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I was asked this question by three separate people at last night's community seder, and probably a dozen more times throughout the year. I figure that there must be many more folks who are uncertain about it, so I thought it would be a good idea to answer the question and also offer some reflections on its meaning for contemporary Jews.

Is there one seder, or two? Is Passover seven days long, or is it eight?

In Exodus, chapter 12, the Torah says, as plain as day, that the ritual meal commemorating the exodus from Egypt—the origin of the seder—shall begin at twilight on the 14th of Nisan. It does not say anything about a meal on the evening of the 15th day, or any other. The text goes on to say:

You shall celebrate a sacred occasion on the first day, and a sacred occasion on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them; only what every person is to eat, that alone may be prepared for you. You shall observe the [Feast of] Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your ranks out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day throughout the ages as an institution for all time. In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. (Exodus 12:16-18, JPS Translation)

How did we end up with the idea that Passover is celebrated for eight days, when the Torah says seven? Where do we get seders on the first two nights, when the Torah only mentions a special meal on the first night?

The answer is that the rabbis instituted an additional day to all of the Torah-commanded festivals (except Yom Kippur) because of a problem in reckoning dates. In the early centuries of the common era, the new month was declared by the actual observation of the moon in Jerusalem. A month could not begin until the first sliver of the new moon was actually sighted and reported to the Sanhedrin (the chief rabbinic council).

This, of course, created a problem for any community that was more than a day's travel from Jerusalem. A lunar month is approximately 29.5 days long. If you know what day the last month started, there are only two possibilities for the first day of the next month. It's either the thirtieth day after the last new moon or it's the thirty-first. But, how could people far from Jerusalem know which one to start on without a message from the Sanhedrin?

For Jewish communities in far away Babylon and Alexandria, information about the correct date could take weeks. The rabbis tried different methods to spread the news more quickly. A system of bonfires on mountain tops was instituted to announce the new month, but this system was easily foiled by opponents of the rabbis and Israel's enemies who set false fire signals.

Eventually, the rabbis adopted a system in which communities outside the land of Israel were required to observe Torah-ordained festivals on two days—one day that would be correct if the previous month had been 29 days long, and one that would be correct if it had been 30 days long. All of the rituals associated with Rosh Hashanah, the first day of Sukkot, Sh'mini Atzeret, the first and last days of Passover, and Shavuot were repeated for a second day. This second day of the holiday for the diaspora, yom tov sheini shel galuyot, is the reason for two seders and for a total of eight days of Passover.

In the fourth century, the rabbis switched to a calendar based on mathematical calculation of the lunar cycle instead of direct observation. This is the Hebrew calendar we still use. However, by that time, the practice of adding a second day to the holidays had been established as a permanent practice. In fact, the celebration of Rosh Hashanah as a two-day holiday had become so ingrained that it was observed even in Jerusalem, the city that knew the date of the new moon better than any other.

That's the way the holidays stayed until the Reform Movement arose in the 19th century. The early Reformers declared that the reason for the extra day of the holidays had disappeared more than a thousand years earlier, so they restored the biblical pattern of the holidays with only one day for Rosh Hashanah and seven days of Passover. However, the extra day of the festivals continues to be practiced today outside of the land of Israel by Orthodox and Conservative Jews. Inside the land of Israel, everyone observes the same holiday calendar.

Just to make matters even more confusing, many Reform congregations in the diaspora, for a variety of reasons, now have re-adopted the practice of observing two days of Rosh Hashanah. Also, many Reform congregations (like the one I serve) offer a congregational seder on the second day of Passover to bring the community together on one of our most cherished holidays. We may say that, as Reform Jews, we do not observe the second day of Passover as a full holiday, but, for practical reasons, we do offer a second seder.

Is the diversity of calendars and holiday practices good for Judaism or is it bad? I find that to be a difficult question to answer. I certainly have seen Jews—some Reform and some Orthodox—who become indignant about those "other" Jews who don't observe the holidays the "right way." That kind of partisan and chauvinistic attitude separates one Jew from another is certainly not "good for the Jews."

On the other hand, diversity within the family of the Jewish people can also be seen as a good thing. It keeps us thinking about why we do what we do and it opens up our minds to new possibilities. Reform Judaism has become better in recent decades because it has faced the challenge represented by Orthodoxy and has responded by re-imagining rituals that were once discarded—like immersing in the mikveh and wearing a talit—and has injected new life and meaning into them. Orthodoxy, too, has become better by adopting worship practices that were innovated by Reform Judaism—like communal singing in worship services and greater roles for women.

