While the prophet Elijah remains conspicuously absent, one Passover Seder in Jerusalem received a more well-known guest.
Morgan Freeman, the well-known actor and voiceover artist, attended a Seder held by Rabbi Maya Leibovitch, the first woman born in Israel to become a rabbi. Footage of the evening aired on May 8 during the sixth episode Freeman’s National Geographic show, “The Story of God.”
The show explores different religious traditions in an effort to uncover the roots and meaning of spiritual practice. Sunday’s episode was titled “The Power of Miracles.”
Nisan, the Jewish calendar month when Passover takes place, “comes from the word nisim, which is miracles,” Leibovich explained to the actor. “It’s the month of miracles.”
The rabbi walked Freeman through the story of the Passover miracles and the various Seder traditions, including the reading of the ten plagues.
“With all due respect Morgan, the children are the center of this night,” she said, referring to the four questions typically read by the youngest person present.
Freeman is famous for his baritone voice and also for playing God in the Jim Carrey film “Bruce Almighty.” A previous documentary television series narrated by the actor, “Through the Wormhole,” was nominated for two primetime Emmy Awards, according to IMDB.
Among other interviewees in Sunday’s episode, Freeman also spoke with a man who fell 46 stories and lived and a pastor who claims prayer saved him from a life-threatening disease.
The full episode can be viewed with a qualifying cable subscription on National Geographic’s website.
