Pesach is the Hebrew word for Passover. It is said that Pesach may be deconstructed into peh (mouth) and sach (discuss). And it is possible that the seder experience happens at the intersection of peh—what the mouth experiences (the bitter herbs, matzah (the bread of freedom and the bread of affliction), the four cups of wine and sach—the personal experience of the Passover story through telling, hearing, wondering, discussing and questioning. Peh-Sach was the foundation of our learning as we solved Wordlet Passover puzzles, learned about and told stories of Elijah the Prophet who attends Havdalah, the Brit Milah and the Passover seder and made three varieties of charoset each representing a different culture.
The following is a link to a beautiful story of Elijah the Prophet in which Elijah offers one wish to a man who is old, blind, penniless, and childless.
- What did he do to merit a wish?
- What should he wish for?
- What would you wish for?
A shorter Elijah story:
OPEN THE DOOR FOR ELIJAH…
A pious and wealthy Jew asked his rabbi, “For about forty years I have opened the door for Elijah every Seder night waiting for him to come, but he never does. What is the reason?”
The rabbi answered, “In your neighborhood there lives a very poor family with many children. Call on the man and propose to him that you and your family celebrate the next Passover in his house, and for this purpose provide him and his whole family with everything necessary for the eight Passover days. Then on the Seder night Elijah will certainly come.”
The man did as the rabbi told him, but after Passover he came to the rabbi and claimed that again he had waited in vain to see Elijah. The rabbi answered, “I know very well that Elijah came on the Seder night to the house of your poor neighbor. But of course you could not see him.” And the rabbi held a mirror before the face of the man and said, “Look, this was Elijah’s face that night.”
Charoset Recipes (nut-free)
California Charoset
1 large avocado, diced into cubes or mashed
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup pitted dates, chopped
1/8 cup figs, chopped
1/8 cup prunes, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
Grated peel of half an orange
1/8 cup orange juice, or to taste
1 large avocado, diced into cubes or mashed
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup pitted dates, chopped
1/8 cup figs, chopped
1/8 cup prunes, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
Grated peel of half an orange
1/8 cup orange juice, or to taste
New England Charoset
2 medium apples (peeled or not), grated
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/8 cup apple cider
1/2 cup Craisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 medium apples (peeled or not), grated
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/8 cup apple cider
1/2 cup Craisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Persian/Iranian Charoset
1 apple (peeled or not), chopped
1 pear (peeled or not), chopped
1/3 cup dates, chopped
1/3 cup raisins, chopped
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger root, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup purple grape juice
1 apple (peeled or not), chopped
1 pear (peeled or not), chopped
1/3 cup dates, chopped
1/3 cup raisins, chopped
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger root, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup purple grape juice
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