Fête de la Pâque

Yesterday night my Jews began Pesach (Passover).
The bulk of the money I've earned from casual work since 8th March is a direct result of their Pesach prep. at school;
as a former Music teacher there, I was hired as their piano accompanist for all their demonstration Seders. (A seder is pretty much the Passover meal, in modern orthodox Jewish style).

The parents come and watch their kids going through the motions of the ceremony - the praying, the saying, the blessing, the eating and of course the singing.

As a result of my work, I now have a string of Pesach songs that are continually jumping about in my head (like the plague of frogs sent in EX. 8).

It may be the one time of the year my Jews admit to ever having been slaves to anyone:
Avadim hayinu, l'pharo b'mitzrayim,
Ata b'nai chorin, b'nai chorin
("We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt – now we are free.")

I often thought during rehearsal, of their forefathers talking to the Son:
"We are Abraham's descendants
and have never been slaves to anyone.."
- JOHN 8:33


And like me, they really like Elijah the prophet, with a song that I think I had to play at least 12 times during the Seders:
Eliyahu ha-Navi,
Eliyahu ha-Tishbi,
Eliyahu, Eliyahu, Eliyahu ha-Giladi.
Bimhayrah v'yamenu, yavo aleynu, im Mashiach ben David,
Im Mashiach ben David.
("Elijah, the prophet .. Elijah, the Tishbite .. Elijah the Gileadite
In haste and in our days, may he come to us
With the Messiah, son of David. ")

And here is that sting:
"But I tell you, Elijah has already come,
and they did not recognise him,
but have done to him everything they wished.
In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands."
- MATTHEW 17:12
________________

During my Pesach music gigs, there were times where I felt quite sad (to the point of tears).

If you know the Scriptures as I do, I think I don't need to explain why.

At this point it is important to grip ROMANS chapters 9, 10 and 11 very tightly indeed!

L/T.