Open Thread - Orange On The Seder Plate
April 15, 2014

From Anita Diamant, Pitching My Tent:

Just like the shank bone, the orange is there so that someone under the age of 13 will ask, “What’s that thing doing on the seder plate?”

The orange is there so that Mom or Dad can say: “I’m so glad you asked that question. The orange is a symbol of the struggle by Jews who used to be ignored by our tradition--like gays and lesbians, and women, and converts--to become full partners in religious and community life. The orange is a sign of change, too, because now all kinds of Jews are rabbis and cantors and teachers and leaders. And the orange is a mark of our confidence in the Jewish future, which means that someday maybe you too will bring something new to the seder plate.”

Another version of the story says that Jewish scholar Susannah Heschel gave a speech about the ordination of women clergy. From the audience, a man declared, “A woman belongs on the bima like an orange belongs on the seder plate!” Thus the orange is now on the Seder plate.

Open thread below....

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