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CREATE A JEWISH HOME

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SPRING HOLIDAY ISSUE

PURIM & PASSOVER

Seder, in fact, means he Passover or Pesach order. holiday brings families THE FESTIVAL This story-telling together as no other. This quality makes the spring festival, beginning the OF PASSOVER holiday well-suited for evening before the 15th of BRINGS FAMILIES children. There are Nisan, is probably the most TOGETHER AS plenty of childobserved Jewish holiday of the centered tasks, such as year. In this celebration of NO OTHER. the pre-holiday search freedom, we give thanks for our for chametz. There is blessings and remember the days the festivity of special of slavery and suffering that foods, and the excitement of the haunt Jewish history. hunt for the afikoman, or the The Passover Seder is a ritual hidden matzah. There is the drama retelling of the Israelites’ Exodus of filling Elijah’s Cup and then the from slavery in Egypt more than suspense of opening the door for 3,000 years ago. The preparation him—might Elijah possibly be for the holiday centers on creating outside? And, most important, a home that is free of chametz or there is the Passover story itself, leavened food (bread, pasta, with its own exciting tale of cookies, etc.), since there was no plagues, of mystery and escape. time for the fleeing Israelites to Best of all, it is considered a bake with yeast. The Passover Seder mitzvah to make this story as itself is filled with symbolic rememdramatic as possible. brances of the escape, as its central The home is the center of the theme is the retelling of the story of Passover celebration, from the the Exodus. Passover is the only preparation of the house to the holiday for which there is a preritual meal with its delicious spescribed order of prayers, readings, cialties and intriguing traditions, to explanations, and songs. The word A PUBLICATION

THE

the week-long period after the Seder in which Jews are not allowed to eat chametz. Each family develops distinctive ways of celebrating this holiday; no two Seders are alike. While one family’s celebration may last an hour, another may still be going three hours later. You can choose what you feel comfortable with and make it your own, knowing that as you ask the Four Questions, as you eat matzah and watch the flickering candlelight at dinner, that you are creating memories your children will remember when they one day create a Seder for their children.

WHAT’S INSIDE The Story of Passover for Children page 2 Choosing a Haggadah page 3 Anatomy of a Seder page 5 The Purim Story for Children page 6 Activity: Making Masks page 7 Resources for Families page 8

ROBERT E. LOUP JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER

P A S S O V E R

The Story of Passover For Children

The Ten Plagues

he ten plagues that God visited upon the Egyptians to convince them to let the Jews go have become part of common lore. What exactly were they, again?

During the Seder when the ten plagues are recounted, there is a custom of removing ten drops of wine from the glass. Let your children dip their pinkies or spoon in their grape juice, and as each plague is said, place a drop on the plate.

t is the most dramatic story in Jewish history. The Israelites in Egypt did well for several generations, thanks in part to Joseph, who was a Hebrew and trusted advisor and prophet to the king. Then a Pharaoh who didn’t know Joseph gained power. He made the Israelites’ lives miserable, and ordered the midwives to kill Hebrew babies. The midwives refused. That brings us to Moses, a Hebrew baby hidden in the bulrushes in the river. He was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter, who raised him as a prince. Moses did not forget his people. One day God appeared to him in a burning bush and told him that the Jews would be freed and led to a land flowing with milk and honey. The Pharaoh wouldn’t listen to Moses’ pleas to let the Hebrews go. God responded by sending terrible plagues on the Egyptians, but the Pharaoh still refused. Finally, God told the Israelites to mark their doors with blood from a lamb. God passed over the Hebrew houses that night, but the firstborn sons in homes where there was no mark all died. After that, the Israelites hurriedly fled from Egypt, bringing with them dough that had not had time to rise. They were pursued by Pharaoh’s army. God told Moses to stretch his staff over the Sea of Reeds and divide it. He did, the Sea parted, and the Israelites walked across. Their pursuers followed, the Sea closed, and the soldiers drowned. “Thus God saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians,” the book of Exodus says, “and Israel believed in God.”

