I have seen the evidence popping into my mother’s pantry. The matzah, the macaroons and, of course, the Maneschevitz cream concord ultra sweet wine. Yup, Passover, the Jewish springtime festival, will be arriving at our doorsteps next Friday.
The weeklong holiday arrives each year, commemorating the ancient Hebrew’s exodus from Egypt with the help of the Hebrew-born, Egyptian-raised leader Moses.
The word Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, refers to the Israelite God literally passing over the Hebrew’s homes during the slaying of the first born – the last of the ten plagues God visited upon the Egyptians.
Loyola, in conjunction with the University Ministry, will host a Passover Seder. Meaning “order” in Hebrew, the Seder is a long festive dinner filled with special prayers and food that help to retell, through symbolism, the ancient Hebrew’s liberation from slavery. Salt water and bitter herbs, for example, remind participants of the tears and bitterness their ancestors suffered under Egyptian taskmasters. Matzah, a crisp unleavened flatbread, recalls when the Hebrews, after finally receiving the Pharaoh’s permission to leave, rushed out of Egypt without allowing their dough time to rise.
“The celebration will dispel all the untrue assumptions many faculty and students have about Judaism,” said Jon Arlan, a Jewish general studies freshman.
According to Arlan, it seems that most people tend to not understand Judaism in its relationship to Jews and their culture.
“I think they should try to understand it from a Jewish perspective, rather than its mere significance to Christians,” said Arlan.
Christians tend to view Passover in context to Christ’s last supper, which in fact was a Passover Seder.
The Rev. Kevin Wildes S.J., university president, said many people do not have a full appreciation of other faiths, and he hopes the upcoming Seder will encourage students to develop a better understanding of Judaism and possibly even their own faiths.
The Interfaith Seder will take place in the St. Charles Room on Wednesday, April 20, two days before the actual holiday begins.
Sammy Loren can be reached at [email protected].
