Passover rituals as model for parental transmission of values

Abstract

Drawing on the vibrant practices of the traditional Passover meal (Seder), this chapter presents a Jewish approach to parent-child interaction. Presenting eight principles for parents to effectively convey values in the context of wider research, the chapter suggests that the methods used at the Seder offer particularly useful ideas for parents to use for optimal parent-child interactions. This chapter presents a Jewish approach to parent-child interaction that adds insight to the major trends in research on parenting for moral values and socialisation in the last half century, focusing in particular on the use of reasoning to discipline and nurture children, the role the child plays in the parenting process and on the relational dynamic between the parent and child. Particularly highlighted are practices in the Passover meal that enhance parent-child conversational discourse.