Thanks Trish!  I don't know where you get time for all this!!  Hope you are
feeling better--Hello to Amber--joy
----------
>From: Trisha Cummings <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Happy Passover! - from Trisha and Amber
>Date: Fri, Apr 21, 2000, 12:54 PM
>

>Greetings To All,
>
>     This card is rather late - terribly sorry - They changed the e-mail
>server late last Friday and I was unable to receive or send e-mail until
>late Tuesday( Which I didn't know on Monday). I was out sick Wednesday and
>Thursday - so I am just now resending the bounced messages. Alas this
>bounced - but better late than never. History of the Holiday follows.
>
>                                 Brightest Blessings
>                                        Trisha and Amber
>
>
>> You have just received an animated greeting card from Trisha and Amber
>> You'll see the personal greeting by using the following Web location.
>>
>> http://www2.bluemountain.com/cards/box7754b/jjt6uaddrftbwu.htm
>>
>>
>>
>Passover: History and Meaning of Freedom in Faith
>Passover celebrates the Jewish people's freedom from Egyptian bondage that
>took place over 3,000 years ago, as told in the biblical Book of Exodus.
>Under the reign of Pharaoh Rameses II, the Jewish leader Moses led his
>people out of Egypt after a series of 10 plagues that Moses warned the
>Pharaoh would devastate his people, if he refused to let them go. After each
>plague, the Pharaoh agreed to let the Hebrews go, but the Pharaoh soon
>changed his mind and continued to hold the Hebrews as slaves. Finally, after
>the 10th plague, the Pharoah let the Hebrews go for good. However, after the
>Hebrews left in a hurry, in fact so quickly that they did not have time to
>bake any bread for the trip to Canaan, and instead baked unleavened bread,
>called Matzah. The Pharaoh, being very fickle, changed his mind and sent his
>army into the Sinai desert after the Hebrews. The Hebrews had been wandering
>for 40 days and 40 nights down the Sinai peninsula until they reached the
>Red Sea. When they saw the Egyptian army fast approaching toward them, they
>called out in despair to Moses. Fortunately, g-d intervened and commanded
>Moses to strike his staff on the waters of the Red Sea creating a rift of
>land between the waves, enabling the Jews to cross over the Red Sea to
>safety on the other side. G-d then commanded Moses to strike the waters of
>the Red Sea again, just as the Egyptian army followed them through the
>parted Red Sea. The waters came together again, drowning the entire Egyptian
>army and the Hebrews were saved.
>
>While the Hebrews were in Egypt as slaves, building cities at the hands of
>cruel taskmasters, the Pharaoh noticed that their population was becoming
>too numerous for his comfort. He then decreed that the first born male of
>every Hebrew family be put to death, in order to reduce this population
>threat. G-d then instructed Moses to tell the Hebrews to spread the blood of
>a lamb on the doorposts of each Hebrew home, so that the Angel of Death
>would 'pass over' the Hebrew homes, and instead slay the first-born male of
>every Egyptian family. The Hebrews were saved from this tragedy, but
>nonetheless were ordered by g-d to remember to say prayers for the slain
>Egyptian sons and later on, the drowned Egyptian army.
>
>Since the time of Jewish freedom from Egyptian slavery, Jews have celebrated
>this historical event by having a feast called the 'Seder'. The word 'Seder'
>means 'order' and refers to the order of historical events recalled in the
>Passover meal as well as the meal itself. The story of Passover is read from
>a book called the 'Haggadah'. While the main story of Passover is read by
>Jews the world over, local customs and traditions have changed over time, so
>that the festival has been adapted to reflect the life and routine of
>individual communities. This is why the festival of Passover is celebrated
>differently in Tunisia than in Canada.
>Passover is celebrated for 8 days (7 for Reform Jews), and always begins on
>the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan.
>
>There are 7 main symbolic foods on the Seder table that remind the Jewish
>people of their time of slavery in Egypt. This Seder plate shown below
>displays in Hebrew the names of each of the foods.
>
>The 7 symbolic foods of Passover are:
>1. Matzah: Unleavened bread similar to a cracker and symbolizes the Hebrews'
>slavery in Egypt. When the Hebrews were hastily preparing to leave Egypt,
>they had no time to bake leavened bread and instead baked the unleavened
>bread known as matzah. According to tradition, the original matzah was baked
>in 18 minutes.
>
>2. Haroseth: A mixture of crushed nuts, apples, cinnamon, and honey, which
>symbolizes the mortar the Hebrew slaves in Egypt used in constructing
>buildings for the Pharaoh.
>3. Egg: A hard-boiled egg is used to symbolize life and rebirth.
>4. Salt Water: The egg is dipped in salt water which symbolizes both the
>tears of oppression as well as of joy in freedom.
>5. Maror: This is very bitter horse-radish that symbolizes the hardships of
>slavery. It is very strong. I mean it. It makes my face red, my eyes tear
>and clears my sinuses!!!
