Chag Sameach - Happy Passover!

[dodecahedron]

happy Passover to everyone
enjoy the Seder.

and if you steal the Afikoman - ask for a Sony DVD burner!

[aviationwiz]

Oh well, no bread for 8 days or whatever it is. I'm quite happy with my Ricoh 5125 so I think I'll ask for a WD Raptor.

Happy Passover to all.

[dodecahedron]

Oh well, no bread for 8 days or whatever it is.

freezer stocked with bread, rolls, pitas...

[Inertia]

Happy Passover, dodecahedron.

[CDRecorder]

Happy Passover!

[aviationwiz]

Oh well, no bread for 8 days or whatever it is.

freezer stocked with bread, rolls, pitas...

Well, you sure will be enjoying a nice meal in 6 days consisting of bread, bread, and more bread. Thats unfair, you only have to fast for 7 days while we have to fast for 8 days.

My cousins couldn't even find the Afikomon, they had to have which room it was in told to them. I asked for a Sony DVD Burner Considering I don't even use the one I have now, why get another one. Thats what they said.

[dodecahedron]

Well, you sure will be enjoying a nice meal in 6 days consisting of bread, bread, and more bread. Thats unfair, you only have to fast for 7 days while we have to fast for 8 days.

OK, it's not like you really have to fast!

My cousins couldn't even find the Afikomon, they had to have which room it was in told to them. I asked for a Sony DVD Burner

yeah, that's usually how it goes...

Considering I don't even use the one I have now, why get another one. Thats what they said.

why don't you send it to me them?

[CDRecorder]

My cousins couldn't even find the Afikomon, they had to have which room it was in told to them.

What is the Afikomon, and what is it you are doing with it? I haven't heard about this before, and would be interested to know.

[aviationwiz]

The Afikomon is half of the middle matzah. (There are 10 matzah, so #5.)

Anyways, the Afikomon is hidden, and the youngest kids go and look for it. Then they are given a reward of some sort, in my family, it is cash, in other families it may be different.

[CDRecorder]

Thanks, aviationwiz! That's neat!

[dodecahedron]

What is the Afikomon, and what is it you are doing with it? I haven't heard about this before, and would be interested to know.

the Passover holiday meal, the Seder, is a very elaborate ritual. it is a celebration of freedom, remembering the release of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. however parts of form of the ritual originates from Greek/Helenistic wine feasts.

there are some specific things that have to be set on the table. one of them is 3 matzos (3, aviationwiz, not 10). usually they are placed in a sort of cloth "envelope" usually embroidered etc.

parts of these 3 matzos are eaten at particular points during the feast.

now one of the "rules" is that the middle matza, which is called Afikoman, must be eaten by the end of the feast. the feast isn't ended until the Afikoman is eaten, everyone must eat a piece of it, and if you don't you haven't fulfulled your religious duties of this holiday, and can't leave the table.

so tradition has it that the young kids "steal" the Afikoman sometime during the festivity (usually when the grownups are "looking away" to help them do so), and hide it away someplace in the house. since the Afikoman must be eaten to conclude the Seder, the head of the household, who "runs" the Seder, looks for it but fails to find it. at which point the youngsters blackmail him into promising them various gifts.

other variations exist: the head of the Seder "hides" the Afikoman himself, as a preemptive measure, knowing that if he doesn't the kids will steal it from him etc, but he hides it in such a way that the kids will find it, take it away and hide it again someplace else. when he goes to fetch it, surprise surprise it's gone, kids blackmail to get presents etc.


so you see, the Jewish tradition of scrounging for money (known as "Schnorr" in Yiddish) has very deep roots!
(i'm Jewish, so i can say this sentence and not be accused of being an Antisemite!
although i may be accused of being an AntiDentite )

[MediumRare]

Thanks for the explanation- it's amazing how little one knows about ones neighbours.

so you see, the Jewish tradition of scrounging for money (known as "Schnorr" in Yiddish) has very deep roots!
(i'm Jewish, so i can say this sentence and not be accused of being an Antisemite!
although i may be accused of being an AntiDentite )

Maybe it's more of a tradition of being "Kinderfreundlich" = good to kids.

What's an AntiDentite ? (associations of toothless dentist haters come to mind )

G

[CDRecorder]

Thank you for your explanations dodecahedron and aviationwiz! Happy Passover!

[aviationwiz]

there are some specific things that have to be set on the table. one of them is 3 matzos (3, aviationwiz, not 10). usually they are placed in a sort of cloth "envelope" usually embroidered etc.

Well, we had ten matzos at our Seder, three would not have been enough.

[dodecahedron]

What's an AntiDentite ? (associations of toothless dentist haters come to mind )

it was a joke.
this is from a chapter in Seinfeld. where they make fun of the whole Antisemitism thing.
Jerry makes a few Dentist-jokes, and Kramer accuses him of being an Anti-Dentite.

Well, we had ten matzos at our Seder, three would not have been enough.

sure. but i'm talking about these 3 ceremonial matzos.
"regular" matzos, for just plain eating, there can be as many as you like.