Pesach has come and gone in a whirl.  The house is put back together (of course, there’s always a couple of things we can’t seem to find and hope they turn up before next year…)  Classes have begun for the spring session and I’m very excited about the next few weeks.  Some of the classes are exploring texts I haven’t taught in years and as I prepare the materials I realize how much my own thoughts have changed, perhaps grown, as a result of life flowing forward and comments students have made over the years.  It’s at times like these that I stop to appreciate the dynamic of Jewish learning, never stagnates, never grows stale.  The questions always change because the old answers always change to new ones.

It’s funny how every year I notice that I don’t have time to reflect on things too much just before Pesach because there’s just too much to do.  But once Pesach hits and for a few weeks after, I love taking that time to reflect on how things have changed and how much we grow and share.  Soon I know craziness will set back into place in our lives but right now I’d like to share a thought from one of my favourite Jewish reflective thinkers: Einstein.

“Two things inspire me to awe – the starry heavens above and the moral universe within.”

So I take this moment to reflect and I invite you to share in this feeling…

Then watch this video I found and empower yourself with the energy this young Jewish woman brings to her statement of Jewish identity – enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubdGjzzJiVs

The prep, cleaning and cooking involved with Pesach could finally be enjoyed when we sat down for the 1st Seder meal.  The dishes were different, the flowers on the table were “springy” and our meal was accompanied by an elaborate narrative.  Of course my uncle interjected with a couple of new jokes that he had picked up since our last holiday celebration, but what remained the same was that we all shared the readings, sang the songs and enjoyed a delicious meal in great company.  One notable occurrence at my first seder was the energy that was radiating from my brother as he sang “Mah Nishtana” with his 10 month-old son in his arms.  My brother is not an overly Jewish person, yet he has “Kosher Meat” permanently tattooed on his tuchus. I caught him wholeheartedly participating in the Seder, on his own accord to model for his son. I would never point it out to him for fear that my observance would interfere with his natural inclination to belt out the song traditionally sung by the youngest.   It made me proud to witness how important Judaism is to my brother.

This year, I also noticed how creative we got with our meals.  Most of my friends don’t observe kashrut during Pesach so I, being the anomaly, took it upon myself to share some Pesach recipes and tips. For example, if you’re looking for that perfect edge when breaking a piece of matzah, paint the matzah with a paintbrush dipped in water on the same ridge on both sides and it’ll work every time!  I’ve found a video that shows this, but strangely, it’s in Japanese. The visual is all you need….

The Perfect Matzah Break

I also tried the famous matzah crunch recipe with a layer of candied sugar and margarine, chocolate and nuts. What could be bad?!  We also made a Matzah lasagna, corn dogs and plenty of matzah pizzas.  Our creativity really helped the yeast-free week go by much faster.  That being said, I can honestly say that I am counting down the hours until Pesach ends and we regain our freedom in the kitchen.

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