Please pass the charoset

 

Passover Table
(Photo by datafox)

The “life is short, eat dessert first” crowd might favor the charoset on the Passover platter.  Although this sticky mixture of fruit, nuts, spices and wine is there to symbolize “the mortar used by Hebrew slaves to build Egyptian structures,” it is the sweetest-tasting item there.

Other components, such as the salty-tears karpas (parsley), the bitter-ordeal maror (horseradish), and the sacrificial shankbone (or bloody-looking beets) can seem far more daunting. 

Nevertheless, the seder night is different from all others because it commemorates the giant shoulders that so many have been standing upon.  Life itself is bittersweet, yet filled with miraculous treasures.

Resources

https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/passover/learn-about-passover-seder-plate

Father Abraham

 

Abraham and Tad, 1864
(Photo by Anthony Berger) 

Abraham Lincoln was named after his paternal grandfather, a military captain from the American Revolutionary War. Their likely namesake was the patriarch Abraham, considered to be the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Lincoln had four sons: Robert, Edward (Eddie), William (Willie), and Thomas (Tad).  Tragically, Eddie died in infancy, Willie at age 11, and Tad at 18.  Robert Todd Lincoln served as a captain in the Union Army at the tail end of the Civil War.  He was granted an honorary law degree from Harvard University and served as Secretary of War under James Garfield and Chester Arthur.  Robert was present at the 1922 dedication of his father’s Washington, D.C. memorial.

After the birth of their sons, Mary Todd Lincoln began calling her husband “Father.”  He was also called “Father Abraham” by many a grateful citizen.  A popular 1862 poem began with the line “We are coming, Father Abraham, Three Hundred Thousand More.”  This was in response to Lincoln’s urgent call for Union Army recruits.  His paternal nickname also reflected Lincoln’s habit of dispensing advice, whether asked for or not.      

Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, which happened to be Good Friday of that year.  “Father Abraham” then took on divine overtones.  Evangelicals felt that Lincoln’s martyrdom was payment for the nation’s sins.  Only a month before, Lincoln had emphasized the sin of slavery during his Second Inaugural Address.

Resources

https://time.com/4738248/good-friday-palm-sunday-civil-war-appomattox/

Eldest Daughter, Younger Mother

Mary and Elizabeth
(Photo by Deror avi)

When a daughter becomes old enough to resonate with her mother’s later-in-life pregnancy, some interesting things can occur.

A 15-year, University of California research study found that early signs of puberty often result from this “eldest daughter syndrome.”  Such signs include changes in bodily hair, skin conditions, cognitive development and emotional maturity.  They are especially prevalent when Mom exhibits symptoms of prenatal stress.

This syndrome takes on a life of its own after the baby arrives.  The eldest daughter is often thrust into a nurturing role.  This might be Nature’s way of ensuring that the infant will survive if Mom were not able to provide adequate care.

Researchers from the United Kingdom’s University of Essex found that eldest daughters are often quite successful in life.  Oprah Winfrey and Beyonce are convincing examples of this. It just goes to show: Real-life challenges can be way more fruitful than TikTok ones.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/eldest-daughter-syndrome-real-thing-104507937.html