
There is magic in a Passover seder. For those of us who attended seders as children, there may be magic coating the memories of the Passovers of our youth. In settling down for a long marathon of talking, arguing, sneaking [Read more…]
Independent Jewish Spirituality Online
The year: 1999. The place: Beth Shalom Congregation, Elkins Park, PA, event hall. The room is full of about 150 elementary school students, sitting around round tables laden with plastic plates, wine cups we made ourselves, all fidgeting in our new Passover clothes. At the front of the room, aloft a podium, is Dr. Steven Brown, our headmaster. And he is wearing the silliest hats we’ve ever seen in our young lives.
For each of the 15 parts of the Passover seder, Dr. Brown changes his hat. We sing “Kadesh, oorchatz, karpas…” and are halted as the eldest students who’ve been to many a Model Seder at the Perelman Jewish Day School know, scream “AHA!” and we stop, to study, and observe the rituals of that part of the seder. So, we dip our celery painstakingly cut by parents into salt water, and resume, as Dr. Brown changes his hat with a [Read more…]
If you’re looking for animal friendly Passover alternatives, look no further than the NewKosher vegan cookbook. Chock full of Passover recipes, as well as delicious recipes for the entire Jewish year, this book is holy in more ways than one. Of course, who wouldn’t love Matzo-Potato Ball Soup, Salad of Romaine Hearts, Eggplant “Cookies” with Roasted Tomato Sauce, Oven-Roasted Baby Beets and Chocolate-Caramel-Almond Matzo?
To download this free eBook, just click this link.
In addition, check out some of our other great Passover recipes throughout the PunkTorah blog. We’ve made substitution recommendations for vegans:
Vegan Mushroom “Chopped Liver”
Jewsy Boozy Potato Vodka Exodus Lemonade
Moroccan Orange Carrot Salad (omit the yogurt and substitute agave nectar for honey)
Nigella’s Butternut Squash With Pecan (omit the blue cheese)
Vegetarian Gefilte Fish (contains eggs)
Passover is almost here, and that means house cleaning, grocery shopping, and of course, binge eating chametz!
Here at PunkTorah, we have a few resources to make the transition from everyday life to Passover 5774 even easier.
Have A Good Laugh
Jews love a good joke, and a good story. Mother Morpher has a terrific article on the joys of Passover shopping online.
Watch Some “Edu-Tainment”
This Passover roundup of videos from the PunkTorah archive will give you insights into the holiday, it’s meaning and observance. There’s also a lot of “vintage PunkTorah” in this video series for all the n00bs.
Get the Kids Involved!
Passover is a great holiday for kids, even if it does wreck the hearts of a few picky eaters. PunkTorah can help your seder be magical and kid friendly, and our kids haggadah is always a crowd pleaser.
Cook, Of Course
Our funky vegan cookbook has some really terrific Passover recipes, including a baked eggplant that’s plague-worthy on its own
Give Tzedakah, In Honor of the Lego Star Wars Passover
We get caught up in the spirit of seders, family and friends, and it’s easy to forget that the Jewish holidays command us to give. This terrific photo series of Aiden’s Lego Starwars Diorama calls us to a deeper sense of what these holidays are really about.
Chag Sameach! Happy Passover!
As Jews, we suspend Torah reading for the eight days of Passover to reflect on our freedom and the story of Exodus. Modern Jews, of course, have never been slaves nor do we have any real understanding of how horrific it would be. We also know that our people’s narrative of Exodus is something that may or may not have happened. Nonetheless, Passover (Pesach) is a wonderful celebration for all Jews and others who cherish life and freedom.
Passover and the traditional seder can be as detailed as you want. There are sites on the web that will tell you how every tiny part of the seder should be done – including extensive preparations even before the holiday. Modern Jews will nod in respect to tradition, but make the seder into something more meaningful in today’s world. The world has changed and so too must the seder. Rather than celebrating only Jewish freedom, we celebrate the freedom of all human beings and pray for the end, once and for all, of human bondage around the world. We also have incorporated celebrating equality of respect for all, including many of those who have been marginalized by society, and even some in our Jewish tribe.
As Jews, we value life and freedom. Judaism is not ascetic – we are told to enjoy life to the fullest. We are also instructed that the destruction of a single human life is equivalent to the loss of a universe. Life is to be defended because it is so valuable. The real power of Passover, however, is the celebration of freedom. Exodus is not only about freedom from the tyranny of the Egyptian government (or any government), but freedom of thought and religion as well. As Jews, we celebrate our freedom from slavery, but also work and pray for the freedom of all people around the world who are not able to enjoy the freedoms of thought and religion. To express ourselves and to think freely is to be truly human and Jewish.
May you and your family have a wonderful Passover!
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