WITH YOUR KIDS

1. The waters of the Nile turned to blood 2. Frogs swarmed over the land

or many, these days of readying the house for 3. Lice Passover are not only a ritual, 4. Flies or wild but a wonderful annual opportunianimals ty to spring clean the house thoroughly. The original impetus for 5. Pestilence, or this cleaning was the commanddisease, that ment to rid the home of any traces affected the of chametz, or foods that are not livestock of kosher for Passover. This includes Egypt not only bread, but wheat, malt, 6. Boils, or skin and barley, which easily ferment. inflammation What makes these ordinary foods 7. A destructive chametz is that they are made into hailstorm dough and left to stand more than eighteen minutes before baking. 8. Locusts Askenazic Jews also throw out 9. Three days of foodstuffs such as corn, rice, peas, darkness lentils and other legumes. Some 10. Death of the people choose not to throw out firstborn sons anything (except perhaps for bread of Egyptians with a short shelf life) but instead box it up and put it out of the way. For others, the ritual act of The search for bread is a timecleaning out the bread drawer is honored part of Passover. One WITH enough. night just before Passover, YOUR Some traditionally observant have your children do a KIDS families have a special set of dishes search for chametz (Bidikat and cooking pans they bring out Chametz). Hide at least ten pieces of just for the week of this holiday. bread (wrapped in napkins, if you In some families, cleaning out the want to protect the furniture) and have your children cupboards and digging for crumbs search for it, as well in the upholstery of chairs is part of as other wayward the ritual, and part of the fun. For pieces of other families, it is enough for the leavened foods. family to make a game of searching for bread and then throwing it out.

Preparing for Passover

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P A S S O V E R

Choosing a Haggadah

One crucial element of the Seder is that it is experiential. Some ways to nother task before make Pesach an experience kids Passover is to choose a WITH will remember are to put strips Haggadah, the text for YOUR of red crepe paper on each the Passover service. Unlike the KIDS doorpost, or to begin the Seder by Torah, the Haggadah is often having each participant wrap a piece illustrated; there are many of matzah in a napkin, carry it on his examples of lovely illuminated or her shoulder, and relive the ancient Haggadot, and more being Exodus by walking around the house created every year. Three thousand before the meal. You will probably be editions of Haggadot are listed in able to think of other ways to turn the library of the Jewish Theologithis holiday from an abstract idea to cal Seminary. The choices are a tangible reality.

• Giving very young children a bowl of chicken soup and matzah balls beforehand so their hunger pains won’t interfere with the service. • Having everyone offer a blessing or a wish for the coming year. • Having everyone say one way they will improve the world in the coming year. • Sending out parts of the Seder and asking people to find a poem, a passage, or to write something to get people to reflect on their part of the Seder. • Setting up a special area with small toys and quiet games that children know they can retreat to when they get squirmy or bored. • Making a plague kit to play with during the Seder. It could include toy frogs, plastic flies or other bugs (to substitute for lice and locusts), plastic toy cows (for cattle plague), plastic ice cubes (for hail), a bandanna to use as a blindfold (for darkness), etc. Give older children origami paper and instructions to make origami frogs and bugs. • Inviting an elderly or lonely person to your Seder. • Adopting one family’s tradition: In the front of the Haggadah, have each guest sign his or her name and the date. You’ll have a record of your guests and memories of Seders your family has participated in. • Starting a new tradition of recording important family and current events of the past year as part of your Seder. Have your guests agree about which events should be noted. Start the next year’s Seder by recounting last year’s events, and recording this year’s. One family has kept this tradition going for over 50 years.

At This Year’s Seder, Try . . .

situation compare with that of the Israelites involved in the Exodus? The Four Questions are one basis for the discussion around any Seder table. Expand this discussion to have each person at the Seder, regardless of age, ask at least two good questions during the Seder. These questions can be about anything—the symbolic foods, the story of the Exodus, the use of matzah. Be prepared for unexpected—and enlightening—questions from the kids. Traditionally, the youngest child asks the Four Questions, which are the foundation of the Seder service found in the Haggadah. You can also have different children ask the questions, and if there are more than four children, assign them a question to recite together.

enormous, from those that dictate hours-long services, to Haggadot with social action themes, to coloring books for kids with drawings that accompany shortened services. Sources for Haggadot include local synagogues, Judaica stores, and Jewish Community Centers. You can also use a Haggadah as the basis for a service you largely create yourself. As long as the basics are there as required by Jewish law—the paschal lamb, matzah, maror, and telling the story —you are free to construct your own service.

Freedom and The Four Questions

s you plan your Seder, remember that Passover is the most-observed holiday for a reason: its emphasis on freedom still speaks to all of us, whether it is religious freedom, WITH economic freedom, or freedom YOUR of speech. The more you relate KIDS the ancient rituals celebrating this freedom to the concerns of today, the more your Seder will resonate. Ask children to discuss what they think freedom is. What does it mean to be free? In what ways are they free, and in what ways are they not free? How does their

Have your children act out the Passover story with puppets they have made or in a short skit they perform. You can make puppets with decorated small manila envelopes, or cut out cardboard figures and attach a popsicle stick to the back of each.

