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Shabbat Challenge Lab

04/10/2015 01:00:02 PM

Apr10

Shabbat Challenge E-News

Thank you for joining the shabbat challenge

You are receiving this email because you were signed up, or a family member signed up, for the Shabbat Challenge.

Thank you for signing up to be part of our shabbat challenge lab!

Our first experiment is still a few days away but with Passover almost here we 

wanted to send you a couple of extra tidbits.

 

Immediately below, an article by Alma Schneider, Passover-Aggressive Or Just Clueless? Passover Faux-pas and How to Avoid Them This Year.

 

This is a great Passover Seder Etiquette primer in case you are unsure how to be a 

great guest. Or in case you just need a helpful orientation to pass on to your 

own guests. Her advice is great though I personally might err slightly more on the 

side of encouraging a little questioning and debate.  That said, I have noticed open 

rebellion at some Seders to my questions and comments so maybe I’m just the kind 

of dangerous know-it-all this primer was written for.

 

Also an article on Reconstructing Shabbat by Rabbi Daniel Brenner, Shabbat – A Reconstructionist Approach

 

This is a lovely account of Rabbi Brenner’s own struggles to find an authentic 

Shabbat practice. If you are familiar with some of the more traditional Shabbat 

customs you might enjoy his unique take and willingness to reconstruct. If you 

haven’t had much Shabbat practice in your life one important thing to notice is that 

even us rabbis are struggling, experimenting and trying to figure out a Shabbat 

practice that works for us.

 

Look out for your invitation to join our Shabbat Challenge Facebook page coming 

soon!

 

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Passover,

Rabbi Elliott

Passover etiquette
by alma schneider

Passover-Aggressive Or Just Clueless? Passover Faux-pas and How to Avoid Them This Year

By Alma Schneider


Passover is upon us! The one week holiday is the celebration of the Jewish peoples' liberation from slavery, initiated with two days of a special ritualistic meal called a Seder. The most
commonly known ritual is that bread or any leavened food product is forbidden since the Jews were on the run and did not have time to let the bread rise. Jewish people remember their haste to escape by eating a cracker like bread called Matzoh during the week of Passover.


Most Jews and non-Jews are familiar with the basics of Passover etiquette such as not bringing homemade bread as a hostess gift or talking during the Seder. What about the less obvious “mistakes” of the Seder itself and the remaining days of Passover?


There are numerous opportunities to unintentionally offend a friend or family member during this festive, yet complicated, holiday. Fortunately, however, most are remedied with, like
everything else in life, common sense and timely communication.

 

.................. click to read more
Thu, April 25 2024 17 Nisan 5784