Despite the fact that I haven't attended a Seder for lo these many years, Passover remains my favorite Jewish holiday. Though my mother was Jewish and my father was Christian, neither of them were really too hip on celebrating their respective heritages, so most of what I learned about Passover and Jewish tradition came from my mother's sister, Aunt Frannie. I went to live with Aunt Frannie and Uncle Mo when I was fifteen, after my parents died. Since they were Orthodox Jews, over the next four years and until I went away to college, I learned everything I ever wanted to know about Judaism but was afraid to ask — and then some.
Orthodox Judaism is steeped in ritual, much of which may seem odd at best and absurd at worst to outsiders, but each nuance makes sense within the tradition. For instance, the Sabbath is a very sacred day of the week, and no labor may be done on this day, which starts at sundown on Friday night and ends at sundown on Saturday. Since, in the olden days, starting any kind of fire for cooking or other purposes was considered labor, it is forbidden for a devout Jew to turn lights on and off or press an elevator button, since that is seen as igniting an electrical version of a "spark." This meant, paradoxically, that on the "day of rest," rather than taking the elevator up and down to shul, you had to shlep up and down the stairs.
As technology advanced, so did ways to kind of get around some of these modern dilemmas. Now my aunt's building has one "Shabbos elevator" that stops at every floor on Saturday, so one needn't press the elevator button to get upstairs. My aunt had a timer that turned the living room lights on at dusk and off at around 11 pm. To heat up food for the Friday night meal, my aunt put a metal tray on top of two burners that she put on a low flame before Shabbos (Sabbath).
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Article comments
1 - sr
Elvira, truly enjoyed The Last Sedar. During Chanukkah where did you put the Christmas tree? Just kidding ya know. Watched the food network the other day. Much of it was on great Kosher food deli's in NY and LA. My appetite is now excelerating faster then light speed. Starting my search engine up looking for Kosher food in my local area. Disapointed with my search I start looking up Kosher food recipes. My favorite is corned beef on rye. At the speed of sound I arrive at my local market. Found the rye bread and a so-so corned beef brisket. Have made my own corned beef, however no time for curing this day. Since yesterday I have consumed three sandwiches and many Kocher pickles. Now Im stuffed. If I had read your blog yesterday my blame for over eating
would be directed your way. Even ate one for breakfest while fishing. What does any of this have to do with The Last Sedar? Nothing. Kosher to me is not an appetite suppressant. Liberals are but thats for another day and enjoy Pesach.
How's your smokeing these days Elvira? By
2 - Elvira Black
Thank you sr, my friend. Actually, for Christmas we put up a fake holographic bonsai tree we got as a gift. We thought it was tacky at the time but it was really beautiful, with lots of colors fading in and out. Usually we put up a small fake tree though.
I prefer fresh brisket myself. Corned beef seems more of an Irish dish, though of course they have it in the delis. But I wouldn't throw the plate down in disgust if someone put a nice corned beef on rye in front of me either.
I'm still smoking and hacking. How about you? Any more demented ladies telling you not to smoke? BG went to get cigs the other day at Duane Reade and the woman who sold them to him said "Smoking is bad. You should quit." (Duh!) He said, hey, you have them for sale here, don't you?"
Thanks again for the comment and have a great Easter!
3 - sr
Elvira, great comment from BG when he went to buy that evil weed. My best to you and BG and have a wonderful Easter also. Yes I still smoke however Im not hacking Yet. Thank's Elvira.
4 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Elvira,
. Both my wife and I sat reading your article Thursday night before we went to bed.
I was going to comment on this article Friday but I got hijacked elsewhere
Cleaning for the holiday is here is not what it is in the States. Rabbis will make the point that cleaning is not a military campaign to exterminate dirt, the commandment is to remove the leavening from the house.
We thoroughly cleaned the refrigerator, oven and food shelves, vacuumed out the area near the computer, cleaned the kitchen and the diningroom. We have had a long standing rule in the house that you only eat in the kitchen and dining room, and the only exception to that is the computer. It turned out that the catfood was marked "kosher for Passover". I don't believe that it was - I know what goes into making Science Diet - but I was not going to argue. A 4.5 kilo bag of Scince Diet costs 150 shekels!!
As for dishes, we keep a meat and milk set and a glass set. The glass dishes are both milk and meat. The same silverware you normally use can be used if it is washed in boiling water. I want to point out that what I'm telling you here comes from Orthodox rabbis, not shortcut taking reform types.
This year, as oposed to all other years, my wife is enthusiastically consuming matza, which if you follow the link to Suburban Homeboy, the website of Eric Schwartz, you'll learn "tastes as good as the box it comes in".
Now if I could only afford to buy some lox, or if my heart could stand me eating cream cheese...
5 - Elvira Black
sr, have a great holiday and keep watching out for the wacky old non-smoking broads. In New York City the laws are so stringent that you can hardly smoke anywhere legally. When you do smoke on the street here, little yuppies who could easily afford their own cartons will accost you for a butt, and the cigarette taxes will put you in the poorhouse. Later, my friend!
