by Sandy Fitzgerald in Newsmax
Passover, which celebrates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, is one of the most important holidays in the Jewish faith even among those who only have a minimal attachment to the religion, Rabbi Yaakov Menken said on Newsmax on Wednesday.
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“The main reason it’s one of the most important holidays is that God told us to celebrate it every year, and to keep it with us,” Menken told Newsmax’s “Wake Up America” about the holiday, which starts at sundown Wednesday and continues through nightfall on April 13.
The first night of Passover is celebrated with a special dinner or a Seder, and Menken said that if one looks at how the Seder is conducted, it’s “designed very carefully to make sure that it’s a memory that carries with us through history.”
He added that it’s “unfortunate” that there are people who have drifted away from their faith, even though they do continue to observe Passover, as “we want people to be much more involved.”
“The Passover Seder is a great place to start, to understand that miracles transpired in the past, that we came out from another nation to be independent, and that we’re never slaves again no matter what people try to do,” said Menken. “It’s a great lesson in independence, in self-respect, in dignity, and realizing that God is looking out for us in more ways than we imagine.”
The Seder also helps children understand the importance of faith and involvement, said Menken. “We take the Seder plate, the special plate, off the table before the meal is underway,” he said. “Why do we do that? Just to get the little children involved in asking questions.”
There is also the ritual of children asking the four questions about the Seder observance, including about why certain foods are eaten, and that also allows for other discussions, said Menken.
“It’s the question itself that’s the lesson to the kids that they should feel involved and feel participatory,” he said.
However, there is a concern that continues about people moving away from religion, said Menken, adding the reason for that is that people “think they’ve moved on to better ideas and other things that are more important.”
“I think one of the biggest things that we’re seeing is today, to go back to that Passover story, is and the story that brought it about is people have forgotten, the same way Pharoah forgot Joseph and forgot the guy who saved the country,” said Menken. “People are forgetting what made this country great in the first place, and it was devout individuals looking into the Bible and letting the Bible guide them into creating a better society.”
Originally published in Newsmax