Christians and Jews connect at Seders

This year, some Catholics are incorporating a Seder meal into their Holy Week observances -- and Rabbi Paul Silton of Temple Israel in Albany couldn't be happier.

During Passover (Pesach), Jews gather to participate in the Seder, a symbolic meal that celebrates the Exodus of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. The meal includes traditions from 3,000 years ago as well as innovations that reflect the Holocaust and the history of individual families.

Because the last days of Jesus' life occurred in Jerusalem during Passover, some theologians believe that His Last Supper might have been a Seder meal.

Changes over time

But the meal Jesus experienced wasn't exactly the one in which modern Jewish families will partake, said Rabbi Silton. The order of the modern Seder was set around the year 200.

Rabbi Silton speculates that Jesus' Seder would have followed the Torah's description. Jesus "definitely experienced Passover with the lamb, and ate bitter herbs and unleavened bread," the rabbi said. "Exactly what he did, we can't know."

The Seder would have been a "powerful" symbol for Jews living under Roman rule, Rabbi Silton explained, and they looked at the story of the Exodus as "giving them hope in a time of persecution."

Interpretation

According to the rabbi, Christians sometimes cite the egg on the Seder plate as representative of spring and the life cycle. "It's nice, but that's not what this is about," he said.

According to Rabbi Silton, while the Temple stood, Jews were required to make three pilgrimages to Jerusalem during the year. During Passover, Jews sacrificed at the Temple; that sacrifice is represented by the egg.

"We mourn the destruction of the Temple," he explained. "The egg is a symbol of mourning. We mourn the fact that we can't go to the Temple."

Likewise, Christians must be careful not to interpret Jewish symbols in a Christological fashion, he cautioned, even though some Christian symbols -- breaking of bread, drinking of wine and the singing of psalms -- have Jewish roots and analogues in the Seder.

'Mutual respect'

At Sacred Heart/St. Columba, Rev. Michael Hogan, pastor, will lead a Seder meal that he hopes will increase "mutual respect" between the two faiths and give parishioners "a more concrete experience of what the Passover meal is like."

According to Barbara Bennett of St. Joseph/St. John's in Rensselaer, the Seder meal will be "as close as we can get" to the original meal.

Members of Assumption/St. Paul in Mechanicville are envisioning a looser service in which the tradition and symbols are explained, and a Seder table set up for view.

Connections

Marge Milanese, faith formation director at St. Clare's parish in Colonie, is looking forward to hosting the parish's 14th Seder meal. She began the tradition "to help our people understand how it was that Jesus, a faithful Jew, gathered with His friends and celebrated the passage from slavery to freedom."

Seeing Christians learn about the Seder for the first time is "inspiring" for Rabbi Silton.

"Many Jewish people take their tradition for granted," he said. "For Christians, it's a new experience. People always want to know more, are excited to learn and are very respectful."

(4/10/03) [[In-content Ad]]