This weekend, I hosted my first seder. This
wouldn't be a big deal except for the fact that I'm not Jewish -- and
no one in my family is! But I love seders and have been to about a
dozen of them over the years -- thanks to opportunities at school,
invitations to friends' houses, and once, during a work offsite that
occurred over Passover. I love the traditions, the symbolism, the
discussions, and of course, the food! And I wanted to share all of this
with my family, and especially my children.
So I found a good book on how to run a seder, tapped the deep knowledge of close Jewish friends, and borrowed the haggadahs of a friend who was going to be out of town. The best advice I received -- keep the seder SHORT!
Friday evening saw me dashing around my local Safeway, picking up
the staples. But alas, no matzah was to be found anywhere! The helpful
store manager dissuaded me from trying other stores -- everything was
sold out up and down the Peninsula. His suggestion was to substitute
the matzah with gourmet flatbread. Saturday afternoon was spent
assembling some great dishes -- a hit with the kids was the Passover "Mac & Cheese".
Matzah ball soup was easy and delicious with the help of pre-made,
jarred matzah balls and boxed organic broth. But alas, my kugel was
absolutely inedible.
As
my family (which included brother, sister-in-law and their two kids, in
addition to the four of us) sat down for the Passover feast, I was
thrilled. I started the seder by blessing the wine and the traditional
washing of the hands. We skipped a lot, lingered over Passover story
itself, and sped through the Ten Plagues. The formal part of the seder
was over in 20 minutes -- a short and sweet introduction that included
some thoughtful contributions from the kids on the meaning of Passover.
I didn't stress too much about the seder -- after all, with the
exception of my husband, nobody in attendance had been to a seder
before! I didn't attempt to do the songs, not even my favorite "Dayenu"
although I practiced with the help of online music.
I just couldn't bring myself to play the music and have everyone follow
along -- it just didn't fit the warm, familial atmosphere I was trying
to create.
But despite the shortcomings of my home-grown seder, I consider it a
success and we all agreed that it was something we would do again. The
best part was that we came away with a greater appreciation for our
freedom and for each other and the communities that we live in.
But next time, I'm going to make sure that we invite someone who knows how to sing "Dayneu"!
Originally posted on Silicon Valley Moms Blog.
