Pesach

Note: I am going to be dropping a few Hebrew and Jewish terms in this post, but I'll try to make sure there is an explanatory link with each unfamiliar (highlighted) term.

Our lovely Passover break has ended. We've really enjoyed Shawn having the time off from school. On Monday the 29th, Pesach (Passover) preparations were in full swing in Jerusalem with a burning smell outside. I thought that it smelled like garbage burning and sure enough, I read later that its customary to burn any remaining Chametz (leaven) before Pasach starts in the evening. The Jewish grocery store had blocked off all cereal, oats, pasta, bread, and anything with grains or made with corn syrup. Apparently, soda needs to be changed for Pesach and its not just High Fructose Corn Syrup that's the problem (see this post with many interesting comments). The Ashkenazi (Jews from Western and Central Europe) have different standards when it comes to what actually is Chametz, compared to other Jews (like the Sephardi who don't have a problem with corn during Pesach). Our host for the Seder dinner on Monday night said Chametz is anything that when wet begins to ferment, and while technically Matza could do that as well, its the only bread-like food they are supposed to eat for the whole Pesach. For some Ashkenazi, dry beans and rice are not supposed to be eaten either. As you can imagine, preparation for Pesach includes a thorough spring cleaning, especially in the kitchen, and many, like our host family, have a whole separate set of dishes and cooking pots and pans just for Pesach.

Usually when someone is invited to an Israeli's home for a dinner (like a Shabbat dinner), guests bring a small gift for the host (flowers, candy, wine). But because of the complications and differences with Chametz, our host asked us not to bring any gifts to the dinner in case we mistakenly brought Chametz. I was a little nervous about the evening at first, but it was a fun experience. Our evening with the host family started at about 7pm with joining them at their Synagogue just down the street from their home. The service was entirely in Hebrew and included many songs and prayers and reciting of the Hallel (Psalm 113-118). Our host family was Orthodox so the men and women sat separately in the Synagogue (however, they were not Ultra-Orthodox or Charedi so their dress was modern). The host mother found a Siddur (Jewish prayer book) in English for me so I could follow along with the service, but I was lost the most of the time! Shawn did much better of course. After the service, which lasted about an hour, we came back to their home for the Seder.

When we signed up through the university to have a Seder dinner with a Jewish family, we didn't know we would be so lucky to have a Midrash (Jewish teachings/allegory on the bible) teacher and Professor for a host! He is currently taking a year off from teaching at the university to write a book. I had told our host ahead of time that we were unfamiliar with Synagogues and Seders, so he was prepared for us and explained the whole night wonderfully. From the lighting of the candles at the beginning of evening (this is done by the mother every Shabbat and holiday) to the four cups of wine and order of the meal. While his teenage and college age children were fairly bored with his lectures ("oh, Abba" the youngest would say if he went too long), Shawn and I were thrilled to hear all about it. Everyone grabbed a Haggadah (Seder book) and followed along with our host with the order of the meal - hand washing, symbolic foods as appetizers, Matza, blessings, soup, main dish, prayers, and songs. (Be sure to read the Wikipedia article on the Passover Seder if you're interested in more detail. We've been borrowing the "Penguin Dictionary of Judaism" and it also has really helpful entries on Passover Seder, and Chametz.) The night ended at about 1:15am and we called a taxi to take us home. Apparently, its normal for Seder dinners to run well into the early morning. Fascinating night!

The first and last day of Pesach were days of rest (very much like two extra Shabbats) so the whole week was pretty quiet on the French Hill. We were wondering, what do the burger joints, pizza places, and bagel shops do for Pesach with all the restrictions? Well, at least on the French Hill, they take a vacation. And why not, right? The staff probably want to be with their family for holiday anyway, and its one of the highest holy days of the Jewish calendar so many folks take the whole week to visit family like we might do as Christians with Christmas time.

Next up - - Good Friday and Easter