Lesson video

Hello.

My name is Mrs. Afshan, and I'm so happy to see you here.

Today we're going to learn about a very special meal that Jewish people eat at a festival called the Pesach.

The lesson is called The Seder Meal.

Now, this isn't just a meal.

Every food on the Seder plate has a special meaning and it helps Jewish families remember a big story from a long time ago.

Ready to find out what's on the plate and what it all means? Let's go on a journey together.

The outcome of today's lesson is I can explain what a Pesach Seder is and what each food on this Seder plate represents.

Before we jump into our lesson, let's look at some keywords, which will help us understand everything better.

The words are Seder, Exodus and symbolic.

Would you like to repeat that one more time? I can help you with that.

Let's try my turn, and then your turn.

The first word is Seder.

Seder.

The next word is Exodus.

Exodus.

And finally the last word is symbolic.

Symbolic.

Well done, you did that really well.

Now let's go and find out what these words mean.

The word Seder is used for a special meal Jews eat during Pesach.

It follows a set order, telling the story of how the Hebrews left Egypt.

The next word, Exodus, is the departure of the Hebrews from Egypt.

And the word symbolic means something that represents a bigger idea or a story.

Today our lesson has two cycles.

First, we're going to look at what is the Seder? Sam and Andeep are talking about religious education.

Sam says, "Religious education often seems to be about people and the things they do.

I wonder why?" Andeep replies, "We can understand different world worldviews by finding out about how people behave.

People show what is important to them by the things they do and the ways they celebrate." In today's lesson, we will learn how the Seder meal is celebrated by Jews and what each food on the Seder plate represents in the Jewish worldview.

Let's get started.

What can you see? Look closely.

What different items can you spot? What might this photograph show? What might be about to happen? You can pause the video now and share that with the person sitting next to you.

Let's find out.

Let's meet Victoria.

Victoria is a Jewish person and she has a Jewish worldview.

She says that, "This is the table set for the Seder.

The Seder is a special meal Jews eat every year at Pesach." Do you ever set a table and plan a special meal? Great ideas.

Sam and Andeep want to investigate the Seder.

They start by thinking about some questions they might ask.

"What is the Seder and what does it mean?" questions Sam.

"Is there any special food that is eaten?" wonders Andeep.

Let's join them to find out about the Seder.

Do you have any more questions that you might want to ask? You can write them down on a piece of paper or a whiteboard.

"How is the Seder meal different from a regular meal or regular dinner?" wonders Sam and Andeep.

And they're talking to Victoria to find it about her experience.

Victoria replies and says, "The Seder meal is different from a regular meal because it follows a special order.

Seder means order.

Everything we eat is symbolic to help us remember a story." Time for a check.

How is the Seder meal different from a regular meal? Is it that the food is eaten without a family, or the food is all sweet, or is it that the food is eaten in a special order? What do you think? That's correct, the food is eaten in a special order.

Well done.

What can you see in the photograph here? How is it similar or different to the other photograph? What might this photograph show? What connections can you make to what you already know? Think carefully.

Well done, great thinking.

Let's find out together.

This is Rafi.

Let's find out from Rafi what this photograph is all about.

Rafi says, "I'm Rafi and I'm Jewish.

This is the table set for the Seder at my house.

Seder table can look similar, but this year my family created this image of the Exodus!" Sam questions, "Why have you laid the table with the Exodus story?" Rafi explains, "As I'm the youngest in my family, I get to ask questions at the beginning of the Seder." And this is what Rafi asked, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" "The answer is we eat symbolic foods in a set order to remember the story of how our ancestors were freed from slavery," says Rafi.

Time for another check.

All Seder tables will look exactly the same in every Jewish house, true or false? What do you think? False because the Seder meal will be the same, but Jews may decorate their tables differently from family to family.

Well done for choosing false as your answer.

Time for our task.

At the beginning of the Seder, Rafi asks this question.

Do you remember? He asked, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" Can you answer this question? These sentence starters might help you.

The word Seder means (pauses).

Rafi asked this question because (pauses).

For many Jews, this night is different because (pauses).

Use the sentence starters to help you answer the question.

You can pause the video now and come back when you're ready to check your answers with me.

Let's check your answers.

"Why is this night different from all other nights?" wondered Rafi.

You might have said the word Seder means order.

Rafi asks this question because he's the youngest child in his Jewish family.

For many Jews, this night is different because they eat symbolic foods in a special order to remember their ancestors being freed from slavery.

Well done if you completed those sentences.

Great work.

We now know what is the Seder.

Let's go and find out what does each food on the Seder plate represent? Have you seen this plate before? What foods do you recognise? Have a think.

Great thinking.

This is a Seder plate used during Pesach.

Let's talk to different Jews to find out more about this special plate.

"Why are there different types of food on the Seder plate?" wonders Sam and Andeep.

Victoria replies and says, "Every item of food on the Seder plate is symbolic.

