Turn and face the stranger

[sovay]

For reasons that are not particularly interesting, my family did not hold a Seder tonight. Instead, my mother and I offered what she calls libations—a glass of wine poured out beside the front steps and matzah crumbled after it, while she speaks quietly into the night, Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are homeless find a home. Let all who are enslaved be free. As far back as I can remember, this is our ha lachma anya. It is the most important part of the ritual. Past the four questions, the ten plagues, the ransoming of the afikomen: asking the stranger in. I suppose it is something like our observance of Hanukkah, small flames against the dark. It is not a Haggadah, a telling, but it is the story we hold on to. Next year in Jerusalem, but open the door now. Chag sameach, all.

Comments

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

What a lovely essential little ritual. That's the heart of it.

Peace.

Nine

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are homeless find a home. Let all who are enslaved be free.

I love, love, love this. I would like to do this too. I would like to do this, and I'd like to be enbravened and enheartened to actually carry through on it. What a beautiful ritual.

What does chag sameach mean?

[kerrickadrian.livejournal.com]

Chag Pesach Sameach!

[timesygn.livejournal.com]

That's lovely.

It's easy to forget the wanderer when we ourselves have ceased to be one, but it's important to remember.

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

Sounds appropriately wonderful.

[sovay]

What does chag sameach mean?

Just "happy holiday." I believe a chag is a festival rather than a fast or some other day set aside from the year. So for this holiday, Chag Pesach Sameach.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

Sounds lovely.

Chag sameach, all.

And to you and yours, also.

[strange-selkie.livejournal.com]

Have a wonderful holiday. Thinking of you from far away.

[sovay]

Have a wonderful holiday. Thinking of you from far away.

Yes. Der Purimshpiler particularly made me miss you. I hope your holiday is wonderful likewise!

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

And now I just re-realized the connection between Pesach and Passover and Pascal. Oh, if only this lightbulb of recognition would survive until next year.

But, on the other hand, I don't mind rediscovering and relearning from year to year.

[clarionj.livejournal.com]

This is beautiful. What a lovely ritual.

Have a wonderful holiday. We need those small flames against the dark.

[sovay]

Chag Pesach Sameach!

Thank you!

[gaudior.livejournal.com]

That is really cool and worth doing. We think sometimes about editing our family Hagaddah, so we say what we actually mean. And that feels to me like a really essential bit.

[sovay]

We think sometimes about editing our family Hagaddah, so we say what we actually mean. And that feels to me like a really essential bit.

You may borrow! You may borrow even if I don't say so! It's ritual: you take from it what you need. What matters to you is the important part.