The Percelay Museum of Temple Emanu-El, established in the early 1950s at the behest of Rabbi Eli A. Bohnen, z’’l, with the support of Emanu-El member Natalie Percelay, z’’l, houses a treasure trove of Jewish ritual objects.

A museum is not simply a venue to display interesting or visually pleasing objects. Ritual objects and artwork tell us about our history, our people, our collective past, dor l’dor. The synagogue is a Beit Knesset, a house of assembly; a Beit Midrash, a house of study; and a Beit T’fillah, a house of prayer. Our museum is a vital part in helping our synagogue to bring these visions into reality. In addition, the concept of hiddur mitzvah, “to glorify the mitzvah,” is achieved by enabling us to use the objects in the museum to “beautify the commandment,” and thus enhances our performance of the mitzvah. As a communal resource, our synagogue uses many of these ritual objects in our Jewish daily, monthly or annual observances, and in rituals of the Jewish life cycle. Contemporary, as well as more traditional examples of Judaica are scattered throughout the synagogue, as well as within the four walls of our museum. The Percelay Museum is a living entity, and its precious holdings are not mere artifacts, but vital, vibrant reminders of what was then, what is now, and what can be—as we grow from strength to strength. To schedule a visit to this jewel in Temple Emanu-El’s crown, contact the Museum Director at: museum@teprov.org.

Museum Musings

Passover 5785

Haggadah. Arthur Syzk, edited by Cecil Roth.    Jerusalem, 1956 In memory of Claire Korn by her friends

A Question of Time

I recently heard someone say: "Can't we just pass over Passover this year? How can it be here already? Didn't I just put my Passover dishes away?" Sometimes, it does seem as if the days and weeks and months roll by so quickly, that the years seem to have no beginning and no end. And it's only when looking through photo albums past, or through digital phone pictures present, that a visual representation of the passage of time becomes real. In truth, the ritual of the Passover Seder does allow us to pause and think about time and its importance in our lives. "Time" according to Mr. Webster is "a designated or customary moment at which something is done or takes place." According to Disraeli, "Time will teach more than all our thoughts." With those ideas in mind, I aver that Passover time, and in particular, the time of the Seder, allows us the opportunity, year after year, to actively teach a critical value in Judaism.

In a true story, not apocryphal, when Isador Rabi, the Nobel laureate in physics (1944) was asked what were his influences that led him to study the sciences, he replied: "My mother made me a scientist without ever knowing it. Every other child would come back from school and be asked, 'What did you learn today?' But my mother used to say, 'Izzy, did you ask a good question today?' That made the difference. Asking good questions made me into a scientist." Asking good questions is a prime Jewish value.

We are called the Children of Israel. "Israel" means wrestling with God; we are the people who grapple. And so it seems manifest that the Passover Seder, with its guide, the haggadah, is there to lead us to, and to teach us about, an essential Jewish value: the purpose of wrestling, the need for grappling, the art of questioning.

The Haggadah, the text read at the Seder, the meal that has a specific order for the retelling of that journey from slavery to freedom, encourages inquiry and discussion. Pictured here is a page of an illuminated manuscript, of the "Four Questions" from the renowned "Syzk Haggadah", edited by Cecil Roth. The Percelay Museum of Temple Emanu-El is home to two copies of this haggadah, one of the most recognized haggadot in existence. One, with velvet binding and gold leaf decorations, was a gift to the museum in memory of Claire Korn, by her friends; another copy, silver covered, was donated to the museum by the children of Sam Rosen, by his children. The “Szyk Haggadah,” with traditional text, has illustrations that are anything but. Arthur Szyk, born in Lodz, Poland in the late nineteenth century, was famous for his anti-Axis illustrations and caricatures during World War II. His book of illustrations took the form of illuminated manuscripts and medieval miniatures. He dedicated his work to democracy and freedom, and he said of his work: "Art is not my aim; it is my means," and "I am but a Jew, praying in art." His works were praised as among the most beautiful books that man has ever produced. Examine these haggadot closely, in our museum, and explore Arthur Szyk's interpretation of the Passover story.

Indeed, the myriad of haggadot in print is reflected in the style and substance that comprise the diversity of the Jewish people. These haggadot and their Hebrew and English texts, illustrations and interpretations are testament to all that the Passover story engenders. To ask questions; to grapple with the text; to make meaning for each participant at the Seder table. Some Haggadah titles include: The Maxwell House; Let My People Go; The Liberated Lamb; The Santa Cruz; The Kibbutz Passover; The Archeological Passover; Sammy Spider's Passover; American Heritage; Feast of Freedom; The Haggadah of Contemporary Voices ...and the list continues on and on. Artist/illustrators of these "specialized" haggadot include: Shalom of Safed, Mark Podwal, Leonard Baskin; and forwards are written by such luminaries as Elie Weisel, Theodore Bikel, Noah Zion and Abba Eban.

Key among all versions are the "Four Questions," the part of the Seder in which even our youngest children are able to participate. According to Cecil Roth, "The raising of the tray and the displaying of the Unleavened Bread are presumed to have stimulated the younger members of the company. At this stage, according to a very ancient tradition, the youngest child present asks "The Four Questions" using the actual words of a formula prescribed in the Mishnah, (the most ancient post-Biblical code of Jewish law) which has remained unchanged for at least eighteen centuries. It is in connection with the questioning of the child, referred to time after time in the Bible, that we find the injunction to recount the story of the Exodus. Hence, the entire ritual hinges about these enquiries, the part played by the child in the procedure of the evening being all-important."

So, when the years seems to blur together, and the Passover sederim seem indistinguishable, pause for a moment, look at your photo albums and digital images, or just let memory take you back, and reflect on the conversations and questions asked by the children--and others. From the sederim of my youth, with our “Maxwell House haggadot”, this moment stands out: "Why is this night different from all other nights? On all other nights, we eat bread or pizza, but on this night, we eat only pizza." This formidable question, asked by my five-year-old cousin at our Seder over fifty years ago has been a treasured memory in our family--(and repeated each year!) We now use "A Night to Remember… The Haggadah of Contemporary Voices” as well as several others, distributed around the Seder table, with questions and new discussions ever-present. We, the children of Israel, as in days long past, continue to ask questions, some seemingly significant, some ostensibly trivial... yet, according to Disraeli, there is no such thing as an irrelevant question. "The fool wonders, the wise man asks." Each query can lead to a valuable discussion. The babes of long ago, now have babes of their own, who in their own right, are learning to pick up the mantle as the newest participants in the long history of Seder-dom questioning; and as they begin to understand questioning, beginning with their chanting of "The Four Questions," they are absorbing an essence of Judaism: to ask questions, and thus to continue the legacy as the Children of Israel. So, to respond to the opening query: "Can't we just pass over Passover this year?" Let me count the "why-nots!" The Book of Proverbs says it well: "Days should speak ... and years should speak wisdom."

Any questions?

--Ruth Page, Museum Director

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