This means when we eat it, it reminds us of a particular part of the story of the Exodus." Let's quickly recap what items or what foods are on the Seder plate.

We have lettuce, shank bone, haroset, egg, celery, and bitter herbs.

Let's now go and find out what they represent.

Time for another check.

What is a Seder plate? Is it a plate with symbolic foods eaten during Pesach, or a plate used for meals every day, or is it a plate used to serve birthday cake? What do you think? That's correct.

Seder plate is a plate with symbolic foods eaten during Pesach.

That's the correct answer.

Let's go back to the foods on the Seder plate.

Here we have haroset.

Haroset is a sweet mix of apples, nuts and juice.

What do you think that might represent? What do you think that might symbolise? Are you ready to find out? Let's go.

"Haroset is sweet and sticky and delicious.

It symbolises the sticky mortar that the enslaved Hebrews used to make many buildings for Pharaoh in Egypt." This is a shank bone.

A shank bone is meat.

This is often lamb.

What do you think that might symbolise? Let's find out.

Victoria says that, "The Seder shank bone symbolises how Jews had to mark their doors with blood to avoid that plague that fell on the Egyptians.

It helps remind them of freedom." Time for a check.

Which of these pictures does the shank bone symbolise? Have a look closely.

That's correct, it's the picture B, because it shows how Hebrews have put blood on their doors to avoid plague.

Well done for choosing B as you answer.

Great work.

Let's look at the next item, which is the bitter herbs.

There are often bitter herbs as part of the Seder.

Sometimes this is horseradish and sometimes other food.

What do you think that might symbolise? Have a think.

"The bitter herbs taste very strong and sharp.

They symbolise the pain Jewish ancestors felt when they were forced to work so hard in Egypt." "Why is there lettuce on the Seder plate?" wonders Sam.

Victoria explains, "Usually, parsley is the green vegetable, but some families use letters or celery instead.

We dip these in salty water to symbolise the tears of my ancestors who were enslaved in Egypt." She continues and explains, "At our Seder, we have both lettuce and celery.

My mom says the lettuce is there because it looks sweet and fresh, but if you leave it too long, it goes bitter, like how life started good for the Jews in Egypt, but then it turned really hard." Time for another check.

What does the bitter lettuce remind Victoria of? Is it a school garden, or a fresh salad, or is it the life getting hard for the Jews in Egypt? What do you think? That's correct, it reminds Victoria of life getting hard for the Jews in Egypt.

Well done for choosing that as your answer.

Now let's look at the roasted egg on the Seder plate.

The roasted egg can be symbolic of hope and a new beginning.

Why might that be part of the Seder? Talk to the person sitting next to you and share your idea.

Victoria explains that, "The roasted egg shows hope and new life." She thinks that, "This symbolises how her ancestors got a new beginning when they escaped slavery in Egypt." Let's see if you got that.

What does the egg on the Seder plate remind people of? Is it Easter, or hope and a new beginning, or a happy breakfast with friends? What do you think? That's correct, it reminds people of hope and a new beginning.

That's a correct answer.

Well done.

This is matzah.

Matzah is a flat bread made without yeast.

What do you think that might symbolise? "Matzah is crunchy and fun," says Victoria, "but gets a bit boring after a few days! It symbolises the bread the Hebrews made as they left on the Exodus.

They had to hurry!" Time for our next task.

Izzy says, "I know that the Seder plate food helps tell the story of the Exodus, but I'm sure what they symbolise." Can you help Izzy by choosing at least three of the food items found on the Seder plate and explaining what they symbolise? You can pause the video now and come back when you're ready with your answers.

Let's check your answers.

You might have chosen these three items. The shank bone symbolises how Jews marked their doors during the Exodus.

Or you might have chosen bitter herbs, like horseradish, that symbolises how hard slavery was and reminds Jews of this.

The haroset, it symbolises the bricks and mortar that enslaved Jews used for building in Egypt.

Or you might have chosen matzah, which symbolises how Jews had to eat bread in a hurry to leave, so they did not use yeast.

The lettuce on the Seder plate symbolises the tears of the enslaved Jews when it is tipped in salty water.

And finally, the egg, the roasted egg symbolises new life.

Well done if you wrote your answers.

Great.

So today we've learned that the Seder meal is a special meal most Jews eat during Pesach to remember how their ancestors, the Hebrews, left Egypt to become free.

We also know that the Seder plate has symbolic foods and each one tells part of the story about the Hebrews' journey to freedom.

For example, bitter herbs remind people of how hard life was for the enslaved Jew, and sticky things like haroset remind them of the bricks the enslaved Jews made.

The Seder is eaten in a special order.

Different families may decorate their tables differently, but the meal is the same.

Thank you for learning with me today.

I'm so proud of how you listened and thought deeply.

Now we know that the Seder meal is a beautiful way to remember a promise and a journey.

Maybe you can share this story with someone at home.

We've come to the end of today's lesson.

I will see you next time.

Goodbye.