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seder. Or get the kids to write a play about the Passover story and perform it. Or ask your guests to bring something that represents freedom and tell the story of why. As long as your guests are engaged in the story of slavery to freedom, you have done your job. 5. Move around. This is the story of a wandering people. If you have the space, then wander! Do one piece of the seder in the living room, one in the dining room, or even go outside if the weather is nice. Turn a few bed sheets into the sea and walk through it on your way to the Promised Land. Give your guests a chance to be in the story, not just talk about it. 6. Assign homework. People always do better if they are prepared, so ask your guests to participate in the seder. Send a question in advance, ask them to bring
something or even make decorations for the seder table. Guests, bring a reading or an object that speaks to you. I guarantee your host will appreciate not having to carry the weight of the entire evening. 7. Give everyone a job. Before the seder, make a list of everything that has to be done during the evening, from pouring the wine to serving the soup to clearing the table. Then, assign away. Your guests will be happy to help, and you will be happier if you come out of the seder not feeling enslaved. 8. Sing (or watch videos). There are tons of songs for kids and adults alike for Passover. Google around to find tunes or songs you like and teach them at your seder. Providing song sheets helps everyone sing along. And if singing is not your thing, a quick search on YouTube for Passover song parodies turns up videos that would be fun to watch before or during the seder. 9. Make something. When I was about 10 years old, I spent hours creating a chart that outlined the order of
the seder. I made a small arrow that could be used to show where we were in the progression of the evening, and since then it has been used every year. My mother still brings out Elijah’s cups that my sisters and I made in Hebrew school, and my kids proudly show off their seder plates, kiddush cups and matzah covers. If your kids don’t make them in school or Hebrew school, these are easy crafts to make at home. 10. Let loose. The point of the seder is to engage people in the questions, both ancient and contemporary, of slavery and freedom. The way you do that is up to you. Try to find a balance between preparing for the seder and obsessing about every detail. And if your kids run screaming circles around the table while everyone else is trying to talk, as mine have done on more than one occasion, those are memories, too. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal is the director of youth and family education at Central Synagogue in New York City. Rosenthal and her husband live in the city with their three children.
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ARIZONA JEWISH POST, March 17, 2017