PASSOVER:

Recycling Passover Customs

Every family has its own customs for the Passover seder. Some of these customs can link Passover’s idea of human liberation and environmentalism’s idea of reconnecting humanity with the Earth. For instance, many Jews used to (and many still do) save their lulav from Sukkot to use to burn the chametz (leaven) before Passover. In this way, we reuse one ritual object which was used for a mitzvah (commandment) to do another commandment. This custom, which originated in the 12 th century, applies the concept of bal tashchit (do not wantonly waste any part of Creation) – a key principle of Jewish environmental thinking. The custom also spiritually connects two festivals of Creation: one in the fall (Sukkot) and one in the spring (Passover). It reminds us how everything is recycled through the rhythms of life, death, and rebirth.

Another unusual custom which dates back to the 13^th century is to put some earth, clay or ground stone into the charoset, the mixture of nuts and fruit which is meant to remind us of the work of the Israelite slaves in making mortar for the bricks. During the Civil War, a group of Jewish Union soldiers made a seder and put a brick on the seder plate because they did not have the ingredients for charoset. While you may not want to put clay, earth, or stone into your charoset, you may want to put a stone on your seder plate to symbolize slavery and the misuse of the earth in oppressing people. It can remind us that everything we own and eat comes from the Earth. Just don’t break your teeth!