Happy Easter to everyone in the Bleeding Heartland community who is celebrating today. I’ve posted some Holy Week-related links after the jump.

Passover began last Monday evening and ends this Monday evening in Israel and for most Reform Jews worldwide. Outside Israel, Conservative and Orthodox Jews will observe the holiday until Tuesday evening. A few Passover links are below as well.

This is an open thread: all topics welcome.  

Although I am not Christian, I enjoy some sacred choral music. Here is the opening part of J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, first performed on Good Friday in 1727.

Pope Francis made headlines this week by washing the feet of 12 young prisoners, including two women (one of them Muslim).

Some “traditionalist” Catholics did not appreciate the new pope’s spin on the “Maundy Thursday” ritual–or some of his other recent choices.

Artistic renderings of Jesus have changed greatly over the centuries; this article chronicles how images of him as a white European became dominant.

Some modern forensic scientists believe Jesus may have looked like this picture.

A fascinating essay by Professor Michael J. Cook argues that the Last Supper was probably not a Passover seder. Most of the evidence from the Gospels points to an ordinary meal before the start of the Passover holiday, aside from one paragraph in Mark that contains “five striking anomalies.”

If you’ve never attended a seder before, here’s a concise summary of what happens.

Certain prayers are recited at every seder, but there is no standard prayer book (Haggadah). Hundreds of different versions have been published; you can download many of them online. Here is a basic no-frills Haggadah. I prefer versions with meditations, historical notes, commentaries on the Biblical story, and reflections on the themes of Passover (not necessarily all from Jewish sources). This contemporary Haggadah is excellent.

The book of Leviticus refers to a “feast of unleavened bread” lasting for seven days, but traditionally, many Jews observe Passover for eight days. Here’s the short explanation.

The Obama Foodorama blog has lots of details about this year’s White House seder and Easter Egg roll, including a free downloadable children’s Easter activity book.