I had a friend in rabbinical school who every year hosted a party on the night after Passover. Not unheard of, right? First chance to eat bread, pasta, pizza, popcorn. People have their favorite post-Passover meal. One cousin even ships in pizza from Chicago to his office at the Department of Justice in Washington.

But my friend’s tradition is to host a Mimouna, a custom of the Moroccan Jews. In fact, after the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, this is one of five state holidays in Israel. The origins of this festival are shrouded in mystery. It may be named for Rambam’s father who either was born or died on this day. Maimon was important in the Moroccan Jewish community. He was instrumental in Muslim-Jewish relations. He kept the peace. Something we could use a lot more of, given the news out of Israel this week (every week?).  Bombs falling down on Israel from Gaza are never OK. But neither are tires slashed in neighborhoods of Jerusalem with graffiti saying that gentiles are the  enemy in Israel.

http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Tires-of-34-vehicles-found-slashed-in-Arab-neighborhood-of-east-Jerusalem-346298

The Israel Religious Action Center hosted a Mimouna party both in Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem, to get Israeli Muslims and Israeli Jews talking again. In recent weeks when peace talks have broken off and have been on again and off again and I think as of this writing on again but with bombs flying in the south of Israel and tires slashed in Jerusalem, I applaud IRAC for working for Muslim-Jewish relations. I applaud them for working for peace.

Or it could be that the word Mimouna comes from the Hebrew word, faith or belief, emunah, the idea that we should trust G-d. They suggests that it links the redemption from Egypt with the future redemption in the time to come. In the Talmud, it is written, “Just as they were redeemed in Nisan from Egypt, so too in Nisan they will be redeemed again.” Maimonidies himself thought that it was an Arabic adaption of Ani Ma’amin.

Or it could be that Mimouna comes from the Arabic word for wealth, ma’amoun, literally protected by G-d. As we start the agricultural year with Pesach at the same time we drop the liturgical prayer for rain, this makes sense.

Throughout northern Africa, Jews opened their homes to all to celebrate. Libyans made challah with a hard boiled egg in it (sound like Greek Easter bread? Lots of cross pollination!). Children dressed in native costumes of Berbers, people hosted potlucks with the Muslims bringing the flour that the Jews hadn’t owned during Passover so that Jews could make muffletas. Food included rich breads, milk, honey, butter.

At my friend’s house, there would be lots of rosewater. In any case, this tradition from Africa, northern Africa, enriches our understanding of Judaism.  This year there was also a Mimouna in Chicago hosted by AVODAH. Here’s how the organizer reflected on it. “Beyond the food and music, the celebration of Mimouna in the Chicago AVODAH community was an attempt to recapture the narrative of Moroccan Jews and use it as a bridge to build relationships with individuals across national and religious backgrounds. I am hopeful that as Jews pursuing social justice we can learn to revisit and tap into the richness of our histories, knowing that not only can they bring us joy, but also power to pursue the change we wish to see in the world.”

Mimouna makes me hopeful too!