Essential Questions:
- What are the three most important items on the Seder Plate? Why?
- What is the importance of symbolism in ritual?
- How do we incorporate tragedy in a healthy way into our lives?
Learning Outcomes:
- Learners will be able to articulate the symbolism of Pesach, Matzah, and Maror
- Learners will be able to articulate why we need to "act out" the Seder and the importance of symbols.
- Learners will reflect on how they can incorporate these lessons into their own lives.
Part 1: Identifying the different parts and reflect on their possible meanings
- Ask the students to list what they think are the most important items on the Seder table.
- Rank the items based upon what appears the most. (If you are virtual you can ask them to post in the chat and then create a wordle: http://www.wordle.net/create)
- Ask the students what they notice and to justify the most popular items on the list.
Part 2: The text of Rabban Gamliel
- Ask the students to read the first source together.
- Ask the students to identify the three items Rabban Gamliel.
- Ask the students to theorize what those specific items symbolize.
Part 3: The text of Mishnah Pesachim
- Break up into pairs. For each section have one reader and one note taker.
- Person #1: Read the Mishnah Pesachim below out loud while person #2 listens and takes notesThen, person #2 reads, and person #1 listens and takes notes. Switch at the next section.
- Pay attention to the different reasons offered for the ritual and symbolism of Pesach, Matzah, Maror
- Teacher: You can have them read all three sections and then return for a class discussion or bring them back after each section for a check-in.
Part 4: The commentary of Ephod Bad
- Ask the students: Now that we have identified the three most important items on the Seder Plate, in what order would you have listed them? Justify your choice.
- Framing question: If you were to list them chronologically it should be Maror (slavery), Pesach (Plague of the Firstborn), and then Matzah (Exodus). Why did Rabban Gamilel pick the order he did?
- Break them back up into groups to read the text and answer the reflection questions.
- Have them share back their responses.
- Ask the students: What are examples of Pesach rituals that your family does to reenact the story of Pesach and bring meaning to the Seder?
- Ask the students: What are other examples of symbolism on the Seder table?
Part 5: Personal Reflections
- Ask the students: The commentary spoke about how it is important to start with the joy and salvation before we speak about suffering. Do you agree or disagree with that approach? What are the benefits and drawbacks of each side?
- What is an example of a personal story where the positive ending changed how you understand the pain you experienced?
רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הָיָה אוֹמֵר: כָּל שֶׁלֹּא אָמַר שְׁלשָׁה דְּבָרִים אֵלּוּ בַּפֶּסַח, לא יָצָא יְדֵי חוֹבָתוֹ, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: פֶּסַח, מַצָּה, וּמָרוֹר.
Rabban Gamliel was accustomed to say, Anyone who has not said these three things on Pesach has not fulfilled his obligation, and these are them: the Pesach sacrifice, matsa and marror.
רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל הָיָה אוֹמֵר, כָּל שֶׁלֹּא אָמַר שְׁלֹשָׁה דְבָרִים אֵלּוּ בְּפֶסַח, לֹא יָצָא יְדֵי חוֹבָתוֹ, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, פֶּסַח, מַצָּה, וּמָרוֹר. פֶּסַח, עַל שׁוּם שֶׁפָּסַח הַמָּקוֹם עַל בָּתֵּי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְמִצְרַיִם. מַצָּה, עַל שׁוּם שֶׁנִּגְאֲלוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְמִצְרַיִם. מָרוֹר, עַל שׁוּם שֶׁמֵּרְרוּ הַמִּצְרִים אֶת חַיֵּי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְמִצְרָיִם. בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יג), וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר, בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה ה' לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרָיִם. לְפִיכָךְ אֲנַחְנוּ חַיָּבִין לְהוֹדוֹת, לְהַלֵּל, לְשַׁבֵּחַ, לְפָאֵר, לְרוֹמֵם, לְהַדֵּר, לְבָרֵךְ, לְעַלֵּה, וּלְקַלֵּס, לְמִי שֶׁעָשָׂה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ אֶת כָּל הַנִּסִּים הָאֵלּוּ, הוֹצִיאָנוּ מֵעַבְדוּת לְחֵרוּת, מִיָּגוֹן לְשִׂמְחָה, וּמֵאֵבֶל לְיוֹם טוֹב, וּמֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹר גָּדוֹל, וּמִשִּׁעְבּוּד לִגְאֻלָּה. וְנֹאמַר לְפָנָיו, הַלְלוּיָהּ:
Rabban Gamaliel used to say: whoever does not make mention of these three things on Pesah does not fulfill his duty. And these are they: the pesah, matzah, and bitter herbs. The pesah because the Omnipresent passed over the houses of our fathers in Egypt. The matzah because our fathers were redeemed from Egypt. The bitter herb because the Egyptians embittered the lives of our fathers in Egypt. In every generation a man is obligated to regard himself as though he personally had gone forth from Egypt, because it is said, “And you shall tell your son on that day, saying: ‘It is because of that which the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:8). Therefore it is our duty to thank, praise, laud, glorify, raise up, beautify, bless, extol, and adore Him who made all these miracles for our fathers and ourselves; He brought us forth from slavery into freedom, from sorrow into joy, from mourning into festivity, from darkness into great light, and from servitude into redemption. Let us say before him, Hallelujah!
- According to Rabban Gamliel, what is the symbolism for each of the items?
- What does Rabban Gamiliel think is the narrative of Pesach?
- Where can you find in the source a hint to the custom of pointing at or lifting up the items as we say them?
One way of telling the story is through symbols. We speak about matzah and maror at the Seder. Yet why do they appear in this particular order? If matzah symbolizes freedom and maror slavery, shouldn't maror be mentioned first and the matzah afterwards? The answer can be found in a verse in Ecclesiastes: “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other, to the end that man should find nothing but Him.” If we remembered the sad and tragic days first before the happy day of rejoicing, they would cast a dark pall over the happy days. Therefore, we mention the Matzah first, a reminder of the God's kindness and love, before we mention maror, the painfulness of slavery and oppression. The story of the Exodus should be a story about triumph and rejoicing and not just a story about oppression......The transformation did not just take place at that time and in that place, but in every generation. It is not enough, then, just to perform these acts; one must explain their connection to the Divine.
- What is the core question of the text?
- How does putting Matzah before Marror change the fundamental story of Pesach?
- Why can't we just eat the food? Why do we need to explain the story and the symbolism?
- How does telling the story change the way we eat the various items?
- When else has this transformation of triumph and rejoicing over oppression happened in Jewish History?
Credit: Yoninah, Seder Plate, CC BY-SA 3.0