Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld
March 31, 2023 • 9 Nissan 5783 • Parshas Tzav (Lev 6-8)The purpose of this blog is to challenge assumptions at the Shabbat table. Please share.
How much time until Pesach? Check our Pesach countdown clock.
Try asking this one at your Shabbat table:
What do you think of the idea of Christians having a Seder? I don't mean Christians attending our Seder; I mean Christians holding their own Seder in their own homes or churches?
Sound far-fetched?
It's more common than you might think.
And it has some Jews steaming mad.
One person writes:
Doing it “because Jesus did it” isn’t a good excuse. It’s supercessionist and appropriative. Also it’s not done now how Jesus potentially would have, and ignores the oppression Jews have faced from Christians specifically around Pesach.
Another:And another:
The whole concept of messianic Judaism and the appropriation of signifiers of Jewishness but evangelical Protestants would be so funny if it weren’t so insidious. It’s so tempting to just laugh off some Texan going around talking about “Yeshua HaMoschiach” or some nonsense but these people take up the aesthetics of Judaism — in what amounts to mockery of us — to do real harm to our people in several ways.
And:
Any Christian who has a Seder, including those who do it without knowing better, are participating in antisemitism
For your table: Why do some Jews take offense when Christians hold a Seder? Is their righteous indignation right?
Try asking this one at your Shabbat table:What do you think of the idea of Christians having a Seder? I don't mean Christians attending our Seder; I mean Christians holding their own Seder in their own homes or churches?
Sound far-fetched?
It's more common than you might think.
And it has some Jews steaming mad.
One person writes:
Doing it “because Jesus did it” isn’t a good excuse. It’s supercessionist and appropriative. Also it’s not done now how Jesus potentially would have, and ignores the oppression Jews have faced from Christians specifically around Pesach.
Another:And another:
The whole concept of messianic Judaism and the appropriation of signifiers of Jewishness but evangelical Protestants would be so funny if it weren’t so insidious. It’s so tempting to just laugh off some Texan going around talking about “Yeshua HaMoschiach” or some nonsense but these people take up the aesthetics of Judaism — in what amounts to mockery of us — to do real harm to our people in several ways.
And:
Any Christian who has a Seder, including those who do it without knowing better, are participating in antisemitism
For your table: Why do some Jews take offense when Christians hold a Seder? Is their righteous indignation right?
(FYI, some Christians (such as Catholics and Church of Englanders) oppose this trend on theological grounds.)
Shabbat Shalom
and wishing you a
Happy, healthy and holy Pesach!
PS - Are you running a Seder this year and looking for ideas on how to raise the bar? Reply to this email, I'll send you this year's JSLI Seder Kit.
PPS - Both today and in last week's email, the image above links to some new Seder ideas for you...
Enjoyed this Table Talk? Vote with your fingers! Like it, tweet it, forward it....
 |  |  |
The mission of Jewish Spiritual Literacy, Inc. (JSLI) is to foster a paradigm-shift in spiritual and moral education in general, including but not limited to Jewish education, towards an experiential pedagogy that transforms students with its spiritual vision and relevance to their daily lives.
We envision a future when every human being can access and enjoy the incredible database of 3,000 years of Jewish wisdom.
If you'd like to join a special Torah Health and Fitness mailing list for updates on the forthcoming book, podcasts and other events, please visit the Torah Health and Fitness landing page.
No comments:
Post a Comment