A Taste of Passover from Baghdad to the Balkans

No matter where we live, Passover has a vast impact on who we are as Jews. Even if we know little else about Judaism, we know something about Pesah (the Hebrew word for Passover).
 
For many of us, Pesah probably means horseradish and gefilte fish, day-dayenu and mah nishtanah halayla hazeh. Sephardi communities worldwide have many different customs that enrich the festive meal, the seder. I grew up with many engaging Passover rituals that I still do today with my family. I also learned about the traditions of the Bene Israel and Cochin Jews as I researched and traveled the Jewish communities of India.

One of the most meaningful customs in Sephardi homes is the following: We
tie the afikoman in a large cloth or scarf, knotted on four ends to create a makeshift knapsack. The afikoman is the piece of matza that is sometimes hidden and is the last thing we eat at the seder. We give the "knapsack" to the youngest child, who slings it over his or her shoulder. The child recites a verse from Exodus:

Misharotam tzerurot b’simlotam al shikhmam.

Their kneading troughs were bound on their clothes on their shoulders.

Later, before Mah nishtnah, the Four Questions, the leader asks the child three questions:
Where have you come from? [Egypt].
Where are you going? [To Jerusalem]
What are your provisions? The child points to the matza in the knapsack.

In a modern take on this ritual, you could also ask kids–adults, too--to fill a knapsack in advance of the seder with things they would need if they were leaving Egypt. They might put their toothbrushes in, or leave it empty of everything except faith.
 
The Bene Israel Jews of Bombay have a special seder plate, with handles on two sides.
When they chant Ha Lacha Ma Anya {This is the Bread of Affliction], they lift the seder plate a little and say, "Bivhilu yatzanu mimitsrayim," in haste we left Egypt. When they reach the end of the paragraph, at the words "bene horin" (we are free people), they put the plate down, and then start again, repeating the ritual twice more for a total of three times. Everyone around the seder plate tries to touch it. If there are many people present, those who can’t touch the plate try to touch the shoulders of the person who’s touching it. The physical contact with the seder plate—even vicariously--contains so much energy!

Preparing for Passover is a challenge for us wherever we live. For the Jews of Cochin, Matza Day was a drama like no other. Women and young people gathered in courtyard of one of homes. They prepared the dough and built a coconut husk fire which heated flat iron griddles. Water was drawn from special purified well to mix with flour. The dough was rolled out using hollow brass cylinders filled with metal beads so they produced a bell-like sound. In temperatures of 100 degrees, matza baked on hot griddles accompanied by sound of shofar and chanting of Pesah songs and sections of haggadah.

Join me on April 17 to explore these and other Passover customs: A Taste of Passover from Baghdad to the Balkans. Through music, food customs, rituals, and stories, we’ll travel across the planet to glimpse the traditions of different Jewish communities, from matza-making to the Ten Plagues. We’ll learn how to personalize and re-enact the experience of leaving Egypt, share global interpretations of the classic dish of haroset; share contemporary ideas for children and families, and more. I hope you’ll be inspired to bring new ideas to your own seder table!

April 17 at 1 pm ET
A Taste of Passover from Baghdad to the Balkans
Melton International, virtual program.
Free.
Register here