Passover 2013

Happy Pesach 2013

Well its hard to believe another Passover has just about passed us by. However, not before celebrating the holiday and socializing David by immersion - so he knows his culture well.

Well - it all starts with an egg right (or was it the chicken)?  Whatever, the egg is a symbol of new birth, a new season, new life.  It is also about physics right?  That's my dad's influence. My father taught me, and I taught David how to tell if an egg is hard boiled - since we needed a hard boiled egg for the sedar plate.  You spin it and if it is hard boiled it will stand up while spinning. 

Don't believe me - just take a look. 

Next it is time to make horoset - made of apples, walnuts, honey, and a tiny bit of grape juice.  David did all the chopping.  It symbolizes the mortar used to make bricks by the Jews when they were slaves in Egypt.  (It happens to taste great.)

Now - what does not taste so great unless you are Nick, little David, or Summer?  Horseradish.  It clears up any sinus condition you may have - if only for the moment.  It, as you know, symbolizes the bitterness of slavery.  These guys do not look like they are suffering to much that's for sure.

David is impressed with Nick's ability to jump right in there with his matzah and marror (horseradish) sandwich.  (Nick is a friend of the family from Google.)  David and Nick handled the four questions. David told the story of how the Jews were slaves in Egypt, once freed they didn't have time to let the bread rise - and thus matzah, and how the Red Sea parted for their hasty departure.  He did a good job.

For me, it is about celebrating our rich cultural tradition and remembering the story (from generation to generation) to make sure that it never happens again.  But fundamentally, it is just about having friends and family together - to celebrate life - Lehiyim (to life). 

[You can see the Sedar plate Sarah made when she was a kid.  It is in the right hand bottom corner of the picture.  So even though she is still far away in college, this is a way of having her present.]

Here is our wonderful hostess - mom, Summer, Babe - who helps bring all this together each year.

Before we ask David to find the afikoman (the hidden middle piece of matzah needed to bring the meal and the celebration to a close) - we enjoy a little musical interlude.  David is playing for Nick and the rest of us.

Why stop there when we can hear the piano as well.  By the way David passed his theory test for piano last weekend.  The practice or performance part of the test is coming up next week. He will be fine.

Nick is quite an impressive pianist as well and graced us with his talents. 

David loved hearing him play  (and so did we).

Passover - the dinner sedar anyway - was concluded.  

The little man got a dollar this year for finding the afikoman.  What can you do - inflation?  

I used to get a Kennedy half-dollar from my Zeddie (grandfather).

So we retreated to the backyard patio and just talked about plans for the future.

It was a complete family affair - the dogs included.  They got the ritual shank bone - what a treat!

So long from the Fetterman Family. Thanks for sharing Passover with us for another year.