1. Early Training Steeped in Ancient Traditions (Fragment)

Melava Malka

The gathering of friends remained until after midnight to bid farewell to the “Queen” Sabbath — as well as to the “Neshamah Yeterah” — additional soul. Those mystics believe that God gives to His faithful ones for the duration of the Sabbath an additional soul to be able to observe this day in a worthy and holy manner.

Succot

Another pleasant holiday in the festive cycle of the seven Jewish feasts is the observance of the Tabernacles. In compliance with the command in Lev. 25:42‑45, every Jew has to build a booth for his abode during the whole week. This is in remembrance of the nation’s wandering in the desert after deliverance from Egypt.

Leon gladly joined his father, and enjoyed the meals even more than in the house. The booth was nicely decorated and offered an altogether pleasant change. The last day of this festival was celebrated to the honor of the Law, “Simchat Torah,” a really joyous event for old and young. The old folks rejoiced that they were enabled during the whole year on each Sabbath to read a portion in the Law, and that, as the last portion was read, they could roll the Scroll back to Genesis to start anew the reading of the Holy Law.

This was celebrated as a pageantry with a procession in all the synagogues, where all the Scrolls were taken out from the Ark and carried around. Those present, both young and old, were honored to carry one of the Scrolls, while the little boys were holding banners with burning candles attached to the top of the staffs. Prayers were chanted, hymns were sung, literally reenacting the scene when King David brought the Ark home (Chron. 16:28,29) and danced for joy. How different was this feast from the two preceding ones — the solemn New Year and the Day of Atonement — which were accompanied by crying and fasting without any assurance of the required results.

Passover Feast

Most of all Leon liked the Passover Week, as this gave much pleasant excitement when everything in the house was turned upside down, receiving a thorough cleansing and ritual purifying. This included the careful gathering of crumbs of leavened bread on the eve of the 14th day of the month of Nissan before the morning of that day, with the dawn of which only unleavened bread was allowed in the house for the next seven days. (Ex. 12:19‑20)

It was for this festival that every member of the family had to put on new clothing and new footwear, and the whole setup, even the food, was different — not only the Matzoth, which were exceptionally unleavened — but most of the dishes were different also.

The Matzoth were prepared of carefully selected wheat meal and water — without salt or any other substance. The wheat, from the very day of harvesting and during the process of milling, was strictly guarded from every mixture and any by‑products. Even the water which was used for preparing the dough, had to be drawn from a spring, and was carefully protected. Any other element, even microscopic, would defile its purity. Those Matzoth were baked in specially prepared ovens or, if in a bakery oven which was normally used for preparing leavened bread, it was purified by red‑hot heat before being used for the baking of the Matzoth.

Father was dressed in a white linen garment with an embroidered or velvet skull‑cap upon his head, and before him was set a large plate with three Matzoth, unleavened cakes, baked by the men of the “Chasidim” sect themselves, to be sure of the strictest observance in their ritual preparation, hence the name “Matzoth Shmura.” These Matzoth were wrapped under one cover and put on the Seder plates.

On a separate special plate there were five other symbols: a roast shank‑bone of a lamb, a hard‑boiled egg, bitter herbs (horse radish), parsley and charoseth, the latter made of crushed almonds and other nuts mixed with wine to look like miry clay. A dish with salt water was set in front of the Seder plate. All of these symbols were reminders of the experiences of Israel in Egypt, including the night of their hasty, miraculous deliverance and the crossing of the salty Red Sea.

The reason why the Jew today has not the Passover lamb, only a shank‑bone, is according to God’s commandment in Deut. 16:2, 5 and 6: “Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the Passover unto the Lord thy God of the flock and the herd, in the place which the Lord shall choose to place His name there… Thou mayest not sacrifice the Passover within any of thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, but at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place His name in, there thou shall sacrifice the Passover at even…”

Therefore, the shank‑bone is only a memorial, a symbol, of the Passover Lamb. Likewise, the egg is a symbol of the “Korban Chagiga” — the usual festive offering — which is also forbidden to be sacrificed outside of the sanctuary. These two memorial symbols are only a reminder, and not to be eaten like the others.

At this Seder evening Leon had to ask his father four questions. While usually Jewish children are not allowed to question things regarding religion, at the Passover festival the Rabbis allowed their questions to be asked in accordance with Ex. 2:26. Those four questions concerning the procedure and the whole setup for the Passover celebration, are answered by the father and by all those present at the table by reading the history of Israel’s experiences in the land of oppression and the miraculous deliverance out of Egypt.

Leon would have really appreciated hearing the whole story out of the Word of God in two or three verses, but the rabbis prescribed telling it in great detail, which was very tiresome for little Leon, who was hungry and sleepy, but was obliged to wait until the end, when mother would finally be allowed to serve the good meal.

One procedure of the Passover night scared Leon, when father ordered the door to be opened, and everyone turned in anticipation of the appearance of the prophet Elijah, for whom a silver cup of wine was placed in the center of the table…

This was a very meaningful and festive part of the Passover Meal. Being just a little boy, Leon did not yet grasp the whole significance of this part in the evening, but later these things became much clearer to him and he could see that all symbols of the Passover meal, and especially this last one at the close of the meal, were pointing to the ultimate Deliverer of Israel — their Messiah.

For many years to come, as this little boy grew and matured, he remembered the words his father read from the Holy Scriptures, that this was a special night, “A NIGHT OF THE LORD TO BE OBSERVED OF ALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL IN THEIR GENERATIONS.” (Exodus 12:42). Sensing the importance of this solemn occasion, Leon cherished the Jewish tradition which, accordingly, to this day includes at this stage of the Passover meal preparations to welcome Elijah, the ever‑living Prophet, who is to be the harbinger of the Messiah. To this day it is customary to fill a SPECIAL GOBLET of wine in his honor — THE CUP OF ELIJAH, especially adorned with scenes from the Prophet’s career, as for example, the occasion when he fearlessly reproved King Ahab (1 Kings 18:17‑22), as well as several others. Tradition also prescribes that while the cup is filled, the door is opened without fear (for is this not a night of watching for the Lord?) so that the PROPHET OF REDEMPTION may enter.”