It’s Tradition and a Mission

Why do we attend Passover Seders? For some of us, it’s a fun and festive tradition with delicious food and people we care about. Many of us love Seders even though we consider ourselves non-religious. As summed up by my new song parody:

Some think that there’s no God above

But they still come because they love

The matzah balls, the people, the tradition.

Others believe we fulfill God’s commandment when we recall the majestic story of the liberation of our ancestors:

While others think it’s God’s decree

That we recall our slavery

To them, the Seder is a sacred mission.

When I was a preteen, my aunt asked me during a family Seder, “Are you having fun?” I answered “yes” but dismissed her question; fun seemed irrelevant. God commanded us to have Seders — reason enough to be sitting there. But over the years, I’ve come to appreciate the wisdom underlying my aunt’s question. Seders have to be fun! If they’re not, we’ll stop attending them, and a wonderful part of the Jewish religion will cease to exist.

Festive tradition or sacred mission? Or both? Whatever brings you to them, may you find both a meaningful message and genuine joy at your Seders.

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Check out “It’s Our Seder,” my new song parody for 2022! You can find the PDF to download and share in our Song Index or listen to a sample vocal track. We also have an instrumental recording that you can use to accompany you and your Seder guests.