurity.

Through the looking glass,of the mikvehand isolation,it is possibleto reattaintaharah.

oOoOOOo

Before the karpas,there is urechatz.The handsare submergedbefore the consumptionof the tears of thoselong dead.Before Motzi Matzah,there is rachtzah.The hands are submergedbefore the consumptionof the tasteless “bread”made on the run.

oOoOOOo

A hand changedfrom brown to whiteand back.Like nothing,the tzaraath was here and gone.

Pure to Impure to PureSamantha Jamieson, Class of 2017

Editor’s Note: In this poem, junior Sam Jamieson calls attention to and invites us to reflect on the two discrete rituals of washing, Ur-hatz and Roh-tzah, each from the Hebrew word for “washing.” Her juxtaposition of these two rituals, along with her meditation and original interpretation, invite us to similarly reflect on and find meaning in our Seder rituals.

What’s the difference between matzah (the unleavened bread of Passover) and hametz (the leavened bread we eat year-round)? Not ingredients. Well, not significantly anyway. Not level of heat. The only difference is time.

Why the total aversion then? Why imbue the matzah with some sort of spiritual toxicity?

Because they didn’t have time before they left Egypt (the matzah must not cook for more than 18 minutes in memory of their speedy departure)? Let’s be honest, Moshe probably announced it. I doubt the Israelites had exactly 17 minutes to leave.

So why do we have matzah? To remind us that in an instant everything can change. Matzah is our symbol of the immediate reversal from slavery to freedom. From harrowing debilitation to expansive possibility. And what allows a slave to be ready for this? One ingredient. HOPE. Hope that tomorrow can be different from today. Hope that tomorrow should be different from today. Better than today.

What’s the other difference between matzah and hametz? Hametz has the yeast additive. It keeps us puffed up. Like all the superficial online purchases, impulse buys, and dinners out, it keeps our egos blissful and our hearts dulled. Why do we need the matzah? To remind us to shed these pervasive trivialities. To rid ourselves of a fossilized acceptance of things as they are. To relinquish old narratives and limited perspectives.

The matzah reminds us to always be at the ready to instigate change. Change that facilitates the liberation of ourselves and others. To hope for a different tomorrow. And that is the matzah’s message.

How do we know this? Well, if you were to take the word hametz and make it a verb, l’hachmitz, you’d find that it means to squander opportunities, to squander time. If you were to take the word matzah and make it into a verb, l’matzot, you’d find that it means to take advantage of opportunities, to utilize resources to the fullest. This Passover, instead of allowing insipid, vacuous normalities define your daily experience, claim your internal freedom by having hope that tomorrow can be different. This Passover, become an agent of your own--and, G!d-willing, our own--salvation. Maybe something miraculous will happen.

The Experiential and Emotional DimensionThe Difference between Matzah and Hametzby Becca BubisJewish Studies Faculty

Editor’s Note: The Experiential and Emotional Dimension consists of the forums in which human emotions may be palpably experienced/felt. Becca Bubis explores the differences between bread that is matzah and bread that is hametz, to help us experience Passover more deeply this year.

Passover Granola (based on a recipe by Tina Wasserman) submitted by Morah Dina Appleby http://www.reformjudaism.org/jewish-life/food-recipes/passover-granola

Makes 1 To 1 1/2 Quarts

Ingredients: 3 cups matzah farfel 2/3 cup slivered almonds 1/2 cup sweetened or unsweetened coconut 2/3 cup pecans, broken into large pieces 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 6 tablespoons unsalted butter or pareve kosher for Passover margarine 1/3 cup wildflower or clover honey 1 1/2 cups chopped dried mixed fruit of your choice including raisins or 7-ounce bag of dried fruit pieces

Directions: Preheat oven to 325°F.

Combine the farfel, almonds, coconut, pecans, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a 3-quart mixing bowl.

Melt the butter and honey in a small glass bowl in a microwave for 1 minute until butter is melted and honey is more fluid.

Stir the butter mixture into the farfel mixture until all farfel is lightly coated with the butter.

Spread the mixture over a large jelly roll pan with 1-inch sides and bake for 15 minutes until deep golden brown. Halfway through baking, stir to brown evenly.

Remove from oven. Cool completely and toss with the dried fruit.

When totally cooled, store in a ziplock bag or airtight storage container for all eight days of Passover—if it lasts that long!

Helpful Hints: To prevent burning, never pre-roast nuts if they will be baked in the oven. This recipe can be made with old-fashioned oatmeal when Passover ends. Salt should always be added in a small quantity to a sweet mixture to bring out the flavors of the individual foods but not lend a salty taste to the dish.If making ahead, leave out fruit until the day you want to use it so farfel doesn’t get soggy.

Editor’s Note: We have already seen how the foods on the Seder plate help convey the story of Passover. But the eating of specifically prepared food (even non-ritual food items) throughout the holiday greatly contributes to the Experiential and Emotional Dimension of Passover. So please enjoy this recipe submitted by Hebrew teacher Dina Appleby!

Editor’s Note: The Ethical and Legal Dimension: promotes the values by which people should live, and the laws, rules and procedures that help to implant these values. Yonatan Rosner explores the role of the midwives in the Passover story in helping us to reclaim this dimension of the Passover story, particularly in effectuating social justice more fully in our world.

The Ethical and Legal DimensionCivil Disobedience and Dayenu in the Story of the Hebrew Midwivesby Yonatan RosnerJewish Studies Faculty; Co-Director of Jewish Life

The ethical and legal dimension promotes the values by which people should live, as well as the laws, rules and procedures that are upheld. As a society, we strive to align our value and legal systems. However, when the two conflict, civil disobedience may arise. The Biblical story of Passover speaks of such civil disobedience by two midwives who valiantly defied Pharaoh and Egyptian control. Exodus 1:15-17 states:

Who were these two midwives? What led them to act the way they did? And what can we learn from their civil disobedience?

