All good stoners know that 4/20 — AKA April 20 — is the official weed holiday. But this year, for the Jewish tokers among us, April 20 will be made even more special, as it coincides with the second Passover seder. So, I am hereby dubbing this ultimate mashup holiday Weed-Over. Don’t @ me.
Before you start kvetching, I assure you that marijuana is kosher for Passover. In 2016, the very, very old Haredi rabbi Chaim Kanievsky blessed cannabis for Passover, making it as K for P as those chocolate-covered jelly rings (you know exactly what I’m talking about). The cherry on top? In The Book of Exodus — yes, the Passover book — God commands Moses to use cannabis, among other spices, to create a holy anointing oil. In Exodus 30:23, Moses is told to gather 250 shekels worth of kanah-bosm, which is roughly translated as “calamus” or “aromatic weed.” Given that in Hebrew kan has two meanings — “hemp” and “reed” — and that kanah-bosm sounds an awful lot like the Scythian word “cannabis,” scholars believe that one of the ingredients Moses was ordered to gather was, in fact, cannabis. I interpret this to mean that God would be very chill with the idea of us incorporating weed into our seders as a means to uphold his commandment.
But enough about history. Let’s get to the good stuff. Here are eight ways to have the best Weed-Over seder ever.
1. Burning blunt
I was just kidding about the biblical history part, we’re diving right back in. The story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt doesn’t really start until the third chapter of the Book of Exodus. In the form of a blazing bush that just wouldn’t burn up, the Lord calls to Moses and formally introduces himself. This is when things start to get juicy. God commands his latest prophet to rescue the Children of Israel from Egyptian enslavement, and after kvetching a little (naturally), Moses agrees.
To commemorate the burning bush that essentially got this whole shindig started, roll a fat blunt and pass it around the table. While joints are quick and easy to roll for a couple of people, blunts fare better with a large group because they take much longer to burn. Here’s a nifty step-by-step guide that shows you how to roll the perfect burning blunt.
2. Kar-pass the marijuana leaf.
Karpas is one of six traditional items on the seder plate that symbolizes hope and renewal. As a reminder of the pain our ancestors felt when they were slaves in Egypt, we dip a green vegetable into saltwater. Most people use parsley as their vegetable of choice, but why not swap it out for a marijuana leaf? (Just don’t dip it in water, what a waste!)
3. The four joints.
One of the highlights of Passover (for me) is the four cups of wine we drink throughout the seder. There are a myriad of reasons as to why we specifically drink four cups, but the reason we drink wine is because it symbolizes freedom, specifically the Israelite’s freedom from Egyptian bondage.
You know what also symbolizes freedom? A fat joint. Four fat joints. Experiencing a high can be a very spiritual, freeing experience, so puff puff pass-over your way through the seder. And hey, if you want to sip on some Manishewitz too, no one’s stopping you. I love a twisted buzz.
Novices, I suggest copping a joint rolling machine, pre-rolled papers, or ordering pre-rolled joints from your local weed delivery guy. You can also watch this tutorial video of Seth Rogen rolling a joint. Enjoy!
4. Weed wine.
If you’re averse to joints and prefer to uphold the sanctity of the traditional four cups of wine, here’s a plan B for you — weed wine. I can’t guarantee the wine will be kosher for Passover, and unless you live in a state where marijuana is legal, it’ll be hard to acquire one of these bad boys. If it’s kosher for you, check out CannaVines.
5. Not your grandma’s matzah ball soup.
Award winning cookbook author Joan Nathan paired up with Vice to show us all how to add marijuana to matzah ball soup. Click here to watch the video — I’ll let her do the talking.
6. Find the afiko-maryjane.
During the seder, the afikoman marks the end of the meal and the beginning of dessert time. Traditionally, a sheet of matzah is split in half in the beginning of the meal, and the larger half is stored in a cloth and hidden somewhere for children to find at the end of the meal. The reason we play this game is simple: The afikoman — meaning “that which comes after” — matzah is hidden so that it’s not mixed up with the rest of the matzah. What makes the afikoman special? It represents the paschal sacrifice the Israelites made before their exodus from Egypt — AKA, it represents the lamb’s blood they used to protect their firstborn children from the plague of death.
Children usually receive a gift after finding the afikoman to incentivize them to stay awake during the long and grueling seder. But what about us adults who also need a prize to keep our eyes open? Hide an eighth of weed in the afikoman bag, and encourage your guests to use their noses to follow the skunk stench to find it.
7. K-for-P pot brownies.
Fact: Passover brownies are a seder staple. The fudgey dessert is also a weed edible staple (is it redundant to say “weed” before edible?). This is an obvious way to incorporate pot into your seder. Once the afikoman is found and dessert is officially in season, nosh on K-for-P pot brownies to get you through the rest of the haggadah.
To bake edibles, you’ll need need to make cannabis oil first. Here’s one recipe to follow, but peruse the internet and you’ll find several variations.
8. Watch The Prince of Egypt.
Technically this isn’t a way to incorporate weed into your seder, but I think The Prince of Egypt should be required viewing anyway. Once the effects of the brownie hit you, wind down with one of the Jewish community’s most cinematic movies (obviously you can watch A Rugrat’s Passover on the night of the first seder).
Chag Weed-Over Sameach!
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