Thursday, April 9, 2020

How Was It For You? - Seder R2BC

We more or less followed the agenda laid out yesterday. I popped out to the synagogue service stretching down the road below me at 5 m intervals, by stepping out onto my balcony.

I finished cooking and laid the table for our seder with the matza and the seder plate full of the symbolic foods needed for the service. I was particularly proud of burning a carrot instead of the usual burnt shank bone of lamb. It symbolizes the pascal lamb and the shape suggests that God brought us out of Egypt with an outstretched arm. The carrot did the job admirably.

At 8.30 we went outside to sing Ma Nishtana (why is this night different from all other nights?). I thought it was a building initiative but turned out to be the whole of Israel! This is my 1st Reason 2B Cheerful. I wrote about it on face book...

I am crying with emotion. The whole of Israel went out onto their balconies at 8.30 and we all sang Ma Nishtana together. You could hear it loudly from all over Jerusalem. The singing echoed through the hills. And then we all shouted Chag Sameah Am Yisrael! (A happy festival to the people of Israel!) It was wonderful and also heartbreaking that we are in this situation. So many people I know have died (friends and relatives of friends in England). And yet tonight the whole country sang together and were uplifted for 10 minutes. Chag Sameah!

DD and I then ate our dinner. Suddenly I heard loud singing from the stairwell. The two apartments on the floor below were holding their seders in their hallways with their front doors open so that they could do it together.

My next-balcony-neighbour, Esther, threw over
The Hogwarts Haggadah (seder service book)
for DD. It's a lot of fun. Full of points of interest
linking Pesach to Harry Potter.
Thank you Esther. We loved it!
Our seder started at 10.30 (8.30 English time). My B-i-l is a doctor and working long shifts atm so an earlier start wasn't possible. And then we zoomed.

It was amazing for two minutes. So this is my 2nd R2BC. The 12 of us who are usually together were in five different homes. And during the seder other family members zoomed in from other seders to say hello. As I said, it was all very exciting for about two minutes and lovely to see everyone, but not the same as being together in the same room.

It all got a bit complicated as I couldn't hear clear instructions. There are three matzas and you use different matzas at different times. Zoom keeps switching to the person speaking the loudest. At one point I was asking, "which matza do we use? Are we eating it with the parsley or with the bitter herb? DD stopped me.
"What difference? Do what you like." She was right. I drank the fifth cup of wine even though we were only officially on the second cup out of four.

My nephew in charge of tech kept muting everyone to try to keep with the programme. In effect this meant that at times we were singing to ourselves. My brother, who works in IT, and S-i-l claimed technical difficulties and took a long furlough. By the time the festive meal (for them, we'd already eaten) came round at 10.30 (12.30 am for us) we'd had enough and we didn't go back for the second half with the songs at 1.15 in the morning. I felt a bit depressed so I ate the potato salad I'd made for today's lunch (DD doesn't like it) and went to bed.

As they have another seder night tonight (only for those outside Israel) and unlike yesterday, I've had a restful day, I might join them for the second half tonight. This will be my 3rd R2BC. That I don't have to sit through the whole thing this time and that we can see everyone again.

The R2BC linky is on Becky's Lakes Single Mum. And may I take this opportunity to wish all my Christian friends a very happy and safe Easter. xxx


13 comments:

  1. I'm so glad that you got to see your family via Zoom. And it must have been amazing to hear everyone in Israel singing at the same time.
    I've just proofed the YouTube video for tomorrow's Good Friday service (I think the ministers are a wee bit too casual) so I'll have to wait and see how they respond (one of them badly needs a haircut and to trim his beard)! :-)
    A friend picked up some fresh veg for me today and she included a couple of hot cross buns as a treat for Easter.
    Hope you get to see the family again tonight.

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    1. We just finished the second seder. It was a lot of fun and much better than last night. I think we're getting the hang of it now. Happy Easter Margie. Enjoy your hot cross buns. Lots of love xxx

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  2. It does sound like a complicated sedar but great to get to see your loves ones, if only for a little while. I felt quite emotional when I read your FB post the other day about all of Israel coming out on their balconies to sing, I love that solidarity. Happay Easter. Mich x

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    1. I only realized that it was quite complicated this year. Usually you chooses a book with clear instructions and it's all set up to run smoothly. I've never had to set it up myself before.

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  3. So sorry to hear that you have friends who've died of this horrible virus, that must've made the singing even more emotional. Glad you got to connect with family too, and hope everything improves soon xxx

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    1. Thanks. Another of my friends in London lost her father last night. I think the Jewish community in NW London has been hit especially hard.

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  4. I love the fact you can join in from your balconies and via Zoom so that you are connected. The singing does sound very emotional.

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    1. It was very emotional. I could hardly sing because for the lump in my throat. Zooming was an experience for once - I hope we never have to do it again.

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  5. So pleased you got to see some family using zoom it's not the same I know but it's lovely to see them. Sounds very tricky all that tech stuff but glad you got through most of it, hoping you enjoyed the second half more. Your description of all the singing gave me tingles, what an experience.

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  6. Second night was actually much more fun because I only joined for the songs, I wasn't exhausted from cleaning all day, and we had more experience with the zoom. Thanks for commenting.

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  7. Lovely to hear your stories of how all this is for you. Zoom is a weird one I know from job interviews and from my brother keeping his singing and piano lessons going by going online with them. Singing is showing what a bonder it is now along with food and tradition. So sad so many are ill and dying to make the world wake up to what really counts in life. Wishing you a calm and happy week ahead. #R2BC

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