Asking the clergy about Passover, Easter

When Easter comes during the week of Passover, it is easy to understand how closely these two holidays are linked. Some believe that the Last Supper, where Jesus broke bread with his disciples, was a Passover seder. Rebirth, renewal and a sacrificial lamb figure in both holidays.

Our clergy were asked, "Can the convegence of Passover and Easter unite Christians and Jews?

Rabbi Marci N. Bellows, Temple B'nai Torah, Wantagh:

The two holidays have always been linked. It is impossible not to link them because of the time of year. Both are related to spring and the vernal equinox. The beginning of Passover falls on the full moon because of the use of the lunar calendar. It is fascinating that both holidays have an egg as a central symbol.

Spring is a time of rebirth and life. The rebirth through redemption is a fascinating part of both holidays. We were slaves in Egypt and were redeemed by God and became free and became a people for the first time, the Israelites.

For Easter, there is personal redemption. There is this hope and possibility of hope and a resurrection and all that promises. The lamb is a fascinating part of both Easter and Passover.

Those ancient Jews painted lamb's blood on their houses and the angel of death, who was taking the lives of so many Egyptians, would spare Jewish lives. These lambs were sacrificed to save lives. Then, we have Jesus Christ, who is viewed as a Paschal, or sacrificial, lamb by Christians.

Randy Ellen Sheinberg, Temple Tikvah, New Hyde Park:

Passover is, of course, the holiday that celebrates freedom and the possibility of redemption. One of the quotes in the Haggadah that I particularly like is: "In every generation a person should see him or herself as one who had come forth from Egypt."

What this means to me is that each of us, in each of our own lives, faces Egypt, or The Narrow Place (the Hebrew root of "Egypt"), and each of us needs to take the journey from constriction to freedom. We take that journey through action and through faith. We take it as individuals, and by joining hands as a community.

Passover also celebrates spring and all that it represents -- renewal, rebirth and hope. We celebrate the earth and its potential for renewal.

I'm no expert on Easter, but it seems to me that these themes are similar. I would encourage Christians to participate in a seder. It is particularly meaningful to have those not familiar with the tradition attend a seder. This is the origin of Jesus and how he was raised.

Pastor Gary Brinn, Sayville Congregational United Church of Christ, Sayville:

Easter and Passover are humbling stories that should remind us that we today have the potential to become oppressors ourselves. Both traditions hinge on the idea that the God of the Hebrew religious tradition acts decisively for human liberation. In the case of Passover, it is the liberation of a single tribe, and today's Haggadah continues to tell the story through that frame. The story of Easter cannot truly be understood outside of the Passover and prophetic trajectories.

There can be little doubt that this Galilean itinerant preacher and healer saw himself as an agent of liberation within the Hebrew story.

Christians came to understand Jesus as defeating death itself, and thus breaking both the power of empire and the power of religious bureaucracy.

Passover and Easter call on us to fulfill our part of the covenant with God. We should be caring for our brethren, not oppressing them. And, we should be an advocate for those who are oppressed. We should be working together for those who are at the margins of society.

The Rev. Edward Sheridan, pastor, St. Rosalie's Roman Catholic Church, Hampton Bays:

I believe the convergence of the celebrations of Passover and Easter can unite Christians and Jews -- and all people. The celebration of the Paschal mysteries in the Catholic Church connects to the great history of the Israelites, who celebrated the first Passover.

We as Catholics believe that Jesus came to invite us and all people to love God and love one another. This relates back to the Ten Commandments given to Moses and the Jewish people.

In the celebration of Holy Thursday in the Catholic Church, we believe Jesus gave us his body and blood in the context of the Jewish Passover meal. On that first Good Friday, Jesus offered himself for us on the cross and was raised from the dead on Easter Sunday by God the Father. Through our baptism, we have been united through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

During this Holy Week, let us give thanks to God for all his blessings and let us be transformed by each of our traditions to live in a new way.