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P A S S O V E R

ORDER OF THE SEDER Kadesh: saying of the Kiddush Wash hands

Wine for Elijah

lthough some people love matzah and keep it around all the time, the only time some Jews have these tasty crackers in their homes is at Passover. Matzah is an ancient food: there are references in the Torah to a time when King Saul was served matzah when he was an unexpected guest. Matzah was, first of all, a food made hastily when there was no time to prepare. It was also called the “bread of affliction” in Deuteronomy, a symbol of the poor food of the Israelite slaves in Egypt. The matzah that most Jews eat during Passover is watched from the time it is milled to the time it is baked to insure that no moisture touches it. It also must be baked within eighteen minutes of being formed. Finally, there is all other matzah, such as matzah with eggs, with vitamins, with salt, with bits of vegetable. All these are perfectly good—although some Jews do not use them during Passover.

oday, we pour a cup of wine for Elijah and open the door in the hopes that this preparation will herald the coming of the Messiah. In the Talmudic period, rabbis disagreed about how many cups of wine to pour. Some said that four cups symbolized the four promises of God to the Jews. Others said there were actually five promises, and should be five cups of wine. The debate went round and round, with no decision. The solution was typically Talmudic. We cannot decide, the rabbis said; let Elijah decide when he comes. Meanwhile, pour five cups of wine, drink only four, and designate the fifth as “Elijah’s Cup.”

Eat karpas (green vegetable dipped in salt water)

More on Matzah

Break the middle matzah

Tell the story of Passover Wash hands Eat matzah Eat maror

Eat a piece of matzah spread with maror and haroset Eat dinner

Find the afikomen

Say blessings of thanks Sing songs of praise

Concluding prayer and fourth cup of wine

The Search for the Afikomen

he search for the afikomen is the part of the service most eagerly anticipated by children, when half of the middle matzah (from the table) has been hidden in a cloth napkin somewhere close by. The word afikomen means dessert. It is the ending of the Passover celebration. After it is found and eaten, no more food is to be eaten. Author Ron Wolfson’s family tries to make sure every child gets a chance at finding the afikomen by making it a group experience. He hides fourteen notes (for the fourteen

steps of the Seder), each with a letter on it. When all WITH fourteen are found, the YOUR children KIDS unscramble them to form the clue to find the afikomen—”At refrigerator,” for instance. That way, everyone gets a chance to be an afikomen finder. You might also consider giving your children “afikomen presents.” As an antidote to the craziness of present-giving at Christmas, an afikomen gift dovetails with the most important Jewish holiday. 4 ▼

Miriam’s Cup

new Passover tradition for some is the addition of a wine-filled “Miriam’s Cup” on the Seder table in recognition of the contribution of Jewish women to our history and the Exodus. Miriam was Moses’ elder sister who watched over him when he was put into the Nile. She was considered a prophetess who sang a song of triumph with the Israelite women after the crossing of the Sea of Reeds (Exodus 15:20).

P A S S O V E R

Anatomy of a Seder

the tears the Jews shed in Egypt as slaves.

1 Haggadah for each person at the table.

2 Candles and candlesticks for the lighting ceremony.

3 Kiddush cup for each person at the

table. (Kids can drink white grape juice. Think twice about using purple grape juice, unless you really didn’t like the tablecloth that much, anyway.)

4 Elijah’s and Miriam’s Cups

5 Three matzot: the top and bottom are for a regular portion and an extra, since it is a holiday. The third or middle matzah is special for Passover. Half of this third matzah becomes the afikomen, and is hidden for children to find. Some say the three matzot correspond to the three patriarchs, Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac, or the three kinds of ancient Jews—Kohen (priest), Levite (assistants to the priests), and Israelite. 6 A dish of salt water reminiscent of

MIDRASH

The Seder plate:

7 Zeroa (a roasted shankbone) symbolic of the offering of a lamb brought to the Temple in ancient times.

8 Maror (bitter herbs—horseradish root or romaine lettuce) symbolizing the bitterness of slavery.

9 Karpas (a green vegetable, usually parsley) symbolic of spring, renewal, hope, and faith in the future.

10 Baytzah (a roasted egg) symbolic of the circle of life and of the offerings brought to the Temple in ancient Jerusalem. Some see it as also symbolic of the Jewish people’s will to survive.

