Jonathan Safran Foer is best known for his novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and his thoughtful examination of carnivorism called Eating Animals. His latest offering is religious, even though he isn't particularly religious himself. He is a nominally observant Jew who has fond memories of the Passover or Pesach seder of his childhood. He has colloborated on an illustrated haggadah, the text for the seder, aptly called The New American Haggadah. There have been numerous adaptations and translations of the text over time and this one has beautiful images.
The seder meal with its questions about deliverance from slavery in Egypt may be the oldest continuously practiced ritual in human history. It has survived times of intense persecution of the Jews, including unfortunately by Christians, and will be observed again this year in places around the world. This year Jews will share in the seder on the day we celebrate Easter.
Of course Jesus and his followers were observing the seder when he chose to use the symbols of wine and unleavened bread to speak of his impending brokeness on the cross. Our Maundy Thursday service this week commemorates that meal.
Did you know the connection between the Seder and the Last Supper? Have you attended a seder? Does Foer's book intrigue you?
The seder meal with its questions about deliverance from slavery in Egypt may be the oldest continuously practiced ritual in human history. It has survived times of intense persecution of the Jews, including unfortunately by Christians, and will be observed again this year in places around the world. This year Jews will share in the seder on the day we celebrate Easter.
Of course Jesus and his followers were observing the seder when he chose to use the symbols of wine and unleavened bread to speak of his impending brokeness on the cross. Our Maundy Thursday service this week commemorates that meal.
Did you know the connection between the Seder and the Last Supper? Have you attended a seder? Does Foer's book intrigue you?
2 comments:
This is the first I've heard of it, to be honest.
I remember for years, as a child, and teen attending numerous sedars. I can remember the vast majority of the stories from the Pesach story by heart. I remember most of the prayers and the questions the children ask in hebrew.
It's a great story with a powerful message for the Jewish people.
Until my awakening, about 6 years ago, I actually didn't know that the Last Supper was a sedar. It certainly makes sense. It does strike me as odd, having grown up in a Jewish tradition, that regular bread is used at this time of year, instead of matzos.
It might be interesting to perform the communion with the 'bread' Jesus would have been eating at the time of the Last Supper.
Just a thought. :)
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