Was Jesus’ Last Supper a Seder? Read Jonathan Klawans’s article “Was Jesus’ Last Supper a Seder?” As it originally appeared in Bible Review, October 2001. The article was first republished in Bible History Daily in October 2012. In 2016, Klawans wrote a follow-up article, “Jesus’ Last Supper Still Wasn’t a Passover Seder Meal.”
—Ed. Traditional Views of Jesus’ Last Supper as a Passover Meal With his disciples gathered around him, Jesus partakes of his Last Supper. Many people assume that Jesus’ Last Supper was a Seder, a ritual meal held in celebration of the Jewish holiday of Passover. Three out of four of the canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) agree that the Last Supper was held only after the Jewish holiday had begun. The Passover Seder and Sacrifice The Jewish holiday of Passover commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. A San Francisco seder. Exodus 12 commands the Israelites to repeat this practice every year, performing the sacrifice during the day and then consuming it after the sun has set.
Notes: a. B. C. 1. A Feast for the Senses…and the Soul. Dating to the third millennium BC.E, this limestone plaque, discovered at Nippur depicts a well-sated goddess (center) holding a cup in one hand and a fish in the other as she relaxes on her duck-shaped throne. Behind her a male figure leads a worshiper, who is taking a small horned animal to the goddess. Photo courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania Museum (NEG S8-21978). Few activities in life are as seemingly mundane yet vitally important as eating. Food is one of the bare necessities of life, and everyone—man or woman, young or old, king or servant—must eat.
Thus it is perhaps not so surprising that many of the Biblical stories are set within the context of a meal. In antiquity, even the gods had to eat. In the religious practice of ancient Babylon and Egypt, the gods depended on their worshipers to provide sustenance. Bible Review offered a feast of Biblical scholarship during its 20 years of publication. Not a BAS Library member yet? Notes 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. My MSN. Passover Recipes for Health. Andrew Scrivani for The New York TimesBraised Greek Artichoke Bottoms with Lemon and Olive Oil In this week’s Recipes for Health, Martha Rose Shulman takes us on a tour of the Mediterranean to discover a Sephardic Passover meal, with dishes from Turkey, Greece, North Africa and the Middle East. She writes: Throughout the Mediterranean, springtime is the season for spinach and other greens, artichokes and fava beans, and these vegetables make delicious appearances at Passover meals.
There’s much in the way of healthy produce to choose from, and olive oil is the only fat you’ll find. Here are five new dishes for a delicious vegetarian Passover. Moroccan Fava Bean and Vegetable Soup: The springtime bounty of the Mediterranean – greens, artichokes, fava beans – plays a starring role in these tradition-rich dishes. Bitter Herbs Salad: Endive, romaine and chicory are present on many Sephardic ritual platters, but here these pungent greens form the basis for a salad with a garlicky dressing.
5122_032910_plagues. Passover ''Bag of Plagues'' - Martha Stewart Holidays. The Passover seder tells the story of the Jewish people's enslavement by the Egyptians thousands of years ago. One of the most dramatic parts of the story is the reciting of the 10 plagues: blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts, cattle disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the slaying of the first born. For a creative way to teach children about the 10 plagues, Erica King assembles a "goodie bag" for them to play with while the adults perform the seder rituals.
Erica, whose daughter Charlotte works for the company, uses these trinkets and candies to represent each plague: Blood: Kosher for Passover dark-chocolate-covered cherriesFrogs: Plastic toy frogs or frog trinketsLice: Sparkling confettiWild beasts: Plastic lions and tigersCattle disease: Plastic cowsBoils: BubblesHail: Kosher for Passover Chiclets gumLocusts: Kosher for Passover plastic bugsDarkness: Plastic sunglassesSlaying of the first born: Halloween skeleton stickers or punches.
Frogs, Griffins, and Jews Without Hats: How My Children Illuminated the Haggadah > Jewish Review of Books. About a decade ago, just before Passover, I found myself in a Conservative synagogue in Riverdale, New York, discussing the way that the magnificent 14th-century illuminated Spanish "Golden Haggadah" illustrated the plague of frogs. I was pointing out the fact that the image—which shows Aaron striking a large frog and many other, smaller frogs emerging from it—depicted not only scripture, but also a midrash found in Tanchuma and mentioned by Rashi.
