Passover Is More Than Just Matzah

My company asked me to write a blog post about Passover. I think it turned out nicely. Enjoy!

As a marketer and creative, I truly believe Passover is the best Jewish Holiday of the year because of the story. It’s universal. Everyone knows it. It has all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster – Love, Hate, Villains, Heroes, Plot Twists, Big Fighting Scenes, and Magic. In fact, Cecile B DeMille made it – The Ten Commandments is on every spring – and it is a movie masterpiece. I have watched it every year since I was a wee lad. In fact, I know more about the story of Moses from the movie than I do from Hebrew School! Kind of like how I know the story of Jesus from watching Jesus Christ Superstar. What can I say - - Movies were and are my education! And funny enough Passover and Easter typically happen around the same time, so both movies are on. :)

Passover is the story of Moses and how he helped free the Jews from slavery in Egypt. And every year, Jews all over the world celebrate by retelling the story over a well-planned and organized meal called a Seder. In fact, the translation of Seder is “ceremonial dinner.” We eat a lot of Matzah (some people call them crackers – but the symbolization of the flat bread is based on the fact that as the Jews fled Egypt, they did not have time to let their bread rise – so we have Matzah) and we drink a lot of wine (Manischewitz – it’s terrible – but for many Jews, it’s the first wine they will ever drink and the taste can take us all back to childhood with one simple sip).

One of my favorite Passover memories took place in 1976. There is a point in the Seder where we open the front door to let in the spirit of Elijah to drink from an untouched cup of wine in the middle of the table. The story is that Elijah visits every Seder around the world (that’s a lot of wine!) to let everyone know the Messiah is coming (remember, for the Jews, the Messiah has not yet come). So, we open the door and all the kids watch the cup. My dad used to shake the table and yell, "He’s here!" and everyone would laugh and clap. By this point in the meal, we are on our 4th cup of wine, so we laugh at anything. Anyway, in 1976 I was 7 years old. We were getting to the point in the Seder to welcome Elijah into our home. Typically, an adult opens the door. This year, my grandfather picked me to open the door. I was nervous and did not want to mess it up. I walked up to the door – all eyes on me – my grandfather urged me on, "Come on Mikey, open the door." I grabbed the doorknob, turned it, and yanked it open. To my complete surprise, the paperboy was standing there about to knock on the door. I screamed! He screamed! I slammed the door and my grandfather burst into laughter. I sheepishly opened the door, apologized, and my dad paid him for 2-weeks of papers. We gave him some Passover cookies and sent him on his way. For the record, his name was Tommy, not Elijah. Ironically, his job was to bring us the news – just like Elijah does….Hmm……that one has always puzzled me….

And just like that, we had a story my family has been retelling around our Seder tables for over 35 years.

Passover has a lot of religious meanings – and you can go find them on the web. I do not want to bore you with it all here. What Passover is for me is all about tradition, family, food, and stories. And this is what being Jewish is all about. Sure, we love our food – who doesn’t? – show me someone who does not like a hot plate of Matzah Brie on a Sunday morning… we honor our heritage through family traditions like the Seder. We love storytelling. It’s how we pass on the history of our people from generation to generation.

While my kids may begrudge hearing the same story every Spring, I know deep down it brings them peace, comfort, and a tinge of normalcy in a topsy-turvy world. So, happy Passover to all of you. I urge you to grab a bowl of popped farfel and watch the Ten Commandments to witness the greatest story ever told.