Video
Twitter
RSS Feed
The Meaning Of, and Lies Behind, Matzah
There may be no food upon which so much ink has been spilled, not to mention blood, as matzah. The blood to which I refer is not that of the Blood Libel (the hate-driven lie that Jews, having killed Jesus, remained so hungry for Christian blood that they then used it to prepare their matzah.) I mean the blood of the innocent Jews who have been murdered over the centuries because of that lie - one that persists, perniciously, in parts of the world to this day.
It's genuinely concerning that across the Middle East, one can purchase books on street corners which "tell the truth" about the Jewish thirst for blood. Even more troubling is the number of state-sponsored television channels that broadcast programs which spread this deadly lie. This phenomenon makes it increasingly impossible to maintain that those who oppose Israel are not motivated by the oldest and ugliest forms of Jew hatred. But back to the spilled ink.
What is the meaning of the matzah eaten at the Seder and for the eight days following? The truth is, that according to some traditions, even those two "eatings" have different reasons - the first fulfills a specific biblical command to eat unleavened bread at the onset of Passover, while the second is just the bread we use because all of the leavened kind is prohibited. Admittedly, some authorities do believe that people fulfill a biblical commandment when eating matzah any time they do so during the entire holiday.
Others find their own reasons for eating matzah, which is great, too. In fact, one tradition teaches that matzah, called lekhem owni in some sources, is meant to evoke new answers to eternal questions. Translated literally from the Hebrew, lekhem owni means bread of poverty e.g. what slaves would eat. But others say it means bread over which we answer (ownim - hence the pun) questions. It makes sense -- good sense, really. What better mark of a truly free people than the opportunity to raise questions?
In that spirit, I hope that this Passover provides the opportunity for all people to address the biggest questions they face, be they personal or political, and to do so in ways that are tough without being hateful - direct, without being demeaning or dangerous. That's a celebration of freedom in which we can all participate.
By
Brad Hirschfield
|
April 8, 2009; 11:53 AM ET
| Category:
Personal Religion
,
Religious Conflict
Save & Share:
Previous: No Peace for Palestinian Orchestra |
Next: Faith and Politics Are Both About Choice
Posted by: CCNL | April 11, 2009 10:04 AM
Report Offensive Comment
Coloradodog,
And Happy Easter to you to!!!!
Posted by: CCNL | April 11, 2009 9:58 AM
Report Offensive Comment
ALERT ALERT
CCNL has lost her closed little mind!
Posted by: coloradodog | April 11, 2009 9:09 AM
Report Offensive Comment
ALIAS ALERT:
ALIAS ALERT:
Farnaz continues to lie about who she is by now using at least seven aliases now i.e. Farnaz2 aka Observer12 aka Observer31 aka Yael1 aka ivri5678 aka Billy8 aka Ivri aka
.
Her lying 24/7 is a daily embarrassment to her Jewish heritage!!! (She claims to be a Jewish atheist.)
Farnaz aka Farnaz2 aka Observer12 aka Observer31 aka Yael1 aka ivri5678 aka Billy8 aka Ivri was caught "red handed" using all these aliases some threads ago. After this, she said she would no longer participate in said discussions. As seen, this has not happened but we continue to remind everyone about this "devilish" woman as a service to our fellow bloggers.
On occasion, she even "talks" to herself in her commentaries i.e. To: ivri5678 From: Farnaz2 and she has continued the talks
recently as noted by the comments To: Ivri From: Farnaz. She apparently has another alias/lie she is using on another commentary page. It is "nadinebatra"!!! Now she has another new alias, its Stadtbear, so she can argue with herself and claim to be a victim of jew discrimination.
One very seriously disturbed woman!!!
Posted by: CCNL | April 11, 2009 1:09 AM
Report Offensive Comment
Rabbi Hirschfield,
I've read your columns for some time now and found much in them to praise. I am not Jewish (or Christian or Muslim or atheist or much of anything else), but I've found a great deal of wisdom and guidance in Jewish literature, history, scriptures, and commentary.
So, please understand that I'm not one of "those" to whom you refer in this statement: "This phenomenon makes it increasingly impossible to maintain that those who oppose Israel are not motivated by the oldest and ugliest forms of Jew hatred."
I am, however, appalled by the statement itself. The "you're either with us or against us" perspective you take here is as unenlightened coming from you and it was coming from George Bush.
By adhering to this belief, you close the door on any critique of Israel despite the fact that Israel is a distinctive political entity as well as a Jewish homeland. If the political behavior of a nation-state cannot be criticized because of the makeup of its citizens, then how can it be a full participant in world politics? How can it be a significant voice on the world stage?
Posted by: kjohnson3 | April 10, 2009 4:40 PM
Report Offensive Comment
For hundreds of years, the Christian laymen couldn't even read their own Old and New Testament - most of them didn't even know about transubstantiation. Most of them didn't even know any stories of the bible at all.
Thus, what it means is that the average Christian layman, after haven been gorged on a non-scriptural diet of hatred and lies, was willing to make up whatever story sounded good.
I remember reading in another post about your comment on Christian Passion plays - how the congregation plays the part of "the Jews". Your point was most likely valid hundreds of years ago - but if you actually read what modern participants in a modern passion play say, they recognize that the mob member in the script is them. It's why *we* shout the lines, not a few actors.
If anyone points out the nationality of the mob member, it's to underscore the irony, not incite hatred. After all, not only was the crowd Jewish, but the man on trial was - and his companions. It's tragic that for centuries, people refused to read the Gospel of John's references to "the Jews" in the obvious fashion in which it was intended.
Posted by: iamweaver | April 10, 2009 12:09 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Among the many ironies is that kosher dietary laws proscribe the consumption of blood. No meat in which the blood has not been removed may be eaten. (See the Bible.)
Not the case with the Catholics/Christians who originated this libel. Whatever could it mean that those who drink blood symbolically at services, whilst eating symbolic flesh, ingest blood, in fact, and then come up with this myth. My, my. Whatever could it mean??
Posted by: Farnaz2 | April 9, 2009 5:10 PM
Report Offensive Comment
The comments to this entry are closed.
Coloradodog,
And Happy Easter to you too!!!!