Kooky Communion & Collection Stories

[margin overa]

Apropos of the thread on deacons, my home congregation had a deacon whose job was to coordinate the Lawd's Supper. One of the things he always insisted on every Sunday was that the guy leading the LS break each cracker panel before passing it down to the servers, since "breaking bread" was commanded in Scripture.

[Lev]

It's actually amazing someone managed to create something that seems to defy all the laws of edible food and still somehow be edible.

Not just edible, but "authorized" by the Bible. As opposed to the stuff commonly known as "bread" which is available anywhere, costs less, tastes better, and helps us think of Jesus during communion better (you know, this do in remembrance of me?) because we aren't constantly wondering about the makeup of some kind of pseudo-bread. But nope, can't have "leaven."

Lev

[agricola]

The egg and onion is tolerable and chocolate covered matzo is actually pretty good.

If any of you have ever used matzo MEAL as a breading in cooking, all that is, is crushed up matzo. It is kind of a flour substitute that is okay at Passover because it was already cooked without any leavening products. At Passover the only allowable leavening we use is eggs. We go through a LOT of eggs at Passover!

[illuminator]

Matzo Ball Soup is good though!

[agricola]

Mix matzo meal with salt, pepper and eggs and a little oil. Let sit (in fridge) for 15 minutes, then form into balls about an inch across and drop into boiling water (or soup) cover and cook for - oh I forget exactly how long -
anyway, some people make them in water then put them into soup, but I usually go ahead and cook them right in the soup broth myself.

If I can find a proper recipe I'll put it in Coffee House. You can buy pre-mixed matzo meal where all you add is the eggs and oil, though. You can even buy canned matzo balls, in broth or in soup - in a jar (convenient! not as good!)

[illuminator]

Since we've wandered off topic a little, has anyone ever watched Feed Me Bubbe -- the Jewish Grandmother you never had but always wanted. I really miss her.

[ena]

Love the posts.

[ena]

Matzo Ball Soup is good though!

I've made it. You can buy matzo meal that comes with a recipe for matzo balls. The thing is that the matzo balls soak up the broth. I use a good chicken broth. The better the broth the better the matzo balls. That is what is so good. You can curry it. It is similar to dumplings which you may have enjoyed. You can add various things like chicken and peas. The meal does thicken the broth. This might be a good slow cooker thing. They are easy to make and often have an appreciative audience. Like Agricola's post too. Egg and oil are part of the recipe.

[Struggler]

It's called 'matzo' and it is Jewish 'unleavened bread' (and you are right, it tastes awful).

IF - I do mean IF - you believe the 'Last Supper' was a Passover seder, then Jesus and the apostles would have been eating 'unleavened bread', however, at that time it was probably more like soft pita bread or naan than like matzo.

Over the centuries, the process of making kosher for Passover matzo has become more and more strict, until we are stuck with the flat dry tasteless crackers we know and theoretically love today.

However - sliced bread wasn't invented (as a commercial product) until really recently (only about eighty years ago I believe).Before that - and for centuries and centuries - people would get together for a meal, say a blessing, and everyone would grab hold of the BIG LOAF of bread and PULL on it and 'BREAK' the bread. If you were fairly poor, your entire meal might consist of only your 'daily bread', and maybe some fat or grease to wipe up with it.

So 'breaking bread' involved sitting at the same table, and eating together.

(they also didn't have packaged yeast - instead they had 'starter', or they let their flour and water mix sit until it started to bubble and grow from the wild yeast that floats around in the air (it does that). The Israelites had 'unleavened bread' at Passover because they were in a HURRY and didn't have time to let the bread rise, but just slapped some flour and water together and cooked it (probably on hot rocks around a fire) in a hurry.

That's about what's done now making matzo: mix flour with water, roll it out flat (so it will cook faster) and cook it - fast. To be 'kosher for Passover' it has to go from flour to cooked in under 18 minutes. The holes in the flat wafer are made to help it cook faster (and stay flat).

It has a couple of other names - it is the Bread of Freedom - and also the Bread of Affliction (and Poverty), which is more descriptive.


Actually, a whole lot of churches buy their 'communion bread' from Manishewitz or Streitz. Alas, Streitz is going out of business soon. I get my kosher for Passover matzo from Amazon - I can get Israeli brands, which are a bit tastier (not very much).

Streit's is only closing its Manhattan factory. Plan is to move matzo production to New Jersey, where they have a plant that makes their other products.

[musicman]

One of the funniest stories I've heard about the "Lawrd's Supper" was told years ago by one of my Lipscomb Bible teachers.

This teacher(Bro. Leo Snow) had preached some place..as a substitute, I think..which did things "right." They only used one cup for the grape juice.

Bro. Snow told us there was one gentleman who always sat on the front pew, but had to be served the juice last. When he was served, this man would drink the entire contents of the cup. He gave the reason"..Jesus said 'drink ye all of it!".

I once mentioned that to a Lutheran pastor; he almost bent double laughing over it. Pastor said the verse really means "each one of you drink from it."