Passing over the pain of potatoes

Today in Zac's the women's group, Rubies, shared a Passover meal. We used an abbreviated version of the traditional seder (meal) with a Christian slant. Until I investigated it for today I never realised that so much of the symbolism and the traditions are relevant for us as Christians. 

The table laid for the seder or meal. Seder means order as a specific order is used for the story-telling and symbolic actions.

The seder plate: a lamb bone to represent the sacrificed lamb; an egg, the symbol of mourning and because it has no beginning and no end it's also a symbol of hope; parsley and  romaine lettuce representing life; horseradish for the bitterness and pain of slavery in any form; charoset, a mixture of nuts and dates, giving hope of a sweeter future.

More than Rubies.

For the meal itself we had brisket of beef in red wine and potato kugel, again both made using traditional Jewish recipes. 

A large dish of kugel involves peeling and grating 5lbs potatoes so it wasn't a good time for my food processor, on its first use as a grater, to break. Grating 4 and 3/4 lbs potatoes by hand is no fun, let me tell you!

But a good time was had by all I think. I certainly enjoyed the learning and the way of the meal. And, even though I say it myself, the table when set looked a picture - and most un-Zac's like!

Next year in New Jerusalem!