Pesach
PESACH
"Avadim hayinu lefaru
bemitzrayim" (We were once slaves in Egypt)
Pesach is coming again.
This holiday lasted the longest in my family home. And
it was always celebrated with the preservation of all traditions, including
inviting friends to celebrate it together. I remember this solemn mood and the
feeling of something sublime. I didn't really wonder what kind of holiday it
was. I only knew Mah Nishtanah, these four questions, which my younger brother
later took over:
"Tate, Tate. Ich vil dich freigen fire kashes:
Why is this night different from all other nights?".
I remember the questions. I had my 15 minutes of fame because of them. Our mistress at the Hebrew school chose me to ask questions at the school Seder. The whole following month I was pointed out in Niebuszewo Jewish community: "That's the one who asked the four questions!" That the lady chose me because at that time she was dating my uncle is a completely different story.
I didn't know what my father talked about at the Seder
celebration because he read it in a language I never learned. But I remember
Karpas, Charoset, Maror, breaking matzah, wine, and "bhoire pri
agufen", a chalice for the prophet Elijah, the incomprehensible Haggadah,
dripping wine with every plague and singing. Dayeinu, Ki Lo Naeh, and Chad
Gadya. Especially the latter:
"And the Almighty appeared, blessed be Him. And He
killed the Angel of Death, who killed the butcher, who slaughtered the bull,
which drank the water, what put out the fire, which burned the stick, which
killed the dog, which ate the cat, which bit the goat, which my father bought
for two bucks. One goat kid. One goat kid. Chad gadya! Chad gadya! "
It is these last two words that my brother and I
joyfully uttered.
And the final "LeShana haba biJerushalaim!"
(Next year in Jerusalem!).
Of course, I know the history of the holiday. That
nice, official one, and my own interpretation.
The official one begins with Abraham, the first man to
believe in one God.
Joseph, son of Jacob (Israel), son of Isaac, son of
Abraham, was Pharaoh's chief steward. He brought his father and brothers and
all their tribe to Egypt, and they lived there prosperously and multiplied.
But after the death of Joseph and all his generation,
a new Pharaoh did not like the expanding tribe of Israel.
So the Israelites were turned into slaves, and the
Pharaoh ordered every firstborn son in Israeli families to be drowned in the
Nile River. Fortunately, Moses' parents did not obey the order, and the
Pharaoh's daughter found the basket with Moses flowing down the river. Moses
was raised in Pharaoh's palace and his nanny (his own mother) told him about
his Jewish heritage. After killing an Egyptian who was abusing an Israeli
slave, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he became a shepherd.
It was there that God appeared to him in the form of a
burning bush and ordered him to return to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh should
free the tribe of Israel, as in this famous song:
"Go down, Moses
Way down to Egypt land;
Tell old Pharaoh:
Let my people go!"
The Pharaoh was not much to let the Israelites go, and
only 10 plagues, sent by Almighty, forced him to agree to it.
So the Israelites owe much to the Almighty.
The release from Egyptian bondage, the encouragement
of the wealth of the Egyptians, the parting of the sea, and leading dry feet
the people of Israel through.
And plunging the pursuers into the water depths.
And meeting the needs of the Israeli people in the
desert for 40 years.
And the bestowal of the Sabbath, and the bringing to
Mount Sinai.
And the revelation of the Torah.
And the land of Israel.
And the building of the Temple.
Praise the Almighty for this!
In my non-kosher version, there is this Moshe Khapoir
(upside-down boy) who remembers some less pleasant stories. Such as what his
dear brothers did to Joseph, so this poor man ended up as a slave, and only his
interpretation of the Pharaoh's dream about seven fat and seven scraggy cows
raised him to the rank of chief steward in Egypt.
And about this otherwise known exaggeration of the
Almighty, who does not punish the Pharaoh himself, but, one by one, all the
Egyptians.
And He prattles the minds of the Egyptians, so these
fools give both gold and silver away to Israelis.
He protects the Israelites not only by dividing the
waters but also by drowning all persecutors (although he could settle with the
shut off of the waters before their entry).
And why should we choke on the Almighty's taking care
of the food in the desert for 40 years, when these poor people had to wander
there for so many years just because the Almighty waited until all those
involved in the Golden Calf affair had passed away?
Well, well. Looking at the fate of the Chosen People,
it cannot be said that the Almighty is moderate or fair in his actions. As they
say - unsearchable are His ways.
And the figure of Moses himself.
The guy stuttered and his brother Aron had to speak
for him.
Moses was a galleon figure who thought he was driving
the ship.
Despite the fact, that Aron was at the wheel.
The best proof was that after all this the priestly
sinecure fell to Aron and his sons and the offspring of Moses was totally
forgotten.
But it's just the nagging of an old growler who has to
complain all the time.
Anyway, I wish you all "A frajlichen Pesach!"