Modesto congregation offers traditional and community Seders for Passover

Passover will begin at sundown Friday, marked in a new way this year at Congregation Beth Shalom in Modesto with a pair of special Seders to open the eight-day Jewish celebration.

Passover dates back about 3,500 years and celebrates the birthday of the Hebrew tribe, when it was transformed from slavery to a free nation, according to information from Rabbi Shalom Bochner of Congregation Beth Shalom.

The celebration also marks a season of rebirth after winter and a time of new beginnings, all marked by the holiday’s main ritual, a Seder.

Bochner will lead a traditional Seder on Friday, then a shorter community Seder on Saturday. Each will include a catered five-course meal, traditional songs and activities. The Friday night event is expected to continue until midnight; Saturday’s will conclude by 9:30 p.m. People must RSVP to attend at (209) 571-6070.

“Every year, we try new things,” Bochner said in an email interview. “For many of us, Passover is about childhood memories and creating new memories. We heard some feedback last year that some thought the Seder was too long and some thought that it was too short! So we decided this year to offer two Seders and make them each different.”

Friday’s traditional late-night Seder will include added stories and explanations. Those in attendance will be encouraged to ask questions. “In addition to the usual ritual foods and songs, we’ll be ‘embellishing’ the Seder with educational content based on the words of the Haggadah (Seder books): ‘Whoever embellishes the Seder with extra discussion and education is praiseworthy,’” Bochner said.

The Seder is the heart of Passover, he said, with 15 steps that include four glasses of wine, special foods and symbols, songs, ancient Talmudic passages, questions and games.

“Unlike other holidays, which were traditionally based in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, the Passover Seder was always celebrated in the home or in the community’s center. It is based around the dining room table, not the synagogue sanctuary,” Bochner said. “It is truly an all-ages event where we take turns asking questions and answering them. It is not a meal; it is a ritual that includes a meal as part of it.”

Passover is the most observed holiday in Judaism.

“The story that it tells is the story of our people, our tribe: ‘We were slaves; now we’re free,’” Bochner said. “This is a story that we celebrate on every holiday, every Shabbat (Sabbath), and even every day. But Passover is when it actually happened. ... Passover is when we come together, as a tribe, as a family, and tell our story with songs, with special foods, with wine (or juice), with questions, with ancient rituals and visual aids like the matzah.”

For the eight days of the holiday, the only bread eaten is matzah, unleavened and made from only flour and water. Before the holiday begins, all leavened food products are removed from Jewish houses and synagogue kitchens.

Matzah, the holiday’s most ancient symbol, is a reminder of the biblical account of the Exodus, when the freed slaves did not wait for their bread to rise because they were in a rush to be liberated, Bochner explained. It also represents the bread of slavery and affliction.

Inviting the public to learn and participate in events and holidays is part of Congregation Beth Shalom’s role as a community resource center, and Passover, specifically, is of interest to Jews and non-Jews alike, Bochner said.

“It has huge cultural appeal even without its deeper spiritual meanings. For non-Jews, particularly Christians, this is the original ‘Last Supper,’ an opportunity to get a better sense of Jesus, who lived as a Jew and preached a form of Judaism to other Jews,” he said. “There is something about the Seder that speaks to people’s interest in understanding Judaism. ... I think there is something incredibly universal about the Seder, and we are honored and proud to share that with anyone who is interested.”

This story was originally published March 30, 2015 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Modesto congregation offers traditional and community Seders for Passover."