Aren’t we lucky? The first night of Passover is Monday, March 28. “Lucky?” you ask. “What do you mean by that?”
Well, there’s the time aspect. By the time you are made aware of this month’s bulletin, you should have 28 days in which to think of at least one new thing to add to your seder.
One new thing could be a new haggadah. Instead of just reading from the Maxwell House haggadah (you know, the one that came free from the supermarket) why not take the time to look for a new haggadah? There are a staggering number of haggadot and while they all follow the basic story, the way the story is presented can range from cartoonish to serious, from artsy to wordy, and with many different thematic approaches. There are haggadot which are interactive, there are dramatizations, there are musical haggadot. Seek and you shall find!! Try something new!!
Make or buy a new piece of Judaica to enhance your table. Visit our gift shop OR, better yet, create your own. Invite your child to join you at a clay café and create a new Elijah’s or Miriam’s cup. Buy a new seder plate or find out how to do glass painting and create your own design.
If you are into science, buy some tadpoles and watch them grow to be frogs in time to entertain your guests during the seder. I’m not certain you have enough time to grow your own parsley from seeds but check your local market where you will find parsley plantings. (Many of our students brought home seeds from our Tu B’Shevat observance – for next year that’s about the right time to plant the parsley seeds indoors to “grow your own” in time for Passover – kind of neat how that works out!)
Try a new recipe. There are special foods which bring back memories and I would never dream of saying to exclude them – my family (and a few friends) would be up in arms if I didn’t make my Passover mandel every year – but I always look for something new to add to the repertoire. It’s good to try new things.
Go online – what a world we have out there! Engage your family in researching and deciding on new things to make your seder inclusive and interesting. For the youngest, provide some Passover coloring sheets to keep them occupied, those who can read can be asked to interpret a part of the Passover story.
Then, share your ideas with others! I’d love to hear about your seders! In fact, I love to put together some of your favorite Passover recipes. Recipes you wouldn’t even think about making any other time of year. Email your favorite recipes to me and we’ll make them available on line.
Wishing you a creative, enjoyable Passover!
Catherine Rosing
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