View all newsletters
Sign up to our newsletters

Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. Politics
25 April 2008

Generations of Seders

Rabbi Mordechai Wollenberg concludes our series of articles on Passover with a reflection on the Jew

By Mordechai Wollenberg

We are presently in the midst of the Jewish festival of Passover. Each year we commemorate the historical events of the Exodus from Egypt and the subsequent birth of the Jewish nation. The highpoint is the Seder meal, where we sit down with family and friends and recite the traditional centuries-old Haggadah text which takes us on a whirlwind journey of the senses through Jewish history.

My oldest son is now 4 years of age and this year he was able to participate in the Seder with some comprehension of what was taking place. Like many of my Chabad colleagues, we hosted many guests from around the world. As my children joined in with gusto, I felt a pride and satisfaction in knowing that I was carrying on a long chain of generations of Jewish fathers and their children.

At the end of our Seder, we sung a traditional melody which my own Grandfather taught me. As I taught the haunting tune to my own children, it brought back fond memories of my own grandfather, singing this tune at our Seder when I was a child. It brought a feeling of sadness that Grandpa is no longer with us at our Seder, combined with pride that my children will continue these traditions.

I recently read a story about a gentleman who used to sponsor an advert on the front page of the New York Times, informing the Jewish community of the correct time for lighting the weekly Sabbath candles. It cost quite a bit to keep up and around 1999 he was unable to continue the financial commitment.

To commemorate the year 2000 the Times published a spoof ‘2100 edition’. Amongst the other articles on the front page was a box with the candle lighting times for New York City.

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

The former sponsor called up the editor – a staunch Catholic – in surprise. “I haven’t sponsored this for over 2 years, yet you put in the times for 2100!”

The reply he received sums up everything that Judaism stands for:
”Whatever else is happening in 2100, you can be sure that Jewish women will still be lighting their Sabbath candles.”

When we sit down to a Seder meal, or any Jewish ritual, we know that Jewish communities all over the globe are doing exactly the same, that they have done so for thousands of years, and will continue to do so for many more. The sense of being part of something much bigger, spanning both time and space, is both awe-inspiring and humbling.

My father told me that many years ago he was in an Oxford bookshop and he noticed some Passover Haggadas on sale. The assistant helpfully informed him that it was “last year’s edition”.

For us, the Haggadah never goes out of date. Its; message is timeless, of the freedom to follow our faith, and of the beautiful traditions and practices which have sustained us for many generations, and the vital importance of passing on that heritage, intact, to the future ones.

Content from our partners
The promise of prevention
How Labour hopes to make the UK a leader in green energy
Is now the time to rethink health and care for older people? With Age UK

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU