christian@cs.rutgers.edu (04/02/91)
A Jewish reader sent me information what he preferred not to post directly, so as to avoid getting into controversy about Jewish matters in s.r.c. He is responding to some conjectures made about Jewish practices in a previous posting. (The posting is by now a couple of weeks ago. I apologize for the delay. This was sent to my own email address, and I got two weeks behind in processing my personal email.) Dave Wagner indicated some doubt about whether children consume the wine and matzah. My correspondent indicates that consumption of wine and matzah at a Seder are positive commendments, and children who are capable of drinking wine without suffering ill effects do drink it. He also indicates that the Paschal Lamb, the sacrifice around which the Seder is built, is forbidden to anyhone not practicing Judaism, even if they are of Jewish ancestry.
credmond@watmath.waterloo.edu (Chris Redmond) (04/03/91)
In article <Apr.2.04.02.13.1991.20000@athos.rutgers.edu> christian@cs.rutgers.edu writes: >A Jewish reader sent me information what he preferred not to post >directly, so as to avoid getting into controversy about Jewish matters >in s.r.c. >Dave Wagner indicated some doubt about whether children consume the >wine and matzah. My correspondent indicates that consumption of wine >and matzah at a Seder are positive commendments, and children who are >capable of drinking wine without suffering ill effects do drink it. >He also indicates that the Paschal Lamb, the sacrifice around which >the Seder is built, is forbidden to anyhone not practicing Judaism, >even if they are of Jewish ancestry. But please note that the sacrifice in question (the "korban Pesach") is not part of the seder as practised in Jewish homes nowadays. Judging from current discussion in soc.culture.jewish, there is disagreement over the circumstances in which it can be offered again -- after the Temple is rebuilt? after the Messiah comes? after appropriate priests find a way to purify themselves? -- but it is not part of the 1991 observance of Passover. There is also great dispute on s.c.j, and I suppose elsewhere in the Jewish world, about whether non-Jews are permitted to attend a seder. Some say yes (including friends who have several times welcomed me to their Passover table), some say no. I might mention that at the seders I have attended, no lamb was served, sacrifice or otherwise. Roast beef, I think, was the main course. At one point I made some comment about this to my friend, having vaguely expected lamb (and being aware that Passover lamb is the origin of the "lamb to the slaughter" metaphor beloved by Christians). She had never heard of an association between lamb and Passover. So why don't we serve lamb as a tradition for any Christian occasion? CAR