By Jacob Barak
On the first two nights of Pesach, Rabbi Zevi led seders in the student center. I attended the seder on the first night. Some seders seem to last forever, but this one was truly fun. More than any other I have seen, this seder felt like a celebration of freedom as well as a reflection on the bitterness of slavery. It made me grateful for my freedom and all the other privileges and blessings in my life.
At the seder were a mix of undergraduate and graduate students and even at least one visitor from
The seder may have some features you have not experienced before. I had never heard the story of Rabbis Akiba and Eliezer arguing over how to count the plagues G-d cast upon the Egyptians- the ten plagues can be counted as 200 or even 250. This part of the haggadah provides an interesting insight into Jewish thinking and logic; only our people would have such a deep debate over this question.
Not everything was traditional. Rabbi Zevi spiced up the seder with small Fear Factor-style challenges. How quickly can you eat an ounce of matza?
At the end of the seder, we had a lively song and dance. Everybody left in good spirits and perhaps with some new thoughts about the meaning of Pesach. I think most of us will be back next year, and I hope to see you there too.