The Feast of the Passover!

Hey all --

I already posted a few things last week about Passover.  Now that it'll be upon us tomorrow, I couldn't resist a schmear more!

As I noted in last week's posting, those who observe Passover are treated to two extremes.  The first extreme is two back-to-back Seders, or family-style dinners with an ancient festival ritual recited at the table.  Not only do we get extreme tradition, we get extreme amounts of food!  Matzah-ball soup, kreplach, turkey brisket, matzah stuffing (there is a way to make this, but I'm no Guy Fieri, so I'm not looking to check the ingredients), chocolate macaroons, etc. and so forth!

The other extreme is the rest of the week.  Those who observe Passover take it upon themselves to abstain from eating bread, pasta, and numerous other items that are considered "chametz," or leaven (pronounced "choomitz" for the Yiddish-inclined amount us, and "chah-maytz" for the Hebrew afficionados -- there is a difference!)  For many of us, our breakfast will consist of matza with a schmear of Temp Tee.  Our lunches from the deli will be salads or grilled vegetables.  And our dinners will be, you guessed it, leftovers (this is, of course, similar to a double Thanksgiving, so it does happen).

As I said before, this is something that people either do willingly, avoid willingly, or do begrudgingly with a furrowed brow and complaining heart.  Not to toot my own horn, but I pride myself in being in "Group A."  The positive effects of this custom include weight loss through a somewhat scaled-down diet.  Of course, people who know me personally and comment on how I'm "so daaaamn skinny" will tell me that I have no need for such things, since I happen to also be an long-distance runner.  Thanks for the compliment, but if I took that advice seriously, I'd be entered in the "Clydesdale" division of every race I ran!  :)

I actually do it for a more important reason -- plain old discipline.  When we are faced with challenges, which may include uncomfortable or unpleasant situations, we have the choice to say no.  But we also have the choice to face it head on, and weather whatever price must be paid, even if it doesn't always feel, or taste, good.  After the Jews were freed from slavery in Egypt, they wandered through the desert searching for a home, with not much to sustain them.  They complained that they were running out of food to eat, they wailed that their lives were somehow better when they were slaves, and they pointed several thousand fingers at Moses for daring to ensnare them in this trap.  Apparently, Moses and/or Aaron did not make it clear to the ex-slaves, or more likely they just didn't listen and think it over, that freedom didn't come for free. 

They remembered how the Egyptian taskmasters fed them, while they had barely any food in the desert.  No kidding, smart guy, that's because starving slaves weren't able to build pyramids!  They fed the slaves for their empire's purposes, not for altruistic or compassionate reasons! 

But once the Jews had left Egypt, it was up to them to feed themselves.  Their freedom could not be handed to them, it was something that they had to earn, and in the earning, they'd simply have to struggle for some time.  And if that meant munching on a half-baked piece of flour and water because they didn't have all night to slooooowly bake it over a fire, then they needed to chow down!  And if that meant rationing their provisions until there was a better source of food and water to be found, then they needed to stay hungry and keep looking!  And if that meant holding their tongues and not whining about how uncomfortable things got, as some of them would eventually find out to their dismay, some things are better left unsaid!

This is my way of reminding myself of those values -- since freedom isn't free, sacrifices sometimes have to be made.  And going without my usual Mongolian grill buffet or Subway sandwich for a week and a day is precious little as sacrifices go.  That being said, it's my choice to do it this way -- nobody's forced it on me or enslaved me into doing it -- I've elected to do it for my own reasons!

That being said, the later chapters of Exodus remind us of the Jews' rewards once the built the Tabernacle and found somewhere to dwell -- manna from Heaven!  As G-D's reward to the Chosen People once they got their heads on straight and started building a new nation, he gave them free food!  And to make sure they'd get the hang of this Sabbath day thing, they got a double portion every Friday so they wouldn't have to collect it on Saturday! And this was goooood stuff too, supposedly it tasted like a pita dipped in honey -- now that's the real deal!

What does this extra message mean?  Sacrifice and discipline are rewarded.  It might not be the reward you're expecting, but when you stay disciplined, you have a far better chance of reaching your goals, in one way or another.  And when I'm able to keep this custom for the full 8 days, I try to reward myself with two (or three) slices of pizza!

But I'll table that thought for later, as the discipline comes before the reward.

"All Who Are Hungry, Let Them Come And Eat."  Happy Passover!

DISCLAIMER:  The above posting was not written or intended to insult, berate, besmirch, trivialize or belittle the religious practices, or the abstention from same, of any individual, group, association, faith, community, creed, or stripe.  Any perceived offense is entirely the perception and the responsibility of the reader of this entry.