May 2007 Bulletin Message
For Your Consideration - Rabbi Mark Dov Shapiro
I’m writing these words as Passover comes to a close. When the sun sets on Passover’s seventh day, some congregants will very happily reintroduce themselves to bread, pizza, and pasta. Others will carry on business pretty much as usual because, aside from a piece of matza at the seder, their diet hasn’t changed during Passover.Someone suggested to me that we could help people observe Passover by publishing a mini-collection of Passover recipes next year. A few simple desserts. Some suggestions for easy, tasty lunches. Plus seven dinner recipes for seven nights.
Someone else had a more interesting insight. “The issue,” she said, “isn’t that people can’t find dinner recipes without chametz/leavened products. Chicken, fish, and vegetables make a pretty straightforward meal that perfectly suits Passover. The real issue is that people aren’t eating dinner together no matter what the recipe is.”
But since everyone gets hungry around the same time every day, don’t families end up eating dinner together anyway?
Maybe not.
If mom has to work late, if dad goes to the gym on his way home, if daughter has a track practice, and if son finally got a part-time job at CVS, then maybe nobody is even home for the evening meal. The refrigerator contains just enough Lean Cuisines, frozen pizza, and yogurt for everyone to grab what he or she wants on the way to the computer screen whenever they get home.
Maybe the Seder is so popular among Jews all across America because it really is unique. The Seder is a family meal par excellence. No matter what you eat or how you pray that evening, the Seder might just appeal to so many of us because it feels good to have the ones you love around a single table.
Statistics even indicate that households which do eat together are healthier in a number of ways. If you’re interested in learning why family dinners are more than good nutrition, visit www.CASAFamilyDay.org. You’ll find information there on all the reasons why eating together is as important as your heart already tells you.