Rant #3,917: Celebration

Last night was the first night of Passover, a holiday that represents freedom for the Jews from the Egyptians eons ago.

I love this holiday.

It is my favorite holiday of the year, right up there with Thanksgiving, because it is a holiday that celebrates the family.

It is not a holiday to give gifts, other than giving the gift of yourself at the Passover seder.

It is a time to reflect, and to celebrate the joys of our Jewish family.

The holiday has changed for me personally over the years.

The most drastic change is that my parents are not around to celebrate the holiday, but I know that they are present in spirit.

And with my recent health woes, the holiday represents a time when I can just forget about everything--even for just a few hours--as we celebrate this holiday.

One thing that hasn't changed for me--and I dare say, will never change--is the importance of food during this eight-day celebration.

I simply love all the foods, especially matzoh, the unleavened bread that Jews had to settle for as they hurriedly escaped Egypt and made their way to freedom.

I can eat a whole box of matzoh myself, and it just tastes so good with tuna fish, TempTee cream cheese, butter, gefilte fish, even hot dogs.

It goes with everything, as I will, once again, try to stay on the menu of Kosher For Passover foods, as I always do.

And that means Kosher For Passover Coca-Cola--using real sugar--and Kosher For Passover UBet Syrup--also using the real thing, and not corn syrup, which is not kosher.

Sure, the foods are heavy during this celebration, but let me tell you, it is worth it.

During Passover, we as Jews celebrate our freedom from oppressors, and we can sit on pillows and be kings--and queens--during this celebration.

I love the seders, I love getting together with our family, I just love the whole kit and kaboodle having to do with Passover.

I am a huge bread eater, but it isn't really that difficult to give it all up for a few days.

It's matzoh, matzoh, matzoh during this holiday, and I really don't mind it.

And yes, I finally found chocolate matzoh, so that is another delicacy that I am looking forward to eating during this great holiday.

To get serious about the whole thing, the rising tide of anti-Semitism is appalling.

The coming of Passover signifies that we, as Jews, remain strong in the face of any adversity, including against those that seek to demean our religion.

When we recite the Four Questions during this holiday--"Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights"--we are not only seeking the answers to these questions, we are seeking truth, and strength, derived from our beliefs and our religion.

We just have to look around our seder gatherings, and we see that strength generated by succeeding generations of our family.

They will carry on that strength, and hopefully, they will become the patriarchs and matriarchs of our Jewish families when my generation is long gone, just like we carried the torch from my own parents and grandparents.

I wish everyone a joyous Passover--

And if you get "matzoh stomach," it soon will pass.