passover story Archives - Taste With The Eyes

Beef Soup with Brisket, Horseradish Matzoh Balls

Beef Soup with (Leftover) Brisket
Horseradish and Chive Matzoh Balls

What is special about the last day of Passover?

While the Children of Israel were in their homes in the middle of the night, God struck the Egyptians with the plague of the firstborn – all the Egyptians’ firstborn died. This plague drove the Egyptian king, Pharaoh, to tell the Israelites – “Get up and get out from among my people!”

They hurriedly left Egypt in the darkness, and for six days wandered through the Sinai desert until they reached the shores of the Red Sea. Meanwhile, Pharaoh changed his mind to set them free and sent his army of soldiers and chariots after the newly liberated nation.

As the Israelites stood on the banks of the sea, the Egyptian army came up behind them. They were caught between the sea and the pursuing army, with no reasonable chance of salvation.

Then the Lord told Moses to raise his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea and split it, and the Children of Israel came in the midst of the sea onto dry land.

Excerpted and edited from RABBI SHMUEL RABINOWITZ Published APRIL 9, 2020 in the Jerusalem Post here.

Beef Soup with Brisket, Horseradish Matzoh Balls

Unlike the light Seder Course of Chicken Soup with Matzoh Balls, this hearty beef soup for the end of Passover is the main course. It uses up many ingredients from the prior week.

Fresh chunky carrots, parsnips, celery, and leeks are simmered in beef broth. Leftover brisket is cut into bite-sized cubes and re-heated in the savory soup. And here, the matzoh balls are flavored with zippy horseradish and chives to complement the beef.

Beef Soup with Brisket and Horseradish Matzoh Balls Recipe

Continue reading “Beef Soup with Brisket, Horseradish Matzoh Balls”

The Passover Table is Covered with Frogs!

The Passover Seder Table is not simply a place to tell the story of the Exodus and to eat dinner. The Table is symbolic in and of itself. It is a place where memories are made and traditions are taught. It is where we gather with family and friends, and newcomers too, to celebrate our freedoms.

The vibrancy and beauty of the Table reflect our gratitude to God for taking us from slavery to freedom, from sadness to happiness, from pain to joy, from darkness to light. Fresh flower arrangements that mirror this year’s bright ORCHID & LIME color scheme make the table especially spring-like and festive as we celebrate the bounty, joy, and beauty of the season.

Continue reading “The Passover Table is Covered with Frogs!”

Passover Seder Table 2012 and Our Beloved Frog Collection

Passover Seder Table 2012 and Our Beloved Frog Collection

My dear sister-in-law Kristy and I gleefully agonize over the color scheme for the Passover Table every year. When our guests arrive just before sundown, they are always surprised and delighted by Kristy’s table.

And of course, by then, I’ve photographed the table from every angle for Taste With The Eyes. In addition to the striking turquoise & yellow color scheme of 2012, some of the color combinations from our past Seders include:

Gold & Raspberry
Gold & White
Eggplant & Sky Blue
Lavender & White
Tangerine & Hot Pink

Continue reading “Passover Seder Table 2012 and Our Beloved Frog Collection”

Haroset, Ashkenazi-Style חֲרֽוֹסֶת

Haroset
חֲרֽוֹסֶת

Welcome to our Seder! In the next few posts I plan to share customs of the Passover Seder. The Hebrew word seder means order. The Seder tells the story of how we were slaves in Egypt before God led us to freedom. Each year at Passover we go on a journey in our hearts from slavery to freedom, from sadness to joy.

Haroset is a mixture of chopped apples, walnuts, wine, cinnamon, and a touch of honey. Its texture and color remind us of the bricks and mortar Jewish slaves had to make when we built cities for Pharaoh. And the sweetness of haroset reminds us of the sweet taste of freedom…

Continue reading “Haroset, Ashkenazi-Style חֲרֽוֹסֶת”

Passover Seder & The Kids

The tables are set early in the day.

Passover begins after sundown.

And there is much to prepare!

The kids have their own table. Stone is six years old and Jett is four.

They have their own Seder plate, just like the adults.

Passover Seder Plate contains symbolic foods having special significance in retelling the Passover story: z’roa (roasted shankbone), charoset, chazeret (romaine lettuce), karpas (parsley), beitzah (roasted egg), maror (horseradish).

What is the significance of all these frogs?

