Stuff I Learned during Pesach

Top of the the evening everyone...

Many of you are aware that Pesach (Passover) is a very involved holiday.  There are different foods involved.  There is detailed preparation.  Then the meals on the first two nights is a highly ritualized affair.

What did I learn?

1.  It would appear that my father-in-law was right.  He says that all matza tastes different.  I always thought they taste the same.  I compared an Israeli brand to an American brand.  The Israeli brand had one fewer sheet of matza in a box of the same weight.  This means that the Israeli brand is slightly thicker.  As well, the Israeli brand is a tiny bit darker, suggesting more time in the oven.  I like the Israeli brand better.

My father-in-law has never lost an argument.  Neither have I.  So much for that statistic.

2.  We do not all have to be on the same page.  We used different haggadot the first night.  I thought it got a little confusing.  Jennifer loved it.  We tried using the same haggadah the second night.  It was just no fun.  If we take the maggid section of the text and let go of the rigid format, it very much opens up the discussion, and eliminates the need for all having the same text.

3.  Rabbis are the worst.  As I have checked products more and more over the years, it has become more and more apparent that the supervisory organizations are being strict well beyond anything that Jewish law has ever required.  I do not mind that.  I do mind though that stringency always seems to be accompanied by higher prices.  That is an unfair burden to place on the Jewish community.

I probably learned other things as well.

Have a good night.

R/SCG

P.S.  PattiLaw - it is great to hear from you.  Regards to William.