Deacon Tim Michaelree’s sophomore Scriptures class held a Seder Meal as part of their coursework in preparation for Holy Week. The Seder, or the Passover meal, is a ritual involving a retelling of the story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt, taken from the Book of Exodus in the Torah. The Seder itself is based on the Biblical verse commanding Jews to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt: "You shall tell your child on that day, saying, 'It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.'" (Exodus 13:8)
The word “seder” translates from Hebrew to English as “order.” This also expresses the conduct of the meal, all the dishes, the blessings, the prayers, the stories, and the songs, written in the Haggadah, a book that determines the order of Passover and tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt. All the mitzvot (religious commandments or rites) in the "order" are done in a fixed order with intentionality and tradition incorporated into each step of the meal.
Sophomores led participants through the order of the meal, which included telling and discussing the story of the Exodus, drinking four cups of wine (or grape juice in our case!), eating matzah, partaking of symbolic foods, singing traditional songs, and reclining in celebration of freedom.
This was the second year that Ursuline students, parents, and coworkers had the opportunity to take part in this tradition while learning about the historical and cultural contexts in which the Bible is written.