Passover is Coming

April 13, 2022 9:32 PM

Pesach is nearly upon us and many people are seeing family for a seder in person for the first time in several years. What about those of us in quarantine or isolation still? No worries! There’s still some beautiful seders happening virtually. Seder Night in Canada 2022 is delightfully and Jewishly campy (and already available to stream) with guests like Itzak Perlman. If you want a reform, queer, interfaith experience, nonbinary Rabbi Nadia Siritsky has you covered. But the real reason we’re all here is a new Six13 parody song.
posted by Bottlecap (13 comments total)

Pesach Sameach, and thanks for these resources!
posted by chaiyai at 12:02 AM on April 14, 2022 [4 favorites]

My dad has arrived with a box of shmura matzo and two bottles of (non-Manischewitz) kosher wine, with plans for matzo balls and a modified seder tomorrow. My kid has been reminded that it's her job to steal the afikomen. A chicken waits in the fridge. No idea which haggadah he brought, but last year we barely covered the basics anyway.

My house is full of chametz, and we will return to our bread eating ways in a couple of days, but it feels good to observe in any way.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 7:47 AM on April 14, 2022 [3 favorites]

When my daughter was 8, she decided to make her own seder. She called me downstairs to celebrate after her preparations. This triumph of multiculturism had seven things for the plate:

Fish sticks
Cottage cheese
A handful of popcorn
Half of a well-burned grilled cheese sandwich
Two Eggo waffles
A taco shell stuffed with grated mozarella
One microwave burrito


Mazel Tov!
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 9:17 AM on April 14, 2022 [4 favorites]

By the way, we're not Jewish, she just thought it was a good idea.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 9:17 AM on April 14, 2022 [3 favorites]

The People’s Seder – The White House 2022 Virtual Passover Celebration (later today)
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:18 AM on April 14, 2022 [1 favorite]

Aw, thanks for sharing. We canceled all our Passover plans because Mr. Blah and I both have Covid right now. Sucks, but I guess we're just gonna have to add it to the list of plagues.
posted by BlahLaLa at 5:18 PM on April 14, 2022 [3 favorites]

I am home sick (not positive for COVID, thank goodness), but my spouse is off to celebrate in person for the first time since 2019 and is excited to share this new insight into the Haggadah with his family:

According to the Midrash, the plague was actually one giant Godzilla-like frog that emerged from the Nile, and only when the Egyptians attacked it, did it split and multiply, replicating itself over and over again into a swarm of frogs. By attacking the frog, the Egyptians made the situation and the plague worse (Midrash Tanchuma, va’era 14).

posted by hydropsyche at 7:47 AM on April 15, 2022 [3 favorites]

Meant to include the final paragraph as well:

You can’t treat symptoms, you’ve got to treat the cause. We have got to be more concerned with COVID than we are about the economy and with loneliness. Don’t be like the Egyptians who beat the giant frog with the stick only to make the plague worse. Myopia, only being a being able to focus on a narrow plane, distorts the ability of people to see the real problem. Focus on fighting the pandemic by being civically responsible. Get vaccinated when you have the opportunity. Wear your mask when in public. Avoid unnecessary interactions. And focus on the community’s health, not on your secondary or tertiary symptoms.

posted by hydropsyche at 7:49 AM on April 15, 2022 [3 favorites]

We're Zoom-sedering for a third time, partly because of local Omicron levels, but also because we have vulnerable people. It does mean I only have to cook for 4, not 14 (though we always potluck to make that easier).

But the big challenge today: my first ever brisket. Wish me luck!

(We're normally a lamb roast or matzanga family, depending on whether we're going meat or dairy. But I found a brisket half off months ago and have been saving it for a special time. Also, lamb is crazy expensive right now: I paid $13 for four little lamb "lollipops" just to get a bone for the Seder plate. It's a lamb rib, not a shank bone. But that's what you get for shopping on Bathurst south of Eglinton. Next year, Wilson and Bathurst! Which is like the Jerusalem of cheap Jewish food.)
posted by jb at 7:55 AM on April 15, 2022 [4 favorites]

The brisket is now in the pressure cooker - the sauce smelled pretty amazing, so here's fingers crossed that it works out. Chag Sameach to everyone!
posted by jb at 9:47 AM on April 15, 2022 [3 favorites]

Given the rise in case loads lately and the utter lack of care by anyone that we are heading to another wave, my partner decided that we are passing on Passover.

I am a bit annoyed because I feel obligated to go, but I really didn't want to.

One of my friends really nailed Judiasm when he opined that "It's okay, it's your guilt implant."
posted by doomsey at 2:35 PM on April 15, 2022 [2 favorites]

my partner decided that we are passing on Passover.
Same, for the most part. I lit candles and boiled some eggs. Going to have my first matzah in a year. That's about it.
I miss the before times when we had holidays in all their illnesses-inducing glory.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 5:17 PM on April 15, 2022 [2 favorites]

Brisket update: it was terrific. I did a variation of this recipe; I didn't have any carrots or onions, so I upped the celery and garlic and added some onion powder, along with paprika, cumin, tumeric and a ton of dried parsley, because why not? It was so tender and aromatic, and now I only regret that it was a bit small (3lbs) because it's all finished now.

Later this week, I'll make veggie matzanga (lasagna made with matzah instead of noodles), which is one of our favourites. The matzah just soaks up the flavours.
posted by jb at 6:59 PM on April 16, 2022 [2 favorites]