6 - Elvira Black
Ruvy:
I was so hoping to hear from you--I'm honored that you and your wife read the piece.
Orthodox rules can be very obsessive compulsive--it sounds like your rabbis are more rational about it.
I have to say that my aunt did wonderful things with matzoh--she was an incredible cook. Gefilte fish, matzoh brei, chopped liver, even horseradish made from scratch. And the matzoh ball soup was incredible--I think she used selzer in the batter to get it fluffy, but I even love the leaden ones that are more like dumplings. I'll have to see if the local diner has any this week, but I kind of doubt it since it's a very Spanish neighborhood, but you never know. I think what I'll do is go to the supermarket and spend about 6 or 7 bucks or whatever outrageous price it is for a jar of Mother's. My other aunt, who is not Orthodox, just planned to buy a little jar of gefilte fish to celebrate this year.
Kosher for Passover Science Diet--how cool is that! My aunt and uncle had a dog long ago and they used to feed it only kosher people food. The dog was doubtless happy but died of gall bladder disease, probably from all the schmaltz.
My aunt also used glasses for milk, meat or pareve because they are not porous. I used to be in charge of the dinner dishes, and if I made a gaffe and mixed the wrong silverware she'd just boil it, so I know there is a way out--lol...
7 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Elvira, that is the key in Judaism - looking for a way out! But not out of the faith, G-d forbid!
8 - Elvira Black
Ruvy:
The publisher of the site 4kosher.net sent a comment on my personal blog, and told me that you serve four cups of wine for the Seder, not three. What say you--how many did you have? If it was four, it's no wonder I was so wasted. (Could it be a Sephardic variation?)
9 - sr
Ruvy, wish my bride of 25yrs could clean as you described in comment #4. Since she is watching Beaches with Beth Midler my bride cannot see this comment I just made concerning cleaning. Did I just leave myself open for feminists comments?
Elvira, I think maybe 4 or more cups of good whiskey did it for me. As for the accosting little yuppie freaks. Think I will stand down on that one. My fat mouth always puts me in the trouble zone. Time for another corned beef sandwich.
Merry Christmas
10 - Elvira Black
sr:
As for feminist comments--my boyfriend BG can outclean anyone I know. He's obsessive compulsive about it. I am a slob in comparison, and that's no joke. When I get my new place i don't think I'll have to worry too much because I'm pretty sure he'll be over there cleaning for hours every day too.
I think Jackie Gleason used to enjoy 4 or more cups of good whiskey on his show. I loved when he'd sip from his "cup of tea," roll his eyes, and say "How sweet it is!"
11 - sr
Elvira, Im to old to laugh this hard. Many years ago living in beach rentals from Redondo Beach, Hermosa and Manhattan on the strand during the Beach Boy days. Had this lady apartment manager tell me when I moved that for a man she never saw a cleaner apartment. (For a man.) At least I earned my cleaning deposit back. Not all men are pigs. BG. Write a book. Title would be on the order of (PROPER CLEANING TECHNIQUES FOR FEMALES) Think some flack is headed in my direction. Maybe from NOW. I quake at the thought.
Jackie Gleason. The great one. "How sweet it was. Miss the big guy. Alice never made the voyage to the moon. Like the big guy, after enough wiskey I roll my eyes, look at the wife and say clean this house bitch. Just kidding. What I do say to her is "Baby your the greatest" She by the grace of God go I gave me the greatest Daughter and Son any man could wish for. It's me wiskey time. By.
12 - Elvira Black
sr:
My ex-boyfriend is the biggest grossest slob on the planet, but BG is the cleanest. Go figure. Kudos to you for being one of those clean living, clean cut men.
When I was little I loved all the great variety shows--Jackie Gleason, Red Skelton, even ol' Lawrence Welk. I had a huge crush on the guy with the accordion, though now I wonder if the reason he seemed to smile so hard was because maybe his cujones were getting squeezed in the bellows. Now that's what I call entertainment!
13 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Elvira,
You serve four cups of wine (or the appropriate grape juice) at the Seder. I had one cup of wine (I love the stuff - I could have been a wino) and three cups of grape juice to mqke sure I would stay awake to conduct the Seder. As it was, I was nearly asleep when my kids sang Hallel towards the end. The medicines I take interract with the alcohol.
14 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
sr,
Where did I say my wife did all the cleaning?
15 - Elvira Black
Ruvy:
Thanks for clearing that up--it's been awhile since I've attended a Seder, as you can probably tell.
In his comment on my personal blog, Norman Kabak from 4koshernet said, in part, "Actually, there are 4 cups of wine and one more for Elijah. For some time, there was a recent tradition to have an empty setting at the Seder table in memory of the Jews who could not leave the USSR. Now of course those Jews who wanted to leave have done so and so time marches and the tradition has changed. Now we set a place for those in Darfur."
I thought that was a beautiful and touching gesture.
16 - Elvira Black
Ruvy:
I don't think sr was implying your wife did all the cleaning--just that his wife apparently doesn't clean as well as he'd like, and that he was quite a clean young man back in the day to boot.