11 Haroset (a mixture of chopped apples, wine, walnuts, and cinnamon) symbolic of the mortar the Israelites used to make bricks in Egypt when they were slaves.

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iraculously, the Israelites walked across the Sea of Reeds to freedom. The Egyptian soldiers who chased after them were drowned. In heaven, the angels began to sing, but God stopped them and scolded, “How can you be happy when my creatures are dying?” As God understood, as long as there is pain in the world, and slavery, we ourselves are not truly free. —Talmud: Sanhedrin 39b

P U R I M

Purim: Be Happy, It’s Adar!

As you read this story, you might want your children to follow the custom of booing and making noise with a grogger (noisemaker) when Haman’s name is said.

“I bow only to God,” he told Haman. Haman was enraged. Who was this Jew to refuse to bow to him? Haman decided to kill Mordecai—and every other Jew, too. By lying about the Jews, he talked the king into the plan. On the 14th of Adar, every Jew was to be killed. Esther knew she had to try to save her people. She decided to go to the king, even though she could be killed herself for going to the king without being called. While she was fasting and praying to make herself brave and strong before she went, the king could not sleep. He saw the tablet that told the story of how Mordecai had saved his life. He called Haman. “There is someone I wish to honor,” he told him. “How shall I do it?” Haman, who thought the honored one was to be him, told the king to dress up the person in the king’s clothes and parade him through the city in honor. “Do that for Mordecai,” the king said. Haman steamed. He was more determined than ever to kill Mordecai. Meanwhile, Esther drew together her courage and went to the king. Happy to see her, he said, “Whatever you want, my queen, shall be yours.” “Spare my life, O King,” Esther said, “And those of my people.” Esther told him that she was a Jew and would have to die. Shocked, the king realized that Haman was evil. “Haman, not you, shall be killed,” he commanded. Then he ordered that Mordecai become his chief advisor. And so it happened that Esther saved her people.

his is pull-out-the stops party time. Purim, which usually occurs in March on the 14th of Adar, is a celebration of the victory of Jews over those who would enslave, oppress, or kill them. It is based on the biblical story of Esther, a Persian Jew who together with her uncle Mordecai saved her people. There are four typical parts of the celebration: reading the Megillah, or the story of Esther, which is usually done at a synagogue; sending gifts called Mishloach Manot of at least two foods or a gift basket to a friend (often one is the delicious cookie hamantaschen—see recipe page 7); sending money to at least two needy people or to charitable organizations, a practice called Matanot La’Evyonim; and having a festive meal, usually a lunch or early supper. Wearing a costume is also a time-honored tradition, particularly at Jewish schools. Children love a costume party, and Purim is the best excuse of the year.

The Purim Story For Children

ong ago in Persia, the king married a beautiful woman named Esther. The king did not know it, but Esther was Jewish. One day, Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, heard two soldiers talking. They were going to murder the king. Mordecai ran to Esther and told her. Esther told the king of the danger. She and Mordecai saved his life. A wicked man named Haman also lived in Persia. He was the king’s chief advisor. When Haman walked down the streets, he wanted everyone to bow. Mordecai would not bow.

Mishloach Manot: Sending Portions

ift-giving to friends and the needy are traditional Purim activities. Get in the spirit of Purim by preparing with your children mishloach manot gift baskets (or shalach mones). In the Book of Esther, it is commanded that two portions be sent to the poor, and so it is customary to make baskets filled with two portions of different foods, ready to eat. Have your children help you make and deliver baskets to friends and to a local homeless shelter or nursing home. Here’s a list of items for your mishloach manot baskets:

• hamantaschen and other cookies • small boxes of raisins and other dried fruits • boxes of juice or chocolate milk • candy • nuts • small bags of popcorn, chips, and trail mix • granola bars • small boxes of sugared cereal Tip: inexpensive plastic baskets sold for Easter make great mishloach manot containers.

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P U R I M

Hamantaschen (Recipe from Jewish Family Celebrations)

Filling the dough: Roll dough out on a floured surface until thin. Cut into circles with the top of a coffee cup or large round cookie cutter. Put a heaping teaspoon of the filling unto the center of each circle. Fold over into triangular shapes. Pinch corners. Place the triangles on greased cookie sheets. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes until light brown.

hese delicious cookies are a Purim favorite. The name refers to the hat Haman supposedly wore, although the cookies are thought to have originated in Germany, where their name was mohntashen. These cookies can be filled with the dried fruit filling or you can used pre-prepared canned fruit, prune or poppyseed fillings.

