I have only
been to one “family Seder” inside the home of a Jewish family as they celebrate Passover,
my diocesan confessor had been to this family’s Seder in the past … The Family has a custom … whenever you attend
their Seder, you are asked, to write a comment in their “family book” … as to
your impressions on the event … I thought that an awesome family memory to do …
and I read through, the “comments” of others over the years who attended this
family’s Seder, I was most interested in what my diocesan confessor had to say
… his thoughts were also read during the
Seder … (how politically “correct they were” , he carefully avoided any
reference to his Catholicism and he made no mention @ all of God) How odd I
thought … his writings, were that of a Zen practitioner or perhaps a college
Professor teaching a class in Philosophy 101
…
I am no shrinking violet and I love a lively
conversation … Prior to sitting down for the meal, the family gathered in the
living room … Lots of conversation, music, songs and some native Hebrew dancing
… I can hold mine own, with such … I listened to a young man named “David”, who
had a Master’s degree in music and he played the Sitar … an eerie haunting
instrument of India… He brought a bit of
George Harrison into the room … Engaging conversation, I had with him about the
Beatles and their music … also about Motown, Michael Jackson and Elvis … those
to whom I considered most powerful in music history … Then the Host played his guitar and native rattles were played … one could imagine …
The Jews dancing their way out of Egypt and then dancing their way into the
ancient Temple, to celebrate/recall Passover …
The age range
in the room was 8 to 92 … I sat near the 92 yr. old retired doctor, who had a
passion for Porsche sport cars … Hey I know Porsche speak … I told him, I know how
cool it is to drive a manual transmission and down shift, around corners… to
drive a car low to ground with fat tires that grip those turns as if they were
the claws on a lion …
He said he
purchased his last Porsche @ age 90, owning 6 during his lifetime … I asked
where he lives, he said Basking Ridge … Ahhhh … more fodder for conversation …
I threw out my knowledge of the area “horses and the Olympic training center and even the Brass Penny
restaurant”… He delighted in my knowing
all these things …
I then moved
on to the other people in the room and connected to them and their likes … so
why do I mention all of this … for it establishes prior to the meal, I developed
a relationship with the people in the room … They were comfortable with me and
I with them … so when we sat at the table and I was told this is the “story
telling time” and you will be asked questions or you can ask questions and you
will be asked to read …
I was also
told that this is a long process … but they shortened it considerably and that
the 8 and 10 year old in the room had made “props” for the event (props for
the 10 plagues) … and they are being trained to be “good Jews” … and that the
15 yr old who was recently had his Bar Mitzvah would be called upon to read in
Hebrew …
We were given
a book to follow and read from … and several glasses of wine … each section of
the meal was divided into thinking about what the Jews went through during the
time of the first Passover … what was interesting to me there was not no talk
about God … and I remembered the comments of my diocesan confessor made in this
family’s book a few years prior and he made no mention of God.. Like it was off
limits to say …
This Seder was
more of a tradition of tribe and ethnic heritage and no “God speak” … I kept
interjecting God into the conversation … until the elderly doctor who I sat
next to said this to me … you are a refreshing woman to speak to, we normally
do not talk about God during our Seder …WOW … I asked so why do you even get together
to remember this event???
The elderly doctor
said for it is “our tradition” … so since I have no filters I said this “WOW
you are like the typical Catholic family their religion is just a tradition to many of them and they really do not do “God Speak” on holidays … they all looked stunned that I
said that, then they all laughed and said … “wow you are brutally honest”… I answered
with I just love God and I would love for you to tell me how you picture God …
the elderly doctor said this … how do I picture God … like you Mary Jo … pushy
.. For God pushed the 10 commandments on us, God pushed us out of captivity, God pushed us into the promise land, God pushed
us to learn and obey the Torah and God pushed us to think of Him by your presence at
our Seder today …
nice to know God
is pushy like me … But seriously is your religion "just a tradition for you and your family"??? If so that is sad ... God is alive ... not just a "remembrance a tradition" but a reality ...
