Matzah and Grape Juice

Last night I went to my very first Seder with a friend visiting all the way from Tacoma. The experience was interesting. I, myself, am not Jewish but being raised with religion, I was familiar with the story of the Israelite Exodus from Egypt. I enjoyed listening to the Hebrew prayers. Hebrew is an interesting sounding language and unlike any other that I've heard before. I also drank lots of grape juice, four cups to be exact. They were supposed to be four cups of wine representing the four expressions of deliverance and/or the four great merits of the Children of Israel, but grape juice was used instead. There was singing, a little dancing, and a lot of matzot (which I think tastes like a cross between rice cakes and unbuttered popcorn). All in all it was a pleasant time and I feel a little bit more cultured for having experienced it.

I am fond of learning about the traditions of others and expanding my horizons. Last Christmas I also went to Christmas Eve Mass with Ariel, though I am not Catholic. That too was an interesting experience. (They used real wine but as I didn't have any, that fact is rather irrelevant.)