This is a post for Passover, the Jewish holiday celebrating the Exodus from Egypt, which starts tonight. It's on a subject, though, that at first sight doesn't seem to have much to do with the festival. Snakes. Snakes, not as a zoological but as a psychological reality. Snakes, not for what … [Read more...]
Passover Seder – Of Dream Teams and Wicked Sons
When thy son shall ask thee in time to come, saying … —Exodus 13:14 The Bible envisions different questions, apparently posed by different sons, all to the same effect: why do we Jews do this, that, or the other thing? From the character of the question, one infers the character of the … [Read more...]
Passover Seder – How Different Is This Night …
It’s Passover time again. Which means it’s time, if you’re Jewish and observe the traditions, for that archaic, baffling, weirdly compelling ceremony called the Seder. For those who don’t know the terminology: the Seder is the ritual meal for Passover eve, performed the first evening of Passover … [Read more...]
