Happy Passover!

[julieisafemme]

Originally Posted by Andrew, Jr.

There is an often-repeated story that an Orthodox woman once asked her Rabbi why whe could not particpate fully in the service by reading the Torah from the B'mah. The rabbi was unbending in his refusals to the woman and retorted, "A womean belongs on the B'mah like an orange on a Seder plate." Where her this story is true or legend, we oblige our need to symbolize promote inclusion of all people's prayer's, male, female, young, young at heart, of various personal orientation, by including an orange on our Seder plate today.

This story was actually ascribed to Suzanna Heschel, daughter of the great Jewish thinker, Abraham Joshua Heschel. My rabbi told the story at last year's Seder and clarified it as something that floated around in the 70s lesbian Jewish herstory. You can Google the phrase and lots comes up about the various versions of the story.

Here is an explanation supposedly from Heschel herself. http://www.miriamscup.com/Heschel_orange.htm

I am chametz free and a little cranky for it. Chag Pesach Sameach!