>6. Karpas: This is a mixture of boiled potatoes or radishes, and parsley
>which is dipped in salt water and symbolizes the undernourishment of the
>Hebrew slaves, as well as the new Spring season.
>7. Z'roah: This piece of meat, sometimes represented as a shankbone,
>symbolizes the Paschal lamb and refers to g-d's rescuing of the Hebrews from
>Egyptian slavery.
>
>The Passover seder not only symbolizes a Feast of Freedom from slavery, it
>also represents a reminder of gratitude for maintaining faith in one's
>beliefs. The leader of the seder sits at the head of the table, and then
>washes his/her hands to symbolize a new beginning or 'passing over' from
>slavery to freedom. The traditional Kiddush is recited by the leader of the
>seder, and involves the blessing over wine to g-d for having been taught the
>lesson of Passover, and its meaning of faith in one's beliefs. The matzah is
>broken into two pieces, not of the same size, and this splitting represents
>the parting of the Red Sea. The larger portion is called the Afikomen and is
>placed under a napkin and the smaller portion is put between the other
>matzot. This is followed by an announcement from the seder leader to people
>at the seder table to join around, and have a piece of the Matzah, also
>known as 'the bread of affliction'.
>
>The Four Questions
>Traditionally given to the youngest person at the seder table(usually the
>youngest child) to read aloud, the Four Questions are a short but complete
>overview of the story of Passover told in the Haggadah, or book of Passover,
>which is given to each person at the table. It illustrates the uniqueness of
>the Passover holiday, as compared to other times of the year.
>
>The Four Children
>The Four Children represent different methods of reading the Passover story
>to people with different types of personal attributes. One child is wise,
>another is slow, still another is wicked, and the final one is silent. The
>reciting of the story of Passover to match the different abilities of
>various people, is also a reflection of the flexibility inherent in freedom,
>as opposed to the rigidity of slavery.
>
>Passover in Songs
>There are many happy songs that are sung in joyous reminder of having been
>released from bondage. The most famous song is the melody 'Dayeynu', which
>records the many ways that g-d sided with the Hebrews. At the end of each
>mention of g-d's favours, the word 'Dayeynu' is sung, meaning 'it was
>enough'.
>The people at the Passover table then eat the symbolic foods, including two
>pieces of matzah surrounding the Maror mixture, called 'Hillel's Sandwich'.
>After these rituals are finished, the complete dinner is then served. People
>at the table now eat while realizing that just as they were hungry waiting
>for the meal to begin, they could imagine in just a small way, what it was
>like for the Hebrews to experience the hardship of slavery and hunger. After
>the meal, the Afikomen is eaten, although there is a tradition in some
>households that the Afikomen is hidden prior to the start of the meal, and
>that the children look for it once the meal is finished. The child who finds
>it gets a chocolate coin or other prize.
>
>The Prophet Elijah and Passover
>The closing of the Passover seder is highlighted by the 'Redemption Theme',
>as well as a reminder that the joyous festival of Passover is to be shared
>with the less fortunate. The Prophet Elijah, symbol of the humble wayfarer,
>is invited to enter the home through the symbolic opening of a door to the
>house. The Cup of Elijah, filled with wine, and represented in the left
>border of this web page, is confirmation of the hope of Elijah's arrival
>into the house. After opening the door for Elijah followed by a small period
>of time waiting for him, the Passover seder service is finalized by the
>selection of Psalms, or Songs of Praise, known as the 'Hallel'. The Passover
>dinner is ended with a drink of wine. All foods and drinks served at the
>Passover meal carry a significant symbolic meaning and weight on the guests'
>mind and the recital of the Passover story and its rituals serve to remind
>the person of his/her importance, enabling the person to be aware of
>gratitude and, just as important, widen an individual's perspective of
>himself/herself in relation to his/her fellow human beings. Passover carries
>a sense of humbleness to the self, placing one's frame of mind in a more
>balanced proportion relative to one's immediate surroundings and to the
>universe as a whole. Self-centeredness can magnify one's view of the world
>to the point where one can only see oneself more than one can see one's
>environment. The Feast (and Feat) of Freedom, called Passover, is a shining
>example of a meaningful story showing g-d's intent to convey a psychological
>balance between the Hebrews' self-concerns and the concerns of their
>enemies, the Egyptians, as g-d reminds the Hebrews to pray for the fallen
>Egyptian army and the slain first-borns of the Egyptian families by
>declaring to the Hebrews that 'the Egyptians are my creation as well'. Thus,
>Passover's concept of personal and collective freedom is not only a cause
>for celebration, but a strong lesson in the value of proportion and balance
>in how a person should conduct oneself or a group should conduct itself in
>relation to other human beings. Shalom!
>A toast to all, in Hebrew:
>L'Chayim! (To life!)L'Chayim! (To life!)
>