This past Wednesday was the first night of Passover, therefore the first Seder. On the 2nd night- the 2nd seder. For the 1st I attended Beit Warszawa a progressive Jewish Community Center, and for the 2nd, I attended a PUSZ (Polish Union of Jewish Students). Both were interesting and enjoyable in their own ways.
So, that filled up Wed, and Thursday night. Friday night was normal Sabbat and I attended Beit because a Rabbi from the states was talking which seemed interesting. During dinner I met a couple (Rabbis) that are traveling around Europe in a Van that will talk on Saturday, so I decided to go to Beit again on Saturday.
After all that, and I have to remind you we are in Poland here. Most everyone is getting their baskets blessed for Easter, so Saturday night I put a basket together with all the pieces that are pretty much the same as on a seder plate to get blessed. Got to Church and missed to boat on that, but something else was going on....
I remember the secretary at the UU church I worked at telling me about how special Holy Saturday is. How the whole church is dark and then slowly it becomes brighter and brighter.
That is what happened in this church around the corner from my home. We sat in the darkness, the quiet darkness that you would never find with that many Jews in one place :), and waited.
A bonfire was built outside and eventualy church clergy folk went outside in a procession, collected the fire on their little candle sticks and processed into the church. As they came in the flame was passed on, and one to everyone who brought in there own candle stick. We didn't have a candle, but a basket in hand, so just enjoy the spiritual surrounding as the light and warmth filled the church.
After a while, since we were at the back, we snuck out the back door and went home. I mean I had things to do. Like make Matzo Ball Soup for Easter.
Yup that is correct. I attend a bunch of Seders, went to "Temple" on Fri, Sat and then to church on Saturday night. On Sunday, I didn't attend church, but attended a family lunch/dinner, Easter Dinner should I say.
Oh, I'm going on and on.
It's just been really interesting growing up Unitarian Universalist with Jews on one side of my family and Catholics on the other. I think about how it in some way is beautiful, how in other ways it is challenging to go from one holiday to the next, how it is important to me to up hold the beliefs I have . And if that be making Matzo Ball soup because it rocks, and I know it from when I was a child to cooking it late at night on Saturday because the day was filled with prayer, song, rabbi lectures, church candles and more, let it be.
Let it be what it is.
And let everyone enjoy the conversation , the soup, the songs, light and most of all the new growth, new life of spring time.
What special ways to you honor spring time struggles, festival, family, faith?