Rashi (on Ex. 1:15) identifies the women as Yokheved and Miriam, Moses’ future mother and sister. Their empathy and love for their people must have granted them the courage to risk their lives and disobey the Pharaoh’s decree. Our Sages point out that while It would have been enough (Dayenu) for the two women to not kill the newborn boys, they went beyond that-- “ ” --and provided them with food and water (B. Talmud, Sotah 11b).

Don Yitzhak Abrabanel, a Portuguese Jewish statesman, philosopher and Biblical commentator who lived at the end of the Golden Age of Spain, questions whether these midwives were Israelites at all. While the phrase “המילדות העבריות”--the Hebrew midwives--can be understood as “the midwives who were Hebrews” (the adjective Hebrew describes the noun midwives), it can also mean “the midwives of the Hebrews” (a construct state where the noun midwives is modified by the noun Hebrew). Through his question, Abrabanel encourages us to wonder whether this act of civil disobedience could haven been done by Egyptian midwives who stood up against their own ruler, listened to their inner voice and protected their fellow Hebrew sisters and their newborns, just because it was the right thing to do.

Civil disobedience often comes with a heavy price. People who break the law end up paying the consequences for their actions. In the case of the midwives, a clever approach allowed them to not only avoid punishment (Dayenu), but also gain favor and wealth. The midwives, who served as experts in their profession, easily deceived the Pharaoh by justifying their actions based on the unique nature of the Israelite women:

Regardless of the midwives’ identity, It appears that Pharaoh could not enforce his rules himself, but rather, depended on the cooperation of the midwives to implement his decree. As a result of the midwives’ civil disobedience, not only was the Pharaoh not able to kill the boys (Dayenu), but the Israelite population greatly multiplied and increased:

The Hebrew midwives challenges us all to examine our social conventions, rules and regulations, and to evaluate these systems with the eternal values of love, life and freedom. Whenever we sense there is a violation of such a value, it is our duty to stand up and act upon it. The story of Passover teaches us that the future of our children depends on it!

15 Now the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one who was named Shifrah, and the second, who was named Puah.

16 And he said, “When you deliver the Hebrew women, and you see on the birth stool, if it is a son, you shall put him to death, but if it is a daughter, she may live.”

17 The midwives, however, revered G!d; so they did not do as the king of Egypt had spoken to them, but they enabled the boys to live.

19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are full of life and vigorous; when the midwife has not yet come to them, they have [already] given birth.”

20God benefited the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very strong.םיִדָלְיַה תֶאָ ןיֶּיַחְּת

If Rosa Parks had not stood up for herself but had given up her seat, Dayenu.If Dr. King had not had the courage to change the world with his beliefs, but taught others not to hate, Dayenu.If Reverend Williams had not survived the civil rights protests but his story stayed in the hearts of all, Dayenu.If Emmett Tills, mother had been silent about what happened to her son, but others had the courage to speak out, Dayenu.If Dr. King had not delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech with such power, but his sheer words touched everyone, Dayenu.If Abraham Joshua Heschel did not stand with Dr. King, but had only agreed with his cause, Dayenu.If Dr. King had not written his letter from Birmingham Jail, but had just said plainly that he would not stop fighting for his cause, Dayenu.If no one had been there to hear the caged bird sing, but fought for freedom, Dayenu.If the Southern Poverty Law Center did not exist, but people still fought to abolish racism, Dayenu.If the 11th grade class had not gone to the South, but had simply learned about the civil rights era at school, Dayenu.

Editor’s Note: Alumnus Ben Markman wrote the following Dayenu in response to his experience on the South Trip during his junior year at dTHS. In so doing, he links the powerful journey of African Americans through the Civil Rights Movement to our people’s journey out of Egypt. In so doing, we might ponder the ethical grounding of both journeys. We might also consider our Pesah story as more than a series of failed negotiations between Moses and Pharaoh, but reflect instead on the suffering of the common Israelite, and wonder who were the Rosa Parks, Emmett Till, and Reverend Williams during the

A Civil Rights DayenuAlumnus Ben Markman (Class of 2015)

Ben’s Reflection on Sharing This Dayenu at His Family’s SederWhen I read this at my Seder, it was clear that many people were touched by it. My Uncle said that it was a very heart-warming speech and that there was a strong correlation between the Jews being slaves in Egypt and Black oppression during the Civil Rights era. What my family and friends at my Seder got out of my speech the most was that to win freedom was not a one-man job. It took everyone to fight for what they knew was right. Although Dr. King made an enormous impact on the movement, it was truly the community that brought freedom home. For me, it felt powerful to read this Dayenu out loud because as I listened to myself, I could hear the voices of Civil Rights icons such as Dr. King, Rosa Parks and Emmett Till reading it along with me. It truly exemplifies all the struggles that African Americans had to go through and how much they suffered before they were able to accomplish their mission. To conclude, next year I would definitely do something like this again [at my family’s Seder]. The emotion and strength in the words of my Dayenu, in my opinion, brought my family closer together and sent the message that no matter how impossible something may seem, if you put your heart into your cause and never give up, you can accomplish anything.

centuries of oppression before Moses, whose lives and stories are lost to us, but whose lives may have continued to inspire others to continue to pray and dream toward a Passover time. Finally, Ben’s use of 10 stages here (the original Dayenu evokes 15 stages) may hint to us of the 10 Commandments, which gives us moral grounding and inspires us to promote human dignity and secure basic human rights for all people.

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