About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again.' ” — Exodus 11:4–6

3/25/2013 4:35:47 PM

religious ridicule, etc

3/25/2013 4:37:27 PM

Oh well that's nice.

3/25/2013 4:38:58 PM

The reason for the season is that it gets warmer and things bloom.

3/25/2013 4:39:42 PM

Except the Israelites.

3/25/2013 4:41:45 PM

Quote :

"religious ridicule, etc"

how'd you make that inference? i was just informing people what passover is all about, since it begins tomorrow, and a lot of people probably don't know what it is.

3/25/2013 4:42:30 PM

btw, this is what the Lord said, according to Moses.

3/25/2013 4:48:50 PM

I would be an atheist but they always force their religion all over me and tell me I'm wrong. I'm not cool with that.

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3/25/2013 4:50:21 PM

Anyone who has seen the prince of egypt knows what it is.

3/25/2013 4:52:49 PM

^^what does that have to do with Passover?

3/25/2013 4:54:30 PM

3/25/2013 5:03:24 PM

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/03/22/175081553/spanish-town-to-host-its-first-seder-in-more-than-500-years

Quote :

"Spanish Town To Host Its First Seder In More Than 500 Years Jews all over the world are gathering around dinner tables Monday night to celebrate the first night of Passover, one of the most important festivals of the Jewish calendar. And in the small, northern Spanish town of Ribadavia, Spanish, American and Israeli Jews are coming together to conduct the first Seder there in more than 500 years. The holiday commemorates the Jewish exodus from slavery in Egypt more than 3,000 years ago, a story retold during the ritual Seder dinner. As part of the service, it's customary for the youngest at the table to ask, "Why is tonight different from all other nights?" This year, the question has even greater meaning for American Erika Henik and her family of eight. "My father read about the Seder and sent it to my sister and me. We replied, 'We should go!' " Henik tells The Salt. "Within two hours, we had tickets for the whole family to go to Spain." Henik says her parents were looking for a meaningful way to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and found it in the Spanish Seder. "My family and I love food. And so much about how Jews were outed in the Inquisition was about food, about what they would and wouldn't eat, what was kosher ... and so now, finally, for the first time, they're doing a public Seder, something that was forbidden years ago. And to celebrate it with food is so gratifying." In 1994, Ribadavia began hosting Festa da Istoria, an annual celebration of its Sephardic Jewish heritage. Enlarge image In 1994, Ribadavia began hosting Festa da Istoria, an annual celebration of its Sephardic Jewish heritage. José Antonio Gil Martínez/via Flickr Jews once thrived in Spain, but in 1492, they were expelled from the country. The Spanish Inquisition was well under way, and tribunals, set up to enforce Catholic orthodoxy, targeted thousands of Conversos — Jews who had converted (often forcibly) to Catholicism but were suspected of continuing to practice their former religion in secret. The Inquisition finally ended in the 18th century, but by then, much of Spain's Jewish culture had disappeared. Recently, there's been a big push to bring Jews back to Spain. Late last year, officials announced a plan to offer citizenship to those who can prove their ancestors were kicked out during the Inquisition. And since the 1990s, some two-dozen towns and cities across Spain have restored their Jewish quarters in a bid to draw tourists. Ribadavia, a medieval town in Galicia, hasn't been shy about trying to reclaim its Jewish past. For example, the town touts the role that Jews played in cultivating its famed white Ribeiro wine and spreading it across Europe. But Ribeiro won't be served at Ribadavia's first Seder, which will be held at a restaurant. Instead, the menu will feature kosher wine and matzo, and typical Sephardic dishes, like a seven-vegetable soup and grilled fish, says Abraham Haim, an Israeli historian who traveled to Ribadavia to lead the Seder service in Hebrew and Spanish. Haim has been visiting Ribadavia regularly since 1994, when residents began celebrating their town's Sephardic heritage during the annual Festa da Istoria each August. This, despite the fact that there are no longer any Jews living in Ribadavia. Nevertheless, Haim, who conceived the plan for the Seder, managed to gather 40 Jews and non-Jews, mostly Spanish, for what he claims is the only authentic public Seder in Spain. Octopus is traditionally on the menu at Festa da Istoria. But, as frequent festival attendee Judith Cohen notes, it's not kosher. Enlarge image Octopus is traditionally on the menu at Festa da Istoria. But, as frequent festival attendee Judith Cohen notes, it's not kosher. José Antonio Gil Martínez/via Flickr But while the effort to lure Jewish tourists back to Spain is working, some take a more cynical view of local intentions. Judeo-Spanish ethno-musicologist Judith Cohen has been traveling to Ribadavia for 20 years — both as an invited musician and as a tourist — to participate in its festival, which includes a traditional Sephardic wedding parade. She has great affection for the town and its people, yet can't help but feel its Jewish history is being exploited. "The festival food [includes] grilled octopus, which isn't kosher and is decorated in stars of David," Cohen tells The Salt. "I find it pretty offensive. The Jewish wedding takes place in a church. To me, they've really appropriated a lot of things and used them to their own advantage. They've even exported these festivals, teaching other towns to do it. One nearby town has stars of David etched into the floor, so you're stepping on them all the time. For a while, there was a deli with a huge display of sausages with labels in the shape of stars of David, inviting Jews to ask about their ham sandwiches. They're my friends, but I feel pretty negative about it." Erica Henik, who crossed the Atlantic to attend Ribadavia's Seder, sees things differently. "I don't care if they're using Jewish culture to increase tourism, because the history is real," she says, adding, "If it benefits them, and my ability to learn about what happened there, I'm fine with that. ""

