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Celebrate with flowers
Early in the Passover Seder
ceremony, the leader recites a pas
sage in the Haggadah from Song of
Songs:
“For lo, the winter is past. Flow
ers appear on the earth, the time of
singing is here.”
Irises, narcissus and anemones
were among the flowers that her
alded the arrival of spring in bibli
cal times, and they still do so
today. They also add splashes of
joyous color to the traditional
Seder table, along with the glowing
candles and sparkling decanters of
wine.
Each of these seasonal flowers is
recorded in the Bible under more
poetic names. The pastel blue and
yellow blossoms we know as irises,
for example, were called “lilies by
the rivers of waters” in Ecclesi
astes. The Hebrew name for the iris
is shushan.
According to botanists, the bib
lical “lilies of the field” are ane
mones. The Hebrew name for these
deep crimson and purple blossoms
is kalanit.
The Talmud refers to a vibrant
yellow flower called narkom in
Hebrew. It grows wild in the desert
areas of Israel, bursting into full
bloom in January. In the cooler
climates of North America, this
flower is among the first harbin
gers of spring the narcissus.
* * *
At Seder, a bitter herb, usually
horseradish root, is an important
element of the ceremonial plate. It
symbolizes the oppression Jews
experienced in Egypt. Some botan
ical scholars have concluded that
the bitter herbs, or maror, menti
oned in the Bible were dandelion
greens and chicory leaves.
Other elements of the ceremon
ial plate include:
Three whole matzot placed in a
twice-folded napkin, which sym
bolizes the traditional loaves
placed in the ancient Temple dur
ing the festival day.
A roasted shankbone, burned
and scorched to represent the an
cient Passover sacrifice.
Haroset, a mixture of chopped
apples and walnuts, which repre
sents the mortar the Jews of Egypt
used while performing enforced
labor.
A roasted egg, symbolizing the
triumph of life over death.
Parsley or other green herb to
represent the growth of spring
time, hope and renewal.
* * *
Just as parsley symbolizes the
growth of springtime, the product
of that growth—fresh flowers—
evokes all the joys of the Passover
celebration.
Tradition prescribes that all
meals must be cooked and served
in utensils and dishes reserved only
for Passover use. Florists suggest
that any Pesach bowl or tureen
would be an appropriate container
for a Seder table centerpiece.
In addition to irises, narcissus
and anemones, other spring flow
ers available during Passover in
clude roses, tulips, carnations,
snapdragons, daisies, asters, chry
santhemums and daffodils.
HAPPY
PASSOVER
“a good store since 1924”
Morns Freedman Erwin & B.J. Jacobson
1 r >0 Peachtree St., S.W. 522-7789
Happy
Passover
to our friends
and patrons.
Remember...
Bring in your furs for *
seasonal storage, repair,
cleaning and glazing.
Open Mon. Sal. 10-5:30
Plaza Walk Shopping Center
3872 Roswell Road
261-8520
(1 block North of Piedmont)
WE WANT YOU TO HAVE
THE BEST BAR MITZVAH
IN 5,000YEARS.
A Bar Mitzvah is a one-in-a
lifetime occasion.
And we want to make it
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very precious time
for you, your
son, and all
your guests.
At the
Radisson Inn,
our experi
enced, atten
tive staff is
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fied in this regard!
We’ll see to it that everything
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With no bother to you. And the
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to handle all your
requirements.
Whether you’re
planning an
affair for
600 people,
or 60.
We think
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more than
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For further details call Ray Martin
in our catering department.
394-5000 extension 505.
<1 Radisson Inn Dunwoody
® 1-283 at Chamblee-Dunwoody Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30338 • (404) 394-5000
PAGE 15P THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE April 18, 1986