Music Monday

 There’s a theme today, but I’m not going to follow it.

Instead let’s talk about Passover.

Just as the Crucifixion and the Resurrection are the core elements of Christian belief, the Exodus from Egypt and the Giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai are the core of Jewish identity.  At Passover it is incumbent upon Jews to retell the story of the Exodus, to reenact it. Scripture tells us that if G-d had not redeemed our ancestors, surely we and our children and our children's children would still be slaves.  

And, unlike most Jewish holidays, Passover is centered on home rituals: holding  a Seder, reading the Haggadah, eating the prescribed foods and drinking the required four cups of wine.

The holiday begins at sundown tonight.  Drew and I will be hosting a Seder in our home.   We will gather around our table with friends and loved ones and tell the ancient story of our liberation from bondage in Egypt.  

So, in honor of the holiday, a few musical selections.

This song defines what a Jewish holiday is.

  

Next up, a song from the movie Prince of Egypt.  A movie that the Rabbi in my synagogue could not stop talking about.  In the middle of the song you will hear the Children of Israel singing in Hebrew.  The words come straight out of the prayer book we use every day.

  

Something very traditional.  

  

This is the bread of affliction that our forefathers ate in the land of Egypt.  Let all who are hungry come and eat and celebrate the Passover with us.

At the beginning of the Seder, the youngest child asks four questions.  We spend the rest of the Seder answering those questions.

  

Once we were slaves, now we are free.

A lot of people add this song to their repertoire.  Did you know Louis Armstrong was adopted by a Jewish family?

  

Really popular right now, a capella groups that turn popular songs into Jewish holiday tunes.

  

 

These days we also recognize the women of the Bible

  

And I think you might enjoy this dance mashup

  

Happy Passover.