Happy Passover and Easter to All,
As I have said in the past, i am not the most religious Jewish guy out there, but I have to admit that Passover is my favorite of all the Jewish Holidays. What can be bad about a Holiday where you don't have to go to Synagogue and the main celebration takes place around the dinner table.
As a child, Passover was a double edged sword. The great parts were, lots of food, my Nana's famous Matzoh Ball Soup and prizes we would get after the dinner for finding the afikomen (a piece of matzoh hidden by the adults, kind of a Jewish Easter Egg hunt). The earliest memory of this was when we were visiting my Mother's parents and family in Miami. I remember finding the afikoman an I was given 2 rolls of pennies. I asked how much money that was, they told me it was 100 cents...OMG..I was rich! I thought that was a tremendous amount of money. I also loved making the special brownie and cake mixes with my Dad. It was our job to make the cakes and a mix of chopped apples. walnuts, raisins, cinnamon and sweet wine called charoset. I got to chop the nuts and it was great bonding time with my Dad.
Now to the bad part...The Four Questions... The darn four questions that the youngest child in the family had to sing in Hebrew at the dinner. Now, as I have mentioned, Hebrew was never easy for me so it was always a nerve wracking experience.And darn if I wasn't the youngest grandchild until I was like 17..I was so ready to to have someone else deal with the pressure of the "Four Questions'. I still get resentful when my nephews get out of having to do it alone..If I had to suffer, so do they!!!!...whewww sorry..It's a sore subject..lol. Ok..better now.
One year, while I was living in Florida, I decided to have my own Passover Seder (dinner). My parents were coming back from a Cruise and they were arriving back on Passover. So it was going to be Me, Rex, My Parents and 3 non Jewish friends from work. Now as a child, it had always been a tradition that we always brought one non-Jewish friend to our Seders, so I wanted to continue that tradition. Now usually it takes a few people to cook a full passover dinner, but I was dead set to do it on my own. I spent 3 days getting ready, cooking, cleaning, by the time my Parents got there I was ready to pass out. I had made my own Matzoh Ball's but asked my dad to put the chicken soup mix in the water. Only one problem, I gave him two packages of soup mix and only put in enough water for one. Both the Matzoh Balls and the soup tasted like we had gotten the water directly from the Salt Lake. It was the worst dinner! That was the one and only time I ever tried cooking a dinner for anyone.
Part of the traditions of Passover is that the Spirit of Elijah the profit comes to all the houses and sips from the wine glass that has been poured for him. Now while we sing a song for him someone always goes to the front door and opens it so that he can enter. A few years ago, One of my nephews opens the door and we are singing loudly...and in walks a man....it was my van driver coming to pick me up...I'm not sure who was more shocked.
That brings me to the present. The first Seder is tonight at my brother's house, of course his electricity went off last night, you know what it's like getting an electrician on a Sunday. Then this morning my Father cut his foot and had to get it glued together (he thought it might be Elmer's glue). Now 2 of the plagues in the bible that fell upon Pharaoh were daylight turning into blackness and water turning into blood, so if we have an infestation of locusts and frogs..we are up a creek! The 2nd night's dinner is at Papa's house. Kathy and I have been very busy boiling and peeling 72 hard boiled eggs and making Charoset for 30 guests and the school class that my Papa volunteers with. It is a family effort and worth it all.
May you all have a wonderful Holiday no matter what Religion you practice. Thank you for joining my family and being part of this blog.
Be Joyful, Be Colorful and Be Superb!
R
Ps...The foods we eat have meaning or represent part of the story of the Jewish slaves leaving Egypt...Eggs-life, Charoset=mortar that built the pyramids.
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