As I've mentioned before, the ritual holiday meal for Passover, which this year happened last night and again tonight, is known as the seder, a Hebrew word which literally means "order". In this case, it is a reference to the order in which we recreate various traditions every year, each of them a meaningful reference to the story of our Exodus from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land of Israel. These include everything from the telling of the story itself; to eating vegetables dipped in saltwater (to remember the tears of our people); and eating a delicious mush made of apples, honey and wine called "charoset", meant to recall the mortar between the bricks that we were forced to use to build the pyramids. The seder is guided by a book called a "haggadah" - similar to a prayerbook, but with all of the stories, songs, prayers and rituals to be followed for the evening. There are dozens (hundreds?) of different ones, in different languages, reflecting different family and cultural influences. But sometimes it can be difficult for children to feel included when the haggadah is clearly written mostly for the grownups leading the seder. Once again, Sylvia Rouss and Katherine Janus Kahn have created something so special, then, with their "Sammy Spider's First Haggadah" (2007). Rather than the usual storybook, this is a simplified version of the seder for young children. It includes the story of the Exodus explained in terms accessible to little ones; Passover songs about the various rituals set to familiar tunes such as "London Bridge" and "Pop Goes The Weasel"; and all of the important prayers taught in English and Hebrew. There is more, but that alone should give you an idea of how wonderful this is! If you're looking to teach your child about this beautiful Jewish tradition, or looking for an accessible haggadah for young kids, I highly recommend this one! Available electronically, too (mine came from the library)! âš« âš« âš« #NoodlenutsClassicKidLit #NoodlenutsPassover #JewishNoodlenuts #SammySpidersFirstHaggadah #SylviaRouss #KatherineJanusKahn #Pesach #Passover #Haggadah #seder #sederplate #sedertable #pesachsameach #passovertable #learnaboutjudaism https://www.instagram.com/p/B-xJ58MnN8x/?igshid=kxz7hpd2gzrz