Whether you observed Passover this year with one seder or two, it is likely that your seder was different than the one your grandparents observed fifty years ago. That difference, in all likelihood, can be traced back to an influence inspired by the diversity of Judaism in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Let a thousand seders bloom.

Beat white of egg stiff, then mix all together.
Drop a little from end of teaspoon into boiling fat.
Put in soup just before serving.

I make two 4-5 pound briskets for holiday dinner (they really shrink up and leftovers are fab). I sear the brisket in a frying pan with a little olive oil rubbed in with seasoned salt, pepper. Brisket placed in a turkey oven bag in a roasting pan. Into each oven bag goes 3 sweet onions sliced, two packages of dried fruit (apricots, prunes and sometimes others like peaches and nectarines), a mix of half a small bottle of sweet kosher wine (has to be very sweet, I use concord grape Manishewitz), a jar of chili sauce, a jar of Polaner all fruit jam usually apricot or seedless blackberry). It's all mixed together in the bag and placed in a 325 degree oven for 3 hours.

I let it cool out of the oven, cut open the bags and slice. House smells heavenly. I store it with the sauce of onions and fruit so when you heat it up you have that nice sauce with it. It really is yummy.

The following Matzoh Ball Soup recipe was graciously submitted by Elana'sPantry. A terrific site. Please check it out. And let them know you saw the recipe, here, on www.JewsOnTheWeb.com

Having Macaroons For Passovers

Author: Deandre Castro

For centuries, food has played a prominent role in numerous springtime festivals celebrated by people of various faiths.

For Jews, the last of ten plagues, the night before the Hebrews' flight from Egypt, was the taking of each family's firstborn son. According to Exodus, though, Jews who followed the rules of Moses by sacrificing a lamb, sprinkling its blood on the doorframe and eating the lamb along with other specific foods were passed over and their sons lived. In modern times, for seven to eight days each spring, Jews celebrate Pesach, or Passover, with a ritualistic dinner called a Seder.

An egg, hard-cooked and usually roasted in the oven until the shell browns, is one of five symbolic foods on the Seder plate. Called beitzah, the egg represents life itself as well as burnt temple offerings, grief for the destruction of the temple and the hope of salvation. Under Jewish dietary laws, eggs are neutral and may be served with either milk or meat dishes, so eggs are often used in other parts of the meal, too.

It's egg whites which star in macaroons, a traditional cookie served during Passover. Macaroons are simple to prepare and make a welcome hostess gift for many occasions, especially for working people who haven't time to bake. For a pretty presentation, tie up a patterned gift bag full of cookies, wrap the cookies in colored plastic wrap or place them in a decorated tin. Whether you're Jewish or not, comforting macaroons are a sweet treat that can warm the soul, lift the spirit and help end a celebration memorably.

What about the yolks? Simply cook them in water just as you would hard cook eggs in the shell. Then crumble the cooked yolks over a green salad for a sunny protein source.

Cherry Macaroons

about 3 1/2 to 4 dozen

3 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover vanilla

1/2 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover almond extract

1 1/3 cups (3.5 oz.) flaked coconut

1/2 cup chopped red glace cherries

Additional red glace cherry halves, optional

In small mixing bowl at high speed, beat egg whites until foamy. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are glossy and stand in soft peaks. (Rub just a bit of meringue between thumb and forefinger to feel if sugar has dissolved.) Beat in flavorings. Stir together coconut and chopped cherries. Gently, but thoroughly, fold into beaten whites. Drop by rounded tablespoonsful onto greased or lined (foil or waxed, brown or parchment paper) baking sheets. Top each cookie with cherry half, if desired.

Bake in preheated 325 degree F oven until lightly browned, about 18 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. Store in airtight container between sheets of foil or waxed paper. Wrap for presentation, if desired.

Nutrition information per serving of 1/48 recipe without cherry garnish: 26 calories, 1 gm total fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 mg sodium, 13 mg potassium, 5 gm carbohydrate, 0 gm protein. - NU

Read about cheese storage and mimolette cheese at the Cheese Facts website.

Apple-apricot Fruit Cake Passover Dessert Recipe By: Chef Shelley R. Pogue

Having Macaroons For Passovers

Author: Deandre Castro

Apple-apricot Fruit Cake
Passover Dessert Recipe
By: Chef Shelley R. Pogue