Seders

[magid]

For the first time in years, both seders I went to were in my own municipality, less than a mile from home.

First seder (chez Toyb) featured:
* ten adults, one small (younger than 1.5, so not yet focusing on the event, and able to sleep through much of it), and three who will be babies at next year's seders
* some people I hadn't met before, who had interesting conversation
* four cups of grape juice
* four questions asked by the parent of the small in ASL
* a variety of haggadot leading to a variety of interesting notes and discussions
* realizing that the multiplication of plagues could be reframed as proportions
* unanswered question of why Shirat haYam isn't included in the haggada
* a reason for why salt isn't used for the mitzva of matza
* hand shmura matza
* second half of the seder pretty much to oneself, and no songs after
* Little Miss Austen Pride and Prejudice board book (1 English village, 2 wealthy gentlemen, etc.)
* walking home in hail (much the best plague to have happen if a plague had to happen, I suppose), arriving home around midnight


Second seder (chez JasonS) featured:
* eight adults and four smalls ranging from 2.5 to 5ish, so interested in some of what was going on when not otherwise making mayhem
* two people I hadn't met before, college students both
* showing up early enough to help with prep
* many many finger puppets, as well as other props
* three cups of different red wines, all dry, and one of grape juice
* everyone using the same haggadah making it easier for folks with less familiarity to keep their places
* being the Artscroll, the haggadah avoided certain kinds of controversial translations, and didn't include counting the omer
* hats for the rabbis, and sound effects around the greater numbers of plagues
* machine matza
* matza stuffing with spinach and orange
* moments of happy dancing naked little kids
* everyone else leaving at the end of dinner, so my host and I finished the seder together, singing some of hallel and the songs afterward (which felt comfortable, not weird; yay for friends)
* stayed a bit later to help with some clean-up
* arriving home by around 11:30


I was sad not to be able to go across the river this year, missing the discussion, as well as the innovative approach to karpas. Another year, I hope.

Comments

[cellio]

unanswered question of why Shirat haYam isn't included in the haggada

Hmm, good question. Maybe because we read it in shul? That feels weak, though.

What does Artscroll have against counting the omer?

[magid]

We read a lot of things in shul that are also in the haggada, such as Hallel, and Nishmat. Shirat haYam just seems too topical to miss, even if the intro psukim with Moshe are left out. Moreso than the pretty useless plague acronym, for instance.

My guess is that Artscroll didn't put the omer into the haggada because of course people went to maariv before the seder, and it was counted there. I still think it's a poor decision, since it takes up almost no space, and on the teeny tiny chance (ahem) that someone didn't make it to shul, they're possibly not going to remember to start the counting after four cups of wine.
(I know at least one friend who's missed counting 1 due to this, which frustrated her, not being able to count with a blessing the whole time.)