Thousands Reached Through Interfaith Seders in 2008
Posted: April 8, 2008
In the weeks leading up to Passover, thousands of people from diverse faiths and ethnic backgrounds came together in different parts of the country to celebrate the Jewish tradition of the Passover Seder in events sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League.
The Passover holiday commemorates the deliverance from Egyptian bondage as the beginning of national history and the time of the barley season, remembrance of the relationship of Israel with the land.
In a longstanding tradition of furthering intergroup understanding, ADL brings together communities of differing faiths and ethnic backgrounds with Jews to learn about and celebrate the universal values and themes in the story of Passover: liberation from slavery, freedom from political oppression, the obligation to remember and teach about our heritage ...
http://www.adl.org/main_Interfaith/Seders_2008.htm
blah, blah, blah ...
Haven't we heard enough "Passover" blather for Goys? What information do Judaic scholars share regarding the Orthodox Judaic "Passover" amongst themselves? What do Judaic scholars say regarding "Passover" that is not intended for seder-celebrating Goys to know?
Professor of Jewish History and Academic Head of the Scholion-Interdisciplinary Research Center in Jewish Studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel Jacob Yuval writes:
Another ritual involving cursing the Gentiles is the famous custom of reciting "Pour Out Thy Wrath" (Shefokh hamatkha) at the Passover seder ... It's earliest mention appears in Mahzor Vitry ... This section of the [Passover] Haggadah is understood by the participants as closely connected with the future Redemption. Opening the door to the prophet Elijah in tandem with the prayer for vengeance signifies a connection between vengeance against the Gentiles and the appearance of the Messiah. It should also be noted that this section of the Haggadah is recited as an introduction to the fourth and last cup of wine, the cup of deliverance ...
Professor Yuval states that the Judaic convert to Christianity, Antonius Margarita exposed this hateful Judaic tradition, and the fact that it applied specifically to Christians, in the 16th century. Yuval continues:
The messianic content of "Pour Out Thy Wrath" was illustrated in illuminated Ashkenazic Haggadot through pictures depicting the Messiah riding on a donkey with Elijah by his side, proclaiming his coming. [Antonius] Margarita ... relates the popular Jewish exegesis of the Messiah's donkey ...
I think that I myself sincerely believed the lies told below. Blessed be God and the Holy Spirit, who saved me from such and other errors. According to the lies of the Jews, when the Messiah comes he will ride upon an ass and seat all Jews upon the ass, while all Christians will sit on the ass's tail. Then the Messiah will ride with all his passengers into the sea, and when he comes to the depths of the sea, the donkey will drop its tail and all the Christians will fall into the sea and drown. And indeed, this will have to be a very big ass. But an even bigger ass is a person who believes such things! (Antonius Margarita, Ein kurner Bericht und Anzaigung [Wien, 1541], fol. IIv).
Once again we find vengeance against the [Christians] at the very heart of the messianic process. (Israel Jacob Yuval, Two Nations in Your Womb, pp.123-125, University of California Press, 2006)
In the spirit of fostering true understanding in interfaith dialog.
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