We had to walk to the house from the absorption center, and it hurt too much for me to walk to synagogue after we got there, so I sat, embarrassed and uncomfortable, on the couch, awaiting our hosts’ arrival. That Seder was the most painful and uncomfortable I ever went through. When the Seder was done at around midnight, we walked back to the absorption center. Clouds hovered over the city as we slowly walked, and I feared a rainstorm. I couldn’t run – it hurt too much – and we had no umbrellas. But the clouds held their rain until just after we had entered the building of the absorption center. And then it showered.
The walking had its effect on me. The hemorrhoid was so irritated from it that it burst the next day – relieving me to no end. Talk about getting rid of a pain in the butt!
This year, the pain in the butt is a lot bigger than a mere hemorrhoid. We have to move to a different apartment by May 1st, but I’ll worry about that after the Seder.
Every Jew is supposed to explain the Seder to his children. This is one of the more important commandments of the Torah, as it helps us keep our traditions alive. We are supposed to view our liberation from Egypt as not only having happened to a bunch of Hebrew slaves living 3,300 years ago, but as liberation for each of us personally. I have to admit, for many years the story of ten plagues and a HamsĂn (an east wind) blowing all night to split the Sea of Reeds was a little hard to believe.
Not that long ago, a fellow named Jim Long, a non-Jew from Arkansas, did some research proving the existence of the ten plagues, naming the Pharaoh who ruled in Egypt at the time, and correlating an Egyptian description of the ten plagues, written from the point of view of the other guy. It is his work I’ve highlighted and recommend (see the Amazon picks) for those of you truly interested in this.
To my fellow Jews, Hag PéssaH SaméaH u’Kashér, a happy and joyous Passover; may this spring truly be the time of our liberation, and may we merit to see a full Redemption of our people and of all Mankind this year. Next year, may we all gather in the fully rebuilt Jerusalem, the Eternal Capital of our People. To everyone else, may you have a Happy Easter.
Proclaim liberty throughout the Land, and freedom to all the inhabitants thereof!
Article comments
1 - Elvira Black
Ruvy, I hope you and yours have a wonderful Passover. It was always my favorite holiday, but alas, it's been many a year since I attended a Seder. I really do miss it!
2 - NR Davis
Zissen Pesach, dear Rueven, to you and yours! I pray all went well with your seder. Usually I'm the host, but my health hasn't been good lately (just doing spring cleaning and getting all the bread out of the house was taxing enough), so I simply wasn't up to it. Happily, I was invited to a nontraditional seder (counterculture feel, vegetarian food, leftist/queer crowd). It was simply beautiful and thought-provoking, as we talked quite a lot about liberation for Jews and all other humans, about faith and perseverance... most meaningful.
Thanks so much for sharing this!
3 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Elvira, Ms. Davis,
Thank you both for your kind words. Natalie, I hope you feel better soon. I've been coughing my guts out all winter and am sick of it. You would think I was smoking three packs of Camels a day or something the way I hack away. I don't smoke at all.
My wife and kids actually enjoyed the Seder that we had last night. It was a relatively quick affair. The boys sang Hallel in Hebrew, I read some of the Aramaic portions as it should be read, with the proper pronunciation. But much of the Seder was in English for my wife's (and my) sake.
We have Jim Long's CD, "The Riddle of the Exodus" and I explained some of its content to them during the Seder instead of talking how the plagues wee muliplied. I guess I should write a review of some kind on it, given that I know the guy and all...
4 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Eric Schwartz wrote a song about matzah that you might enjoy.