LettersLetter from Laura Beth About A Seder for the Liberated Lambs - 21 Feb 2010
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Letter from Laura Beth About A Seder for the Liberated Lambs - 21 Feb 2010
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Dear Reverend. Hoffman,

I have decided to offer a Seder this year called, The Seder for the Liberated Lambs. I do this for many reasons, one being that I so miss a Seder Service I used to participate in with family long ago, in a past life void of the understanding I now share that can't ignore the same tyranny over animals as we Jews experienced through-out history.

I think it is very relevant that next month, when Jews and Christians will gather in holy remembrance of historical times when cruelty and violence affected, as it still does, the shaping of history. It is profound to me, that still, we appear to live under the same political/military ideologies, spawned from the view that nature is a commodity for anyone who can afford to exploit her best, for profit, and that includes the many enterprises that exploit animals.

So we seem to have designed our own trap. Is there light at the tunnels end?

While I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, I can, at least, be one grain of sand on the newly forming , life giving beach that offers a place for pondering the parallels between what was, which opened the way for what is.

I wanted to invite all faiths to this service, and have on hand, some articles that describe the acts of Jesus and why he was really arrested and killed, much the same as we AR people are being targeted today.

Can you suggest which brochures/articles would be best for this purpose?

Thank You, Laura Beth

Reply from Frank and Mary Hoffman

Dear Laura:

This is a wonderful idea.

We have done several Passover/Easter Seder service, often on the Thursday evening before Easter, because it coincides with the one that Jesus and His disciples had.

We blended in the Christian Biblical account with the traditional Haggadah service. Example would be: John's statement about Jesus being The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world; the dipping of the sop (bitter herb); the meaning of the forth cup and the bread and its relation to the Christian Communion service, including the meaning of the afikoman. And the most important thing was why there was no lamb at the service that Jesus and the disciples were at, and why there is no further 'need' for sacrifice or bloodshed.

We'd have grape juice, matzos, parsley, horse radish, and charoset, and of course the empty seat for Elijah; and we would all sit around one large square of tables or at several tables.

The service, including some Q and A was about 1-1/2 hours, and didn't seem to need anything else.

We hope this helps.

In the Love of the Lord,

Frank and Mary


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