A
few years ago we revived a tradition that we started with our friends when our
own children were young. Near
Easter/Passover we would have a Seder coupled with a Christian communion
service. The Passover meal is considered
to be the meal celebrated with Jesus and his Apostles on Holy Thursday. Celebrating the Passover traditions and
coupling it with Christian rituals is an enriching experience for people in the
Christian tradition and connects us to our Jewish roots. Our children always enjoyed this special
evening and they learned in a hands-on way how our faith heritages are
connected.
In
2013 grandparents – on both sides – felt great that the girls remembered this so
fondly and wanted their children to experience it but we were concerned about
how it would work with a 2 and 3 year old.
We decided to proceed cautiously and be flexible. I wrote about our first Seder with our
grandsons in this 2013 post.
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We all listened attentively as Joan read the Passover book |
Now
the boys are older and at this year’s Seder, they were eager to
participate. We followed a similar
format as we had a few years ago. First
we gathered in the living room and Joan, the other Grandmother, read a Passover
book and both boys listened attentively and made comments. Before she even began to read, her grandson
asked if he could ask questions. They remembered searching for the afikomen and
where they found it. They both engaged with Joan as she read the Passover
book. It set the stage for what would
happen during the Seder.
Then
we went to the dining room table for our own Seder. We used a script and took turns reading. This
year our grandson is in first grade and he took his turn reading. I was really impressed with his ability to
read from the script when it was his turn.
There was no accommodation of something simple to read – it was just his
turn. He needed a little help reading
parsley but not much else. The boys had grape juice in stemmed glasses
and each sampled some of the Seder foods.
I
think they most enjoyed opening the front door for Elijah and finding the
afikomen. Two young boys always want to get up and move around and for it to be
something you are supposed to do – well now that’s a good deal. Yes – we had
two afikomen (Matzoh wrapped in a napkin) hidden in different places. My grandson was proud that he could also
participate in the reading.
After
the Seder service, we enjoyed a meal together – 2 families, 3 generations
celebrating and enjoying a religious and historically cultural experience
together. Joan and I are already talking
about updating some of the material as the boys are older and are ready for a
more advanced version next year.
I
encourage you to adapt your religious and spiritual rituals for the young
children in your families and to establish traditions. Our grown children love the traditions they
experienced as young children and now I appreciate the opportunity to celebrate
these traditions with our grandchildren.
Biblical References
Old Testament: Exodus 12:1-14
New Testament: John 13:1-17, 31b-35