Since Exodus 8:2 uses the singular "the frog emerged" when describing the plague, this interpretive tradition suggested that only one frog initially came out of the Nile. The illustration thus demonstrates a point made by Bezalel Narkiss and his students at the Center for Jewish Art in Jerusalem. Whereas previous scholars tended to view medieval Jewish art as simply illustrating scripture, Narkiss and others showed that illuminated Jewish manuscripts illustrated not only the literal biblical text, but midrash as well. Results - Bird’s Head Haggadah Revealed – The Medieval Haggadah: Art, Narrative & Religious Imagination. Published: March 29th, 2012 Latest update: June 11th, 2013 Bird’s Head Haggadah Revealed The Medieval Haggadah: Art, Narrative & Religious Imagination By Marc Michael Epstein, Yale University Press, New Haven and London 2011 The Dura Europos synagogue murals (245 CE) evidenced the first great flowering of Jewish visual creativity, quickly followed by the creation of at least 17 synagogue mosaic floors in Palestine.
The next efflorescence of Jewish art was found in illuminated manuscript production in Spain and Germany over 600 years later. In The Medieval Haggadah: Art, Narrative & Religious Imagination (2011), Marc Michael Epstein explores four seminal medieval Haggadot as paradigms of the creative relationship between sacred text and the Jewish visual imagination. [caption id="attachment_45926" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Esav and Yakov, fol. 12r, (ca.1300) illuminated manuscript, Israel Museum Courtesy “The Medieval Haggadah” by Marc Michael Epstein. [/caption] Did the Exodus Really Happen? - Beliefnet. Why Were the Israelites Enslaved? - Bible Guy. Were the Israelites Enslaved in Egypt? Did the exodus really take place?
Did the Exodus Really Happen? David Wolpe, Beliefnet. Three years after his noted sermon, Wolpe says again that absence of any historical evidence of the exodus “does not ultimately change our connection to each other or to God.” To many, this will seem like an absurd question. The book of Exodus has a dozen chapters explaining that it did. Yet recent decades have found at least some biblical scholars casting doubts on the historicity of this story. But one aspect of the biblical account should give even the most skeptical mind a reason to reconsider—not the book of Exodus, but the book of Genesis. First, the political, essentially demographic reason—the ostensible immediate cause of the Israelites' enslavement, described briefly at the beginning of the book of Exodus: A new king arose over Egypt, who had not known Joseph.
Just like that, as potential enemies or potential emigrants, all of Jacob's descendants are enslaved. The Wicked Child. The importance of intention in our service to God Reprinted with permission of the Jewish Theological Seminary. I have always been puzzled by the questions of the four children at the seder. Often, we gloss over them to get to the famed Hillel sandwich, pausing only to recognize the pedagogic missteps in providing answers to the four inquisitors; however, this year I am particularly struck by the question of the wicked child who asks, What is this service to you? This seemingly brazen question smacks with spite and makes me think back to younger days in shul when I just did not have the perseverance to sit still through the rabbi's sermon, and I would lash out at my parents questioning the very relevance of the service. An Indictment But, I believe the question of the wicked child is even more of an indictment than the complaint of a restless child in shul.
The wicked child, then, is questioning the relevance of our current avodah. Action vs. This tension is manifest within our tradition. Answering the Four Children. What to make of the wise, wicked, simple, and silent children at the seder Four children came to seder. We Also Recommend One was wise, one was wicked, one was simple, and one was silent.
It was seder night at long last. The family gathered around the table, and Zayde (Grandpa, in Yiddish) began reading the Haggadah. Suddenly one child was heard to ask in an undertone: "What is going on here, anyway? " No, that can't be how it happened. It was seder night at long last. Hmmm. Which Child Was Which? Four children there were at seder, one wise, one wicked, one simple, and one who did not know how to ask a question. Four children there were at the seder, and we all take it for granted that one was wise and one was wicked, one was simple, and one did not know how to ask. Perhaps the Haggadah deliberately provides caricatures of four types of children to teach us something about the care we must take when we answer questions. Did you like this article?
Please consider making a donation today. Four Children, Many Questions. A brief history of the story of the four children K'neged arba banim dibra Torah--the Torah speaks of four children. We Also Recommend We might be forgiven for thinking that this section of the Haggadah is a quote from the Torah, and indeed, the familiar story of the four children asking questions about Pesach does include many quotations from the Torah. But the passage itself is an adaptation of texts found not in the Torah, but rather in the Mekhilta, a midrash from the time of the Tannaim (first and second centuries C.E.), and in the Jerusalem Talmud (Yerushalmi). Reversing the Answers Interestingly, the version in the Yerushalmi contains some significant differences from the version we find in our Haggadot.
