Rant #3,335: Time of the Season

I had a decent weekend, especially now that I can drive my car and get out in the world.

I did get an after-market replacement car key, just in case, but my original key works just fine now that it was fixed.

(And as an aside, this particular car I have was bought used from a local Kia dealer, and originally, it did not come with a second key. The dealer later gave me such a key, which didn't work at all, but in the meantime, all this stuff happened to myself and my family, so I never got a chance to tell the dealer that the key didn't work.)

With that mini-nightmare over and done with, on Saturday, I actually did go to my local record store and participated in Record Store Day activities.

This time, I didn't wake up at 1 a.m. to be among the first on line. I got there sometime after 7:30 a.m., and I was about 14th on line, which was fine with me.

I didn't get everything I wanted, but what I got --besides the records I bought--was invaluable.

Waiting to get in, I spoke with a couple of people, one of whom had, a few years ago, suffered a similar type of injury that I had.

I asked him a few questions about his injury and his subsequent rehab, and what he said mirrored the way I am feeling right now, and I learned a lot about how the injury progresses as it heals.

I never got his name, but if he is somehow reading this, thanks very much.

I left there, got my allergy shot, picked up a few prescriptions, and came home in one piece.

In the afternoon, I digitized some of my recent purchases, and then, later in the day, I was able to pick up my family's dinner at two local fast food outlets, and then watched a wrestling pay per view event with my son.

I slept OK--about 6.5 hours or so--and even though the sleep was slightly broken up, I am feeling at least somewhat rested.

Sunday was a real rest day, and I didn't do too much, to ne honest with you.

Watched baseball, and that was about it.

In the evening, I slept about seven hours, but when you doze off at 8:30 p.m. and wake up at 3:30 a.m., you kind of feel like you didn't get your full money's worth from your sleep.

And today, I have physical therapy, and then, it is my annual "matzoh-palooza," as at sunset, Jews around the world celebrate Passover.

This year's celebration, with all that is happening in the Middle East right now, takes on some added significance.

Let's look back at Rant #1,185, April 14, 2014, and look at the holiday beyond all of that matzoh.

"For Jews around the world, tonight is the first night of Passover, which means tonight is the first seder that we have, the first of two during the eight-day observance.

Passover celebrates the Jews' flight from Egypt in Biblical times, and it also solidifies the fact that the Jewish religion remains a strong one.

It is a family holiday, one where young and old alike gather to go over the traditions of the holiday, first and foremost, and at the center of the celebration, the recitation of "The Four Questions."

Matzoh signifies the most visible link to the holiday.

When the Jews, who were kept in slavery by the Egyptians but were later expelled, fled Egypt, they had to do it quickly. Whatever foodstuffs they brought with them had to be used quickly, and thus, any materials that they used to create bread did not have time to rise, and became a cracker-like food known as matzoh.

So matzoh, rather than bread, is eaten on this holiday, and personally, I love matzoh, and for eight days, that is what I exist on.

Matzoh may be the most visible link to Passover, but the most important link during the holiday is known as "The Four Questions," when the youngest children attending the seder ask the adults "Why is this night different than all other nights?"

Actually, anyone can read "The Four Questions," but the younger people usually do it. It is the real centerpiece of the celebration, and it is something that all participants look forward to.

The first two nights are the seder nights, with families gathering to look at the Jews' flight from Egypt, and the modern seders are real family gatherings, with the traditions reinforced.

Modern influences are also included, and new Kosher for Passover foods are always being created to whet the appetites of all who are present.

And other things permeate the seder, including world events."

Yes, world events are going to punctuate this celebration, but it won't stop it.

The Israel-Hamas War has brought out the worst in people who do not fully understand the whys and wherefores of this situation.

Anti-Semitism has reared its ugly head again, not that it ever really left us, and it is almost seemingly accepted today and extremely pervasive around the world.

On Saturday, I replied to a Facebook post about the constant protests happening at Columbia University, where pro-Palestinian protesters have been disrupting the campus for several days now.

They have been warned that they would be suspended if this behavior continued, but the point of my post was that these supposed "students" shouldn't be suspended, they should be expelled.

To that, one lady on Facebook made a reply that was so vulgar, so anti-Semitic, so anti everything that I won't post it here, only to tell you that it related to the Holocaust and Germany's leader during thst period.

I have reported her and her horrid reply, which I thought would probably lead nowhere--

Remember, my G-rated posts were banned on Facebook for no reason for more than two months, so what could i expect Facebook to do when something is truly vulgar?

Well, I was quite surprised that this morning, Facebook contacted me to tell me that they reviewed the post and removed it!

I am sure they gave a warning to the poster that even on Facebook--which allows just about everything to pass--something this horrid will not be tolerated.

Yes, anti-Semites are crawling out of the woodwork, and I will definitely bring this all up when I lead my family's Passover celebration.

We Jews are a resilient bunch, and such idiotic behavior thrust upon us simply makes us stronger.

So, to those who celebrate, have a great holiday.

And to those who are so ignorant that they say things that they think will scare us, think again.

We know who we are, and your stupidity simply adds fuel to our fire.