Dear
Readers,
These columns began on my area of America Online, called: Judaism
Today: Where Do I Fit? People anonymously
sent me E-Mail, and I began to choose one for a public response
in my Jewish E-Mail of the Week column. The column has become
quite popular and is now syndicated internationally in many
Jewish papers and websites. I hope you find they help you
as you think about the Ethics, Spirituality and Peoplehood
components of the Jewish way of Life. I welcome your
comments... see the end of the column.
Gil
PS
Teachers and others, feel free to copy my columns and forward
them or use them as you see fit. Please see the friendly
copyright notice at the end. |
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A
RELEVANT SEDER THAT COULD SAVE LIVES!
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I have done a fair
amount of research on suggestion #3 in my response. Not enough is
being done. If you will take me up on my suggestions, not only will
that change, but you will have a more relevant Seder....
Hi Gil,
We have been having a
Seder with our two children since they were born. They are now 18 and
20. Certainly we'll go through the customary service, but I was
wondering if you had any ideas for me about making the Seder more
relevant to our everyday lives and perhaps introducing a few
contemporary angles. Thanks for any suggestions.
W
Dear W:
"Irrelevant,"
"boring," "long" and "tiring!?" Ever
heard these complaints about a Seder before? Perhaps your kids or you
yourself have voiced them. In an effort to change these words to
"worthwhile," "meaningful" and
"relevant," I offer you 3 suggestions -- one of which could
save lives!
#1: Something to
discuss: In the Torah, there are 26 references to being a stranger --
often specifically citing the Passover story. Even the first
Commandment -- of the famous top 10 -- refers to the Exodus: I am
God..."Who brought you out of the land of Egypt." Why the
big deal? Pose this question to folks at your Seder. Many say the
Passover story is the pivotal event that shaped the Jewish people and
Jewish thinking. What values do we derive from the story and how do
they still influence Jews today -- our politics, our volunteering, our
attitudes toward the poor?
#2: Pick three people
coming to your Seder -- someone young, old and in the middle. Call
them on the day of the Seder and say: "Imagine you are being
kicked out of the country this evening. You can take only one
suitcase. Bring your suitcase to the Seder and explain to us, what you
have packed and why.
The connection to the
Exodus from Egypt is obvious. But we seldom stop to realize the
amazing fact that in the last 125 years or so, another massive Jewish
Exodus has occurred. During this period, the destiny for the vast
majority of the Jewish people has been to leave our homes and go to
North America, Israel or the ovens of the Holocaust. Today, if we are
to survive as a people, what do we need to collectively put in our
suitcases?
#3: For the majority of
the Jews who made it to North America or Israel, life is pretty good.
But there are Jews in the world today imperiled. Jews that we don't
think about very often. For example, the 13 Iranian Jews arrested over
a year ago and who face execution for allegedly spying.
Share this with those at
your Seder: Can you picture what jail in Iran must be like? Did you
(or your kids) know that one of those Jews is only 16 years old, two
of them are only 22 and one is a rabbi? Did you know that 25,000 Jews
still live in Iran and that 17 Jews have been executed since the
revolt that brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power?
To further bring the
relevance of this to your Seder, I suggest you put a postcard on every
plate at your seder (or bring a postcard for everyone who will be
there.) Address them to:
President Mohammad
Khatami
Iranian Mission to the United Nations
622--3rd Avenue--34th Floor
New York, NY 10017
On the reverse write:
Your Excellency
President Khatami:
I respectfully urge
you to grant freedom to the 13 arrested Iranian Jews. Secretary of
State Albright, Vice President Gore, and Governor George W. Bush have
all stated that the future of relations between the United States and
Iran will be influenced by the treatment of these Jews. We are
watching with great interest and concern.
Encourage everyone at
your Seder to sign a post card and send it. This is investment of only
$ .21 per person at your seder. If this suggestion is followed by the
countless thousands of people who read this column in newspapers and
online, perhaps we will help free our imprisoned brethren in Iran.
What an appropriate way to celebrate our holiday of freedom! Please
forward this suggestion on to others.
I wish you a happy,
meaningful and relevant Passover!
Gil
A FRIENDLY COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© Copyright Gil Mann
These columns can be found at www.beingjewish.org. Not
only do I give you permissions to copy these Jewish Email
columns...I HOPE YOU WILL and that you share them with others!
All I ask is that you never charge anyone for them and that you
also include this little copyright notice. Thank You!
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