Blended: Place the fruit in a large saucepan, add 1 cup water, and cook over low heat for one half hour as for stewing fruit. Then it’s soft and can easily be pureed in a blender. Blend for a minute or so.

Dough: 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs 1/2 cup of cold water Juice of 2 lemons 1 1/2 cups sugar Pinch of salt Rind of one orange, grated 3 teaspoons baking powder 6 cups flour

ost children love making masks. Depending on their age, you can make very simple masks, coloring on paper plates with markers and attaching yarn for hair, to creating masks made with poster board and decorated with glued sequins and buttons, to papier mâché masks made with balloons. To make these: 1. Tear newspaper in strips. 2. Prepare wheat paste or make a paste with flour and water. 3. Blow up a balloon, being careful not to fill it so full it will break. 4. Dip the newspaper strips into the paste, using your fingers to squeegee off the excess.

In large mixing bowl, mix together oil, eggs, water, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and orange rind. Into another bowl, sift baking powder and flour. Add the dry ingredients to the oilegg mixture slowly, kneading flour in a cup or so at a time. Chill dough for several hours of overnight. This is enough dough for approximately 36 small or 24 medium-sized hamantaschen.

Activity: Making Masks

Fruit filling: 1 cup dried prunes 1 cup dark raisins 1/2 cup dates 1 cup figs 2 cups dried apricots 1/4 cup coconut 1/8 cup jam or honey

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Chopped: The dried fruit can either be chopped with a sharp knife or in a food processor, mixed thoroughly, and then moistened with the jam or honey. 7 ▼

5. Apply the strips to the balloon to cover it. 6. Wait until the strips dry, and add more. If you want to add features such as noses, gradually build up the layers over several days. Use crumpled newspaper or other objects to paste the newspaper strips on. 7. After there are several layers, pop the balloon. Slice the balloon in two, discarding the side that is not the mask. 8. Paint and decorate the mask, cut holes for eyes and fasteners, and attach pieces of string to the fastener holes.

Resources

Books… For Parents and Families…

Apples & Honey© is a publication of the Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center 350 South Dahlia Street Denver, CO 80246 303-399-2660/fax 303-320-0042 The purpose of Apples & Honey is to serve as an educational publication and outreach tool for expectant and new parents interested in learning about how to create a Jewish home.

Seasons for Celebration: A Contemporary Guide to the Joys, Practices and Traditions of the Jewish Holidays by Karen L. Fox and Phyllis Zimbler Miller. New York: Perigee Books, 1992. With each holiday chapter are sections about home and synagogue traditions, activities, recipes and insights.

But This Night Is Different by Audrey Friedman Marcus and Raymond Zwerin. New York: Union of American Hebrew Congregations. 1980. Explains how this night is different by briefly describing a familiar activity that one might do all year and how it is done differently on this special night. Ages 4 to 8.

The Kids’ Catalog of Jewish Holidays by David A. Adler. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 1996. Easy-to-use introduction to each holiday with stories, games, recipes, poems, songs, crafts, cartoons and more.

For children…

Computer software…

The Interactive Haggadah (Windows CD-ROM) This software from JeMM Productions brings the Seder experience to life with songs, games, explanations and commentaries, and includes the entire text of the Haggadah. Available from the Davka catalogue (1800-621-8227).

A Costume for Noah: A Purim Tale by Susan Remick Topek. Rockville, MD: Kar-Ben, 1995. Noah does not know what to wear for Purim and his parents are preoccupied with the arrival of a new a baby. What he decides will surprise everyone! Ages 3 to 7.

The Passover Parrot by Evelyn Zusman. Rockville, MD: Kar-Ben, 1983. Hilarious story of what happens when the family parrot steals the afikomen at the Passover Seder. Ages 3 to 8.

Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center 350 South Dahlia Street Denver, CO 80246

Lisa Farber Miller, Editor Sandra Widener, Managing Editor Hal Aqua, Design and Illustration Tamra L. Dollin, Judaic Consultant Bernice Tarlie, Bibliographer Dr. Ed Goldson, Child Development Consultant Dr. Jessica Pearson, Evaluation Consultant Risa Towbin Aqua, Calligraphy Editorial Advisory Board Dr. Ed Goldson Rabbi Richard N. Levy Rabbi David Nelson Rabbi Raymond A. Zwerin

Subscriptions to this newsletter are available by calling 303-399-2660. © Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the Robert E. Loup JCC. Apples & Honey was made possible by funds granted by The Covenant Foundation. The statements made and the views expressed, however, are solely the responsibility of the Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center.