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A Taste of Slavery

The Passover Seder is honored by Jews in the month of April each year. Exodus explains that Jewish people faced slavery in Egypt, so the Seder meal allows each person to remember those that were there and to walk a mile in their shoes. It is not only a time of reflection but also a time of feeling. For example, the maror’s purpose is not to taste good, but to literally taste bitter. The person eating it can taste the bitterness of slavery through this one item. It is a time of reminiscing and never forgetting the hardships that were endured in Egypt.

The Seder is followed through with the Haggadah, which recounts the story we find in the Torah. It acts as a script to the events as they happen so that the entire congregation is attentive to the events in the ceremony. The Haggadah book is not in the order many people would think, however. Page one starts from the back of the book and progresses to the front to reflect how the Hebrew language is set.

Each food and drink partaken upon has a special meaning to it. There is nothing in the ceremony that does not reflect something - everything is done out of remembrance, reflection, and feeling. Even though we were not alive when it happened, Jewish people want to put themselves in the place of those who were enslaved so that they may connect with their ancestors from long ago.

The ceremony goes like so (participants should wash their hands prior to the ceremony): reciting the Kiddush, washing certain foods in water, eating the karpas, breaking the matzah, reading the Haggadah, drinking wine (or grape juice as a substitute for the younger ones), washing the hands over blessings, eating the matzah, eating the maror (bitter herbs), eating the korech, eating the shulchan orech (the feasting part of the ceremony), eating the afikoman, reciting the “Grace After Meals,” reciting the Hallel, and reciting the words “Next year in Jerusalem” in the Hebrew language.

The last part of the ceremony is not the only part that is said in Hebrew, however. When I visited the Jewish Federation of St. Louis yesterday, our teacher recited many parts in the language. Our Haggadah books all had the English translation in it, but it was also interesting hearing her say it in another language. I can tell that she has been a devoted Jew for a while because she could say the words both fluently and quickly, without hesitation. Her heart for the Passover Seder was clearly shown through her actions and words, and she was able to express that love even more by explaining it to us. I am thankful that I got to experience what it is like for Jews to literally taste bitterness with the similarity of slavery in mind. Even though it was very hard for me to continue chewing because of the bitter taste, I myself am reminded that the point is not for that item to be tasty. This all means something so much more, and I think personally being there to try everything out instead of just learning it from a book helped my knowledge of this culture. There is so much more to the ceremony than the eye sees.

My group was able to get a taste of the Jewish culture early. The lesson was organized specially for us to fit it in the course. Part of being a Christian means listening to others and gaining an understanding of why certain traditions are carried out. I am happy I got to learn more about the Jewish culture and why they do what they do.