Passover
Saturday night was the first night of the Jewish Holiday of Passover.Passover commemorates the Biblical story of the Israelites escaping Egypt after being enslaved for over 400 years. Remember the movie the Ten Commandments? That's what this holiday is about.
Most Jews observe the holiday by abstaining from foods with leavening in it: no bread, pasta, cereal, cakes cookies, etc.
I mention Passover because it is one of the few times during the year where the Jewish world and the secular world have a visible connection. The other primary one is during Chanukah. Its proximity to Christmas makes it the recipient of token attention in American culture. It's a minor holiday, but it's status is heightened by the secular world.
Passover often occurs near Easter, but doesn't get the attention for the same reason. Passover is visible, first of all, from the Heston film I mentioned earlier: most people have seen it. Also, many non-Jews experience the Seder, the ritual meal on the first and second night (for most Jews) of the holiday. Many churches have them, and many non-Jews are invited as guests to Jews homes. The third reason this holiday gets attention is because it directly effects what Jews eat.
People see Jews eating those lovely Matzah (unleavened bread) sandwiches in the lunchroom at work. Jews might turn down invitations for meals because "they can't find anything to eat there". This experience might be common for very religious Jews who keep Kosher year-round, but for Jews who ordinarily do not follow dietary laws, Passover is one of the only times of the year where our diets would differ from those around us.
Personally, this difference is special. Of course it's frustrating to not be able to get that slice of pizza. But, it's also meaningful. I feel like I'm connecting with the community more than usual. I imagine this experience is why many people do keep kosher. During this week, every once in a while, I think about freedom, about suffering, about those people that can't choose what they eat or drink. These are the reasons I do keep Passover, and part of the reason that the holiday is special to me.
posted by Gatsby @ 9:36 PM
4 Comments:
That was a nice little post Gats. The reason observant Jews keep kosher is not just to feel "special", but because it's halacha (law). This is the same reason why we don't eat yeast, leavening, grains, aka: Kitinyot. I have learned so much about keeping kosher for Pesach this year and am enjoying all the blogs dedicated to the topic.
Thanks for the lesson. My best friend is Jewish, and I love to celebrate with (and learn from) her. Have you seen the new Matzah short on JibJab.com? A brief and funny history set to hip-hop. Taken with tongue firmly in cheek, it's funny. Although it does bring out those stereotypes, too.
Tamara: Good point. I'm sure most observant Jews keep kosher because they believe "God says so". However, I imagine many who aren't frum, or even those that are look for other reasons.
I personally have to find some personal meaning in a given observance.
Glad I could help Jenn. Please don't take my word as anything but my word. It's a fascinating religion with a rich range of thought and opinion.
I'll check out the Matzah short.
But it's still more info than I get "on the street" in the Buckle of the Bible Belt... Funny thing about that term? Seems to only mean the Southern Baptist Bible. They should rename the Belt.
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