Saturday, April 4, 1998

Passover commemorates liberation of ancient Israel

By LORETTA FULTON / Abilene Reporter-News

"It is not enough to go out of Egypt."

Those words from the Jewish Hagaddah tell the story of why the annual Passover observance is of utmost importance to Jews.

The beginning of the eight-day Passover, commemorating the liberation of ancient Israelites from slavery in Egypt, will be observed locally on Friday.

Rabbi Sherman Stein of Plano will preside over the Passover Seder meal to be held at 6:30 p.m. at Briarstone Manor. About 100 people from Abilene, Dyess AFB, and surrounding communities are expected for the celebration, said Dave Bach, cantor at Temple Mizpah. Call 692-2224 for more information.

The elaborate seder meal is more than a remembrance to Jews.

"The life of the Jewish people is a constant re-enaction of the Exodus from Egypt," according to the Hagaddah, the guidebook for the seder meal. "The Torah talks of relating the story Ñ and you shall tell it to your child."

Accordingly, children play an important role in the seder meal. Each year one child is chosen to recite the Four Questions, to which the narrative of the Haggadah is a reply. The question begins with "Why is this night different from all other nights?"

Each item of food at the dinner is symbolic of the IsraelitesÕ flight from Egypt, particularly the unleavened matzah. The bread symbolizes the fact that the ancient Israelites had to flee from the wrath of the Pharoah so fast that they didnÕt have time to let their bread dough rise.

The word "seder" means order and refers to the order of the service, which is divided into 15 parts. One of the more significant parts is the placement of the cup of wine for the Prophet Elijah, whose return Jews eagerly await.

Seder meals also are held in many Christian churches on Maundy Thursday, the night of the Last Supper which commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist by Christ on the night before he died.

The Passover Seder, although solemn in its intent, also is a lighthearted affair, with singing and games for children.

"ItÕs a fun feast, but it has a lot of spiritual significance," Bach said.

One game includes breaking the middle piece of matzah bread and hiding it.

"If a child finds it, he gets some type of reward," Bach said.

Another favorite part of the celebration is singing of special songs, including "One Little Kid."

Bach has participated in Passover Seder meals in various countries, and he delights in telling of hearing "One Little Kid" in different languages and cultures.

In Dublin, it took the form of an Irish jig, he said, and in the Middle East it "sounded like music a belly dancer would dance to."

As celebratory as the mood may be, the Hagaddah reminds present day Jews of the solemnity of the occasion.

"Every individual is obligated to remember the redemption, to experience it personally every day," according to the Hagaddah. "When every man, woman and child has gone out of his personal Egypt, then the entire Jewish community has gone out, and the miracles of the Exodus of old will once again become manifest, even more wondrously than ever, with the coming of the righteous Moshiach."