We have new people at our Seder every year, and they ask, what can I bring? Since the food is already planned, we say, please bring a frog. Our frog community has grown over the years.It is very important that children are involved in the Seder. The frogs, the place mats for coloring, helping with the washing of the hands, and ultimately the hunting for the afikomen help to keep even very young kids engaged and excited about Passover. My nephews are two energetic little boys who are well-behaved and respectful throughout the evening. I am a proud Aunt, can you tell?

My favorite, the Chef Frog (bottom left). Is he holding a brisket?

When Pharaoh refused to set the Israelites free, God punished the Egyptians with Ten Plagues. Frogs are one of the Ten Plagues.

We recognize guests who are attending their first Seder. Lena, Kim and Viktoria are from Germany and are working in Chicago for a year as au pairs.

Everyone is seated. There is Stone at the kids table by the window. Everyone gives him their attention as he welcomed everyone to our Seder with his own poem.

My brother, Don, is the leader. Everyone participates. We read from the haggadah. We recite the blessings. We tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. We sing. We drink. We eat. We laugh. We get teary-eyed. Our story is being retold all over the world on this day.

Seder means order. Here is the order of the Seder:

Kaddesh – Saying a blessing over the first cup of wine in honor of the holiday.
Urechatz – Washing the hands, no blessing is said, prepare to eat karpas.
Karpas – Eating parsley dipped in salt water, representing the tears of our ancestors.
Yachatz – The middle of the three matzohs on the table is broken, the larger piece becomes the afikomen.
Maggid – The story of the Exodus from Egypt is retold. It starts with asking of the Four Questions by the youngest at the table.
Rachtzah – Hands are washed for the second time with a blessing, prepare to eat the matzoh.
Motzi – A blessing for bread or grain products is recited over the matzoh.
Matzah – Blessing specific to matzoh is recited and then matzoh is eaten.
Maror – Blessing is recited over a bitter vegetable such as horseradish, symbolizing the bitterness of slavery.
Korekh – Another set of bitter herbs known as Chazeret is eaten as the sandwich to replace the paschal offering. We make a matzoh sandwich with maror and charoset.
Shulchan Orech – A festive meal is eaten.
Tzafun – Piece of Matzoh hidden for the children to find and is eaten as the ‘dessert’ or the last food of the meal.
Barech -Grace is recited over the third cup of wine and then it is drunk. The fourth cup is poured along with the cup set aside for the Prophet Elijah. The door is opened to invite him in.
Hallel – Several psalms are recited followed by a blessing over the last cup of wine.
Nirtzah – A wish is made that Jews may celebrate next Pesach in Jerusalem or that the Messiah may come again next year.

Jett is ready to help with The First Washing of the Hands.

Lena and Stone assist with the washing of the hands, here, with Cousin Vicki. Vicki had been the youngest in our family until Stone and Jett were born. The youngest is the one to ask the Four Questions. This year, for the first time in almost three decades, Vicki did not ask the Four Questions. Stone did. (Maybe you remember Cousin Vicki from my posting about her beautiful wedding to Jonah in the Sonoma wine country last Fall here).

We eat matzoh on Passover to remind us that the Israelites left Egypt in such haste, they could not wait for the bread to rise. Additionally, matzoh is the “bread of affliction” – the food of slavery, it reminds us to be humble and to appreciate our freedoms. Don places 3 matzohs in a special cloth. The middle matzoh will be broken in half, the larger piece placed in a little bag and hidden. The kids hunt for this piece of matzoh called the afikomen after dinner and receive a cash reward for “returning” the afikomen to the adults.

Stone asks in English and Hebrew:

Why is this night different from all other nights?

Mah nishtanah halyla hazeh mikol halaylot

1) On all nights we need not dip even once, on this night we do so twice.

2) On all nights we eat chametz or matzoh, and on this night only matzoh.

3) On all nights we eat any kind of vegetables, and on this night maror.

4) On all nights we eat sitting upright or reclining, and on this night we all recline.

A second washing of the hands, this time with a blessing, in preparation for eating the matzoh.

As Lena and Stone help with the hand washing at one table, Kristy and Jett assist the other table. One of the objectives of the Seder is to retell our story and teach the next generation about the rituals, symbols, and meaning of the holiday. Next, we recite a blessing for matzoh and maror, eat a Hillel sandwich of charoset and maror, then serve the meal.