L’Shana Haba’ah: A Seder Supplement in Honor of Israel’s 75th Birthday!
Some Opening Words from Ben Gurion (From A Different Night by Noam Zion and David Dishon)
David Ben Gurion, first prime minister of the State of Israel, described the importance of history as he argued for the right to a Jewish State in 1947. Consider this for an opening reading at the seder and, given its theme, share a favorite memory from a time spent in Israel. Or ask guests to come to seder with a picture of themselves in Israel to share with the group.
Three hundred years ago a ship called the Mayflower set sail to the New World. This was a great event in the history of England. Yet I wonder if there is one Englishman who knows at what time the ship set sail? Do the English know how many people embarked on this voyage? What quality of bread did they eat? Yet more than three thousand three hundred years ago, before the Mayflower set sail, the Jews left Egypt. Every Jew in the world, even in America or Soviet Russia, knows on exactly what day they left – the fifteenth of the month of Nisan; everyone knows what kind of bread the Jews ate. Even today the Jews worldwide eat matza on the 15th of Nisan. They retell the story of the Exodus and all the troubles Jews have endured since being exiled. They conclude this evening with two statements: This year, slaves. Next year, free men. This year here. Next year in Jerusalem, in Eretz Yisrael. That is the nature of the Jews. (Testimony to the U.N. Commission on the Partition of Palestine, 1947)
A Pomegranate on the Seder Plate?
Over the last many years, some have taken up the tradition of placing extra items on or near the seder plate to represent different values and causes. What might you add to your seder plate – actually or theoretically – to symbolize your connection to Israel and your hopes for her at age 75?
The Fruits of Israel and Egypt: A Puzzle (From Creating Lively Passover Seders by David Arnow, p. 226-7) This activity/discussion could be used for karpas, the eating of the spring greens, as it compares fruits and vegetables eaten in Egypt with those eaten in Israel.
This activity requires a trip to the grocery store. Pick up a head of garlic, a cucumber, a leek, an onion, a melon, grapes, figs, and a pomegranate. Put the garlic, cucumber, leek, onion and melon in one basket and the remaining items in another. Before your seder begins, gather your guests and show them both baskets. Explain that you’ll be solving a puzzle based on two passages in the Bible in which these groups of fruits and vegetables appear. Read the paragraphs below and the question that comes after. After you’ve concluded your discussion, you may want to read one of both of the “solutions” that follow.
Following the Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites camped near Mount Sinai for almost a year. After having received the Torah and dedicated the Mishkan (the portable sanctuary for the Ark of the Covenant), they finally began their march to the Promised Land, a distance of only several months’ travel. Three days into the journey, they complained bitterly, longing to return to Egypt:
“The riffraff in their midst felt a gluttonous craving; and then the Israelites wept and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish that we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. Now our gullets are shriveled.
There is nothing at all! Nothing but this manna to look to!” (Numbers 11:4-6)
A few chapters later, twelve spies are sent to scout out the land of Canaan. All except Joshua and Caleb spread evil reports about the land in order to persuade the Israelites to return to Egypt. After the ensuing rebellion against Moses and Aaron, God condemns the people to thirty-nine more years in the desert. What did the spies bring back from Canaan?
“They reached Wadi Eshcol, and they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes – it had to be borne on a carrying frame by two of them – and some pomegranates and figs.” (Numbers 13:23)
Why do you think garlic, cucumbers, leeks, onions, and melons are associated with Egypt, while grapes, figs, and pomegranates are connected with Israel? There is more than one satisfying answer to this puzzle! Deuteronomy 8:8 notes the seven choice species of the land of Israel – wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and honey. Here we are just concerned with those mentioned in Numbers 13:23.
Why do you think garlic, cucumbers, leeks, onions, and melons are associated with Egypt, while grapes, figs, and pomegranates are connected with Israel? There is more than one satisfying answer to this puzzle! Deuteronomy 8:8 notes the seven choice species of the land of Israel – wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and honey. Here we are just concerned with those mentioned in Numbers 13:23.
From the Depths to the Heights: Garlic, onions, leeks, melons, and cucumbers mature under or upon the soil. When harvested, they bear the signs of their habitat: they are fully or partially covered with dirt. These crops shared their earthen realm with the Israelites, who were so long mired in the muddy clay of Egypt’s brick pits. Grapes, figs, and pomegranates grow on trees or vines, which elevate them above the ground. This difference represents the journey from degradation to redemption on both the physical and the spiritual plane….
Roots and Responsibilities: Cucumbers, leeks, garlic, onions, and melons are all annuals –they have to be replanted each year. Grapes, figs, and pomegranates are perennials – plant them once and they produce for many, many years. They also take several years before they mature and bear fruit….The land of Egypt does not belong to the Israelites, despite how long they have resided in it….The stay may be long but it is ultimately temporary. So the Israelites put down shallow roots in Egypt, like the plants for which they yearn. For the Israelites, the Promised Land is their ultimate destination, home in the deepest sense. And that is where one really puts down roots. That is where one is sure to be long enough to justify plantings that will take time to bear fruit.
Four Generations in Israel (From A Night to Remember by Mishael Zion and Noam Zion, illustration here by Michel Kichka)
This picture presents a modern version of the traditional Four Children discussed in the Maggid (telling) part of the seder. Have participants try to identify which of the women below represents the wise, wicked, simple, and unable to ask child and what each woman is reading. What kind of social commentary is the illustrator offering through his art? Would a picture of four generations in America look different? How so? Then read the explanation of the picture found below.
