Passover
By Adeena Sussman
For many of us, Passover is the favorite childhood holiday. It's the stuff
of songs and stories and traditions surrounding that oh-so-familiar 4,000-year-old
tale. But while the ritual is timeless—how often have we heard the Four Questions
and sung "Dayenu"? — the seder is actually a celebration of the new. It falls at the beginning of spring, so comes with the promise of seasonal change. The narration recounts a new beginning for our people. True, we wandered for 40 years in the desert, but once we arrived, we were born anew in Israel. In keeping with this spirit, we offer some fresh twists on the conventional seder meal. Conducted in a modern, art-filled home in Forest Hill, one of Toronto's tonier Jewish enclaves, the goal was to create contemporary versions of many Pesach staples, such as brisket, haroset, even matzo ball soup. We hope our stylish seder will be the beginning of some new traditions at your table.
8 Ways to Involve the Kids
By: Rabbi Anne Ebersman
- Have the children create place cards for guests and "Welcome to Our Seder" signs.
- Let them help you prepare the seder plate.
- Begin the seder with a question for everyone to think about, such as, "If you could invite anyone to join us at the seder, who would you choose?" or "If you could add one object to the seder plate that symbolizes
freedom (or slavery) to you, what would you add?" Slip questions into mini-envelopes (above) and turn them into place cards. Discuss questions and answers later in the meal.
- Serve lots of vegetable and fruit hors d'oeuvres during the talking part of the seder to keep everyone's energy up.
- When children start becoming fidgety, send them off to create their own dramatic reenactment of the Exodus story, while the adults are going through the Haggadah. Ask them to act it out during the Maggid (storytelling) part of the seder. (Some Haggadot include play-script versions of the story.)
- During the Maggid, play the add-on game: "When I went out of Egypt, I brought with me..."
- Put together a set of clues hidden in different places around your house and have an afikomen hunt, with the final clue leading to the afikomen.
- Create a Passover play area or room, with holiday-related books, games, and crafts, so children can have a meaningful experience even if they don't make it through the whole seder at the table.
