What on earth is Seder?

  It was the holiday season and I had been helping care for my elderly mother. I arrived at her home to set up the Christmas decorations and she out of the blue ask’s: Young lady would you like to accompany me to a seder feast at the Episcopalian church tonight.?” I turned and looked at her to make sure she was not overly medicated. She actually looked quit smart in a Sunday church outfit she had on, which I hadn’t even notices when I first enters. “Seder,” I replied. “You mean like when we were both younger and use to hear grandpa and grandma talking about going to a Seder meal at a friends?” “Exactly but it will be at the church in the same room they serve the loaves and fishes meals.” Looking at my outfit from work for the day I figured it would pass and nodded to her yes.

    Two hours later we are parked in the church parking lot and walking in the side back door to the kitchen, “We’re we suppose to bring anything I asked?” Of course, not the father and his wife have arranged everything”. In through the kitchen, we walk and into the main church hall. Arranged in the center of the room, in a rectangular shape is a cluster of long folding tables. They have been done up rather pleasantly with table clothes center pieces and place settings.  I see about 4 people that I vaguely know and I notice there are a little over 20 place settings. My mother who stood about 4 ft 9 inches at this time takes her fathers walking stick, my grandpa don Hammett, and marches right over to the table facing north and the main sanctuary building. I zip over to the father and his wife to ask if it is okay and they graciously indicate it is not a problem.

 Finally, everyone is seated except for one place. There were whispers around the table it was for a guest of honor. Now I’m sitting next to this very strange elder woman and calmly thinking about the seders of my grandparents. My father’s mom and dad. Seder is the started of the remembrance of Passover, a high holy time for those who follow the faith of the Hebrews led to freedom by Moses’. This person, as an infant was found by one of the deity’s Pharoah’s daughter. He was raised and taught in that fashion. When he became older and had observed that he seemed to be a little different his. He was also at that time adopted as an heir and of the family of Pharoah. When he became a man, he found out that he was one of the very few survivors of an order that had gone out through the whole entire empire that decreed that all male Hebrew infants had to be taken an executed.  At the exact moment he fully and completely understood the meaning of the slaves of Pharoah. A war of magic and power sprung up in the empire. For about 300 years the Hebrews had been deeply involved of every aspect of Pharoah’s rule. The priests, priestesses and temples of the Egyptian gods and goddess began to fear because those of that nation and way of life appeared to be out numbering true Egyptians. Thus, the order to kill the infants was given. At the age of about eighty he returned to demand the release of his people the Hebrews.

 These were my thoughts as I sat down with a room full of a few recognizable faces and the rest strangers The meal eaten as the remembrance of Passover begins. It took 10 plaques falling down upon Egypt for the deity Pharaoh to allow the Hebrews to leave. The last one being the death of every first-born male child living in a house that sis not bear the blood of the lamb’s mark on its door. Then even after they were allowed to leave, the same priest, priestess, and temple worshiper, whisper to Pharaoh to go and get them back. He died trying.

   All of these thoughts passed through my mind as I looked at this little old lady who had never once in her life celebrated any Hebrew High Holy day with her in-laws and wonder what she was thinking. The ritual readings began. Tiny portion of matzot, (cracker like bread) zeroa. (Lamb’s meat) Beitzah, (hardboiled egg) Maror and Chazeret (Bitter Herbs) Charoset, (Paste) and last but not least Karpas (Vegetable) These was the traditional Passover plate The guest place setting remained empty.

 There were a few children there and they were sent to hunt for a certain object by the father. Once the object was found we began to eat. One or to people shared stories of other Seders they had been to. Since there was wine my mother after her second cup asked to share. “According to Hebrew law, none of my children are Jews. Their father converted to Christianity long before I meet him. The years that I have lived in Ithaca have taught me the amazing reality of what it means for a leader to rise up and free his people. Freedom is a most sacred gift that we as a people often take for granted. I I listened to the readings of the spiritual battle between the court of Pharaoh and the man raised as his brother. I am truly thankful to have know people and be related to people that understand what it means to be free.”

  We stayed for about another hour. By the time we left I and took my mother back to her home I realized what she had wanted me to see and learn. There is a cost to freedom, strangers don’t have to remain strangers and a feast that is well prepared and has s spiritual meaning can open one’s eyes to things we don’t normally pay attention to. This was my meal amongst strangers that to this day lives on in my mind.