Steak & Seder Redux
Minutes from the JFX annual Men's Steak and Seder
Host: Scott Simon
Chef: Rick Tannenbaum
In attendance: 40 amazing guys
Theme of the workshop: The Passover experience has the potential to be a transformative one.
The Mission: To create a handful of "meaningful moments" for everyone to experience together at the Seder.
Pre-Passover Homework:
- Choose one negative character to work on purging this Passover. Write it down on 2 separate pieces of paper. Keep one of the papers in your pocket and use it as a daily reminder throughout the holiday. The other paper destroy: burn with the chometz, or flush down the toilet before Passover. (First recite a prayer requesting divine assistance with this quest.)
- Prepare a personal story about your family: how and why they settled in this country, challenges that they or you experienced. Merge those stories on Seder night with the Passover story and the origins of our people. Check out this link!
- Google things like, The Exodus From Egypt, The Ten Plagues, etc. Be prepared to share the historical and Jewish details of the story with family members at the Seder.
The 4 Seder touch points:
- Faith. (Seder Source: The 10 plagues.) Tell the story from the perspective of G-d's role in the entire Exodus experience. Be mindful of and share a personal incident of Divine providence in your life.
- Gratitude. (Seder Source: Dayenu) "Passover is about gratitude and gratitude is about joy. A person of gratitude will always find joy" (Out of the Ortho Box). Make a short list of complaints about your life. Then, after each one, add a positive silver lining, beginning with the words "at least".
- Jewish Pride. The Holiday is called Passover, because when G-d passed over our homes in Egypt, He chose us to be His nation, His role models for humanity. Bring up antisemitism. Not from a place of victimhood, but from a place of resilience. Discuss the miracle of Jewish survival.
- Empathy. We think challenges are detours on the road of life. In truth they are opportunities for greatness. All of our challenges - nationally, in Egypt, and personally throughout our lives - teach us how to have empathy and be a better person. Share a story of how you used a challenge as a growth opportunity.
Final Seder Challenge:
- Seder prayer swap: Right before dinner, share with the person sitting next to you something that you are struggling with and ask them for the same. Then, each of you say a quiet, meaningful prayer for each other.
- ENJOY!
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Koval