3/25/2013 5:17:57 PM

And my penis said unto her "I have risen, for the jizzin"

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3/25/2013 5:24:18 PM

Figured I'd just put this here. This was posted in Enterntainment too. It's a novel based on the History Channel's miniseries "The Bible".

http://www.amazon.com/Story-God-All-Us-Miniseries/dp/1455525588

Here's a review

Quote :

"When I watched the first episode of the epic TV miniseries "The Bible," I remember thinking to myself, "This is spectacular, but what if I want to engage with these stories on a deeper level." After watching and re-watching and re-re-watching the entire series, it still felt like something was missing... Thank God for this book! Finally, all the stories from the Bible have been gathered into a single text! Now I can go right to the source to get the news straight from the horse's (or donkey's) mouth, as it were. If you want to relive the fall of humanity alongside Adam and Eve, the story is here. If you want to be captivated time and time again as Moses turns water into blood, look no further. If you are looking for THE comprehensive account of just what God has been up to these last 5,000+ years, you must buy this book. And that's not all! Recently, a small group of friends and I have been getting together to study the stories here. What a blessing it's been! We're even thinking about gathering a larger group once each week and having a few gifted leaders teach us important truths based on this wonderful book. Who would have thought that a single text could be so life-encompassing and applicable. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a perfect resource. I do have a few complaints/suggestions: - Is there a leather-bound version available? I hope there will be soon. - I'd like to have even more detail, if possible. Why not add more stories, along with genealogies, poetry and maybe even a few letters? - What would really be cool is if there was some sort of reference system to allow readers to connect parts of the book to other parts, when appropriate. Certainly not damning criticism by any means, just some thoughts I had... I any case, I give this book two thumbs way, way up! If you've spent your entire life wondering if there is a God that you can put in a box, consume in small, easy-to-chew quantities and exploit in order to feel some arbitrary (albeit fleeting) sense of meaning and happiness, this is the book for you. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a true representation of the real God, the God who is worthy of your entire allegiance and all your praise, the God who will use both blessing and suffering to transform you into the person you were made to be and who will ultimately give you eternal joy and infinite satisfaction, I've heard you can find him in the actual Bible... but really, who's got the time to read that old rag, or the courage to encounter such a God, for that matter?"

What do you think? I think it's kinda silly to write a book based on a tv show that's based on a book.

3/27/2013 12:29:23 PM

the egg hunt is the reason for the season

3/27/2013 12:56:54 PM

^^ It's kinda silly, but I'm okay with things like simplified movie novelizations aimed at young readers.

This, however, is the most influential piece of literature in the history of the world.

3/27/2013 1:01:54 PM