CHAG KASHER V'SAMEACH

Yes, boys and girls, it’s finally here! Admit it- beneath all the complaints, Passover is still your favorite holiday.

We have scrubbed and cleaned- our hands are in desperate need of a manicure! The kitchen floor gets mopped twice a day at this point as more and more food is prepped and put into the oven.

When the Chametz Man shows up to check for errant chametz, he ain’t gonna find nuttin! (Ok, except for some odd Cheerio pieces we placed around da joint!)

The son is off in Israel visiting the daughter and her husband, so our seder this year will be sans kiddies for the first time. Not that our kids are little kids, but usually we can count on at least one of them to be around for yom tov. Can we hide the afikoman from ourselves? Thankfully, not yet!

The brisket is sliced, the tzimmis is tzimmed, the farfel and mushrooms and onions are ready to go, the cranberry farfel kugel is kugged, the soup and balls are ready for repotting, and, finally, the gehakte layber is ready as well as the fish, the salads, the cakes, cookies and chocolates, the shmura matza (Schatzer- the only kind we eat!), the kum-kum, and the hagadot. The wine is ready, Elijah’s cup stands ready, and the count down to Pesach begins.

We love Passover. We suspect that you do, too. So from the whole staff at the UTJ, from Deborah Wenger (Production Editor) and from yours truly, best wishes for a chag kasher v’sameach. When Elijah visits, may he tarry at your table! See you during chol hamoed!

Rabbi Jeffrey Rappoport