politics and seder

[David Seidenberg]

Hi again Chevra,

 

I got some respectful feedback that one person wouldn't like to have mentioned the death penalty law in the haggadah.

I do think that if the seder has no direct political relevance then nothing in religion has relevance. And that surely is not true.

Nevertheless, it can feel like twisting our rituals to make them always about politics.

As I explained, the death penalty law is mentioned in the introduction to the seder. That is a page that is easily left out if one wants, but more importantly, the choice about whether to make it part of the seder is really up to the participants -- the law is not referenced directly in the haggadah. However, the seder already emphasizes the rights of the stranger in Torah, and I've added to the haggadah more explicit references to the repeated statement in Torah that one must have the same rules for the tribe member and the stranger.

It is quite clear that that rule is violated, in the worst way possible, by the law just passed by the Knesset. So the place where that discussion would fit is clearly marked, without foisting or forcing a discussion into the seder.

I hope that makes sense to people.

wishing everyone liberation and freedom and holiness and yummy seders,

David Seidenberg