Silver Dollars: Connecting Across the Generations
The Passover seder is a singular learning experience because the entire family is invited to share in the course. We are not divided by our age, learning level, abilities or experience—we explore the Haggadah and retell the story of freedom together so that each of us might embrace the holiday’s significance in our own way. Whether wise, rebellious, simple, or quiet, we are all instructed to imagine the Passover story as our own, and within the framework of the seder, we are encouraged to customize the experience so that we might bring our own creativity and knowledge to this Jewish group project.
Like so many, I have wonderful childhood memories of seder with family and best friends. An old aunt squeezed and grabbed our cheeks and remarked on how much we had grown. Our parents asked us meaningful questions, engaging our minds in deep thought about the importance of freedom. The songs filled us with joy and gratitude, and everyone buzzed from four cups of sugary grape juice or wine. And my absolute favorite moment of the seder was when the grandparents awarded a silver dollar to the child who discovered the Afikomen, remembering, of course, to have enough coins in their pockets for every child there so no one left disappointed. Who doesn’t love a holiday whose lesson plan includes a good game of hide and seek? And an inexpensive and simple but shining and creative prize made this moment everlasting for every single one of us, grownup and child alike.
These days, my favorite part of the seder is still the unearthing of the hidden Afikomen, our shared piece of dessert matzah. My daughter, Ruby, and my nephew, Guy, have been talking all year long about hunting down the Afikomen again. How special that this sport of seeking not only teaches us about a piece of our ceremonial table, but it also connects us to generations before who observed this ritual tracing back to our ancestors who lived in Hellenistic Greece (“Afikomen” originating from the Greek word for “after-dinner fun”). This year, when the kids race around the house searching for the Akifomen, I will lovingly recall my grandparents pulling the shiny silver dollars out of their pockets, and I will respectfully remember the lessons they taught me around the seder table. As we relive and retell our People’s story, let us pray for the generations to come and the celebration of endless seders filled with play, joy, creativity, unity, and hope.
— Cantor Emma Lutz