by Rabbi Ron Stern
Last year, while officiating at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles interfaith seder, in a room packed with dignitaries and politicians, I smeared a heaping pile of horseradish and charoset on a matzah and took a bite. Within seconds, my mouth exploded in pain. The horseradish vapors catapulted up through my nasal cavities and set my head on fire. For a minute, I thought that my brain might actually melt. There, as 100 people watched I did my best to keep from spewing horseradish bits onto the fully set Pesach seder table. For me, at least, it was a memorable seder.
While I don’t recommend atomic horseradish, I do recommend that you think about how to make your seder memorable. All too often we hear of the most exciting moment of the seder being the response to the refrain: “When do we eat?!” That is, the meal. While the meal is an important part of the seder and the food should be memorable, the content of the seder should also leave people inspired, challenged, uplifted.
The good news is that I’ve heard many stories of seder antics, discussions, questions posed that make for seders that become a part of the participants positive Jewish memories. A mere recitation of the words in the Haggadah just doesn’t make for captivating experiences. But the seder additions over the years accumulate in participants’ memories to create a composite of Passovers past that endures for lifetimes. That should be the goal at everyone’s seder.
Fortunately, the people of the book have also become the people of cyberspace. Jewish resources abound on the internet and ideas for seder additions are plenty. My wife and I, looking to breathe new life into our seder, created this year’s haggadah at Haggadot.com. We pieced our seder together from a vast range of sources that included the artwork of Milken students and the writings of scholars in Israel. There are videos, games, and activities available for all who might search. And of course, we will use the Wise Haggadah supplement full of commentary, memories, and ideas from our clergy. All of this adds meaning to the seder, creates lasting memories, and ensures that your seder participants will get up from the table satisfied by a lovely meal and fulfilled by an enriching Pesach experience. Chag Sameach!