From the Yerushalmi: "The Torah speaks of four children. We know that answer: It is the one given to the simple child in our Haggadah! Meanwhile, in the Yerushalmi: "The foolish child asks mah zot, what is all this? More Differences & Similarities Did you like this article? Miriam's Cup By Daphne Price Discuss on Our Blog For so many of us, the seder is a multi-generational event. As I look around my own table, I sit in awe that there are three generations of men and women, boys and girls who participate. For so many of us, the first night of Passover is all about filling the seder plate with symbolic foods, reading from the Hagaddah, drinking wine, eating matzah and partaking in a festive meal. For so many of us, Passover is also a time for honoring our children by showcasing their school projects, showing gratitude for all those who helped organize and prepare for this night, and of course, for remembering the traditions of past generations.
For so many of us, as we retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt, we will read with wonder about the many miracles that transpired. And for so many of us, we look to pay tribute to the girls and women, past and present, who make such importanrt contributions to our lives and to Judaism as a whole. Biblical Readings for Passover. The selections highlight different aspects of the holiday. Excerpted with permission from Every Person’s Guide to Purim (Jason Aronson, Inc). Following is a summary of the Torah readings and Haftarah readings for the days of Passover. First Day In the Torah reading (Exodus12:21-51), Moses instructs the elders of Israel in all of the laws of Passover. We Also Recommend All generations to come are to observe the Passover traditions.
The Torah reading concludes with the last of the ten plagues: the slaying of the Egyptian firstborn. The Haftarah is taken from the Book of Joshua (Joshua 5:2-6:1, 6:27) and describes the historic Passover that the Israelites observed at Gilgal after they had crossed the Jordan River. Second Day In the Torah reading (Leviticus 22:26-23:44), Moses instructs the Israelites in the observance of the Sabbath and festivals. The Intermediate Shabbat of Passover (Exodus 33:12-34:26) After Israel worshipped the golden calf, Moses shattered the first set of tablets. Fluffy, Soft Matzah Balls.
Mix the eggs well. Add the fat or oil, seltzer, herbs, spices, onion, and matzah meal. Mix thoroughly. Cover and chill for several hours, even overnight. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Dip your hands in cold water and make about 12 matzah balls. Drop them into the boiling water, cover, and simmer for about 30-40 minutes. Matzah Ball Hints * Use well oiled or wet hands to form the balls. . * Unless otherwise stated, cover the matzah balls as they simmer. . * Add some of your favorite herbs or spices to any of these recipes. Did you like this article? Please consider making a donation today.
Joni Schockett is a freelance food writer. Israel365-your-Hagaddah-%20e-book. Passover Coverage: Haggadahs, Recipes, and More. Paste Test - by Joan Nathan - Tablet Magazine. Perhaps more than any other food, charoset, the delicious fruit-and-nut paste eaten at the Passover seder, tells the story of the Diaspora, the wandering of the Jewish people. At my own seder this symbol of the mortar used by the Jews while enslaved in Egypt is one of the most popular dishes and certainly the most widely discussed. Each year I include at least five different versions, reflecting the countries in which Jews have lived as well as my own culinary wanderings. Our must-haves are date balls from Morocco, chestnut and pine-nut charosets from Venice, and, of course, the everyday apple-and-nut charosets of central and Eastern Europe, adapted with mango, pecans, and other newer ingredients in the United States.
Susan Weingarten, a senior researcher in Jewish history at Tel Aviv University, has charted charoset’s course over the centuries and collected more than 60 different recipes for it. According to Weingarten, charoset appears first in the Mishnah tractate of Pesachim. Kosher For Passover And All Year Round. Parashat Tzav The prohibition against leavened bread for most Temple grain offerings imbues the Temple with the spirit of freedom all year round. Provided by the Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel, a summer seminar in Israel that aims to create a multi-denominational cadre of young Jewish leaders. This week, we read Parashat Tzav, which deals with some of the specifics of the basic daily sacrifices, and the ritual that was practiced in order to sanctify Aharon and his sons as priests who serve in the Temple. We Also Recommend Parashat Tzav often occurs on the Shabbat before Passover, which is traditionally called Shabbat HaGadol--the great Shabbat, the Shabbat which precedes the exodus from Egypt and the birth of the free Jewish nation.
The Grain Offering One of the sacrifices discussed in the Parashah is the Mincha, or grain offering. Why does God demand that grain offerings not be allowed to leaven? There seem to be a number of messages here. Did you like this article? Biblical Readings for Passover. Seder's End One, Around the World - Jewish National & University Library. Blood Libels. "Next Year in Jerusalem" How to Conduct a Seder. The Meaning of the Seder (Part 1) The Meaning of the Seder (Part 2) The Meaning of the Seder (Part 3) The Four Questions. Ma Nishtanah: The Four Questions. Ten Plagues.
Elijah. Passover Songs.