Creatively Socially Distancing

Passover Seders are supposed to be relational and fun! We raise our glasses for prayers, then clink and say L’Chaim together. During the Seder a child is instructed to ask four questions (then to sit back on a cushioned chair … but not fall asleep). We watch for reactions to the maror, and laugh and sing a song about a little goat. Without planning our self quarantined Seders will be somber and lonely.

With creativity and forethought we can create interaction throughout the evening. One suggestion already given is to use a computer (with good Bluetooth speakers) for the main Seder. We can also text and hold side conversations on the cell phone during the evening. Pictures can also be made and sent back and forth.

But there are other things we can do. These are from a list of questions that appear in my April 1 blog:
     9. On all other Passovers after the Matzoh is broken, a piece goes missing and must be found by the children … Why must the children search in multiple houses on this night?

My challenge for Passover is to think out of the box, literally. Normally, during the Passover Seder the Afikoman is snatched and hidden. But what if the grandkids are not in your house - How can they search for the hidden Matzoh? It could be that the leader of the Seder would respond to the children’s instructions of “turn right” or “go straight” along with the “Hot” or “Cold” remarks, but why not think out of the house? This year, the Afikomen could be snatched virtually. This takes coordination. What is important for proof that the Matzoh is actually the same is the wrapping … it must be in the same covering.

Here is what you must do: The leader and one of the attendees will coordinate the hiding of the Matzoh. When the Matzoh is “snatched,” it disappears out of the house. The search can begin within the house, but when all leads are exhausted, the leader should hint at, “Did someone reach in through the computer and move the Afikomen to their house?” A series of questions, and a continued search can ensue … with denials, and cell phone texts and calls as grandchildren look in their own homes for the Afikomen. Make it challenging and fun!

This is a chance to show off things within each person’s homes, that might not be noticed in a normal visit. Allow the search time to be completed.

10. On all other Passovers we open one door to welcome Elijah … why on this night do we open many doors for the great prophet?

Normally at our Seder, all the children open the door together in order to greet Elijah. But this year is different! There will be children at every house served by our virtual Seder. What can you do? Send them each to their own doors, along with the computer or cell phone video. But can we do more?

Think about how you would greet a special visitor at your home. With song, with signs, confetti, in your pajamas, in a tuxedo? You get the idea. We are to think outside the box, and make a show virtually. Let the door openers use props, songs, or drama at the door. Plan a virtual award for the most creative welcome for Elijah. This should make the Passover Seder lots of fun!

Thinking outside of what we normally do, that is what my newest book, Psalmatic Seder is about. Many of my readings said, “the Passover Seder is not really that old … it came into the form we use in the Middle Ages.” As I thought about these articles I was reading, I thought about the Book of Psalms, possibly dating to the time of the first Temple, definitely written before 200 BC. Psalm 78 and 105 are actually Passover Haggadahs. THese formed the basis for this Haggadah. The Seder follows the normal 15 steps (and unsurprisingly, so does the Book of Psalms) so I followed this format, but used some different verses. This presentation will produce a familiar, but refreshing Passover Celebration. Please look up the Psalmatic Seder on Amazon.com

Pesach from Psalms, a new idea!

Virtual Seder

How can this night of Passover be the same as all other Passovers … but Different!

1. On all other Passovers we greet each other with hugs and kisses (including those from bubbe which are always slobbery) in person or through the cell phone … why on this night only through the cell phone?

2. On all other Passovers we light one candle or two … why on this night of Passover do we light many candles, and who says the blessing?

3. On all other Passovers we sit across the table and fill the room with great conversation, sometimes with increasing volume just to hear and be heard … Why on this night do we need a computer and a cell phone?

4. On all other Passovers we clink the wine glass and share l’chaims four times during the Seder, and multiple times before and after … Why on this night are the glasses not from the same set?

5. On all other Passovers we converse around the room and share the Haggadah together … Why on this Passover will we converse from house to house?

6. On all other Passovers we each take a nosh from a big fancy Seder plate set by the big fluffy matzoh tosh … Why on this night must we set our specialty foods on a dainty side dish?

7. On all other Passovers we sing the Dayenu loudly and off key until we run out of words (which is more than enuff), and it sounds horrible … Why on this night do we have volume control?

8. On all other Passovers either bubbe does all the cooking, or we each bring our favorite dishes … Why on this Passover do we share recipes, each cook our own and share the tastes?

9. On all other Passovers after the Matzoh is broken, a piece goes missing and must be found by the children … Why must the children search in multiple houses on this night?

10. On all other Passovers we open one door to welcome Elijah … why on this night do we open many doors for the great prophet.

A new Passover Haggadah for the Musically inclined

With the dangers of Coronavirus invading our lives this Passover Season, the evening will be different. Although we can not be physically present with our family, we can be with them virtually. I will do that with my family, and also some friends. I thought about this … because I do not want the evening to flop, so over the next few days, I will answer the questions above, and a few more. Planning ahead will prevent the dull spots and the failures of this evening, and help us do it right. If you have suggestions, or ideas, please write them in the comment section. Through sharing together this can be a great Passover evening.

A New Haggadah

As people in the world think about a plague (Coronavirus) which has multiplied itself ten times over, my mind has started to work on Passover (May the plague passover!). I have written a new Haggadah, The Psalmatic Seder. Why does the world need a new Haggadah, you ask … are there not enough.

A New Passover Haggadah

I answer, because this Haggadah is different than all other Haggadahs.

All other Haggadahs are guided by a Rabbinic tradition that began to set itself near the end of the Second Temple period (70 AD), and reached its high point in the Middle ages. That is when the order and words of the Seder were set (according to many scholars). Some say that the actual service is not much older, a conclusion I object to, because I think that some of our traditions go back to those 40 years of wandering in the Desert.

I assembled this Haggadah to show the service is older. I found two Passover Services in the Book of Psalms, that are not much different than the one we celebrate today. The order of teaching is not much different in Psalms 78 and 105-6, than what we do today … which leads me to see a Seder that was practiced in the days of the Kings of Israel, maybe 700 BC.

This Haggadah is different than most others because it contains more music, 17 songs. Because the words of the Haggadah come from the book of Psalms, I was inspired to look up music that has been sung across the years at Passover Seders. Our seder today is quite wordy, and does not contain much music. The Psalmatic Haggadah contains the words of the songs and musical scores, so they can be played. (They can also be found on Youtube, for a very musical Seder!)

This Haggadah is different from all others, because you probably have not used it before (since it has only now come into print), and so it will be fresh. While the order of the Seder service is the traditional order, the words are different, but many are totally from the Bible, and even older than any Haggadah we have today. (Is older more traditional?)

This Haggadah can make your Passover Eve different! It can bring new ideas and understandings. It can make you think about our freedom in new ways. It is worth a try!