Passover...Food Obsession Gone Bad

Well if there was ever a holiday that has evolved into an obsession, Passover or Pesach is it! This is the highlight of the year for any OCD individual. After cleaning through every nook and cranny in your house, you can obsess over your car, your work place, your garage, your backyard, your purse, your clothing and so on. Even poor little Bingo gets his doggie food removed for a chametz-free brand.

Really smart Jews, just head for the hills leaving behind all their egos and overinflated packages of food. They are the ones who "really enjoy this holiday." Seriously, take a poll. Those who give Passover the highest rankings are the ones who skip town.

Nevertheless, I might actually be in the minority. I really like Passover and I don't skip town. Yes, it comes with its complications, a few meltdowns, marital disputes and really overpriced food, but there is something very REAL about this holiday.


Maybe I love the fact that once a year, I have an excuse to purge my house. I actually like the fact that I can hear the awesome exodus story once again and personally connect. I just wonder how awesome that really was. Would I have had the courage to leave? I hope so. Would I have whined and complained. Most definitely yes. I hope I would have grabbed my tambourine, though, to celebrate the freedom that I had never known before.

This is a pretty awesome time to be Jewish. Its a great time to realize that being free is not about choosing what to wear or what movie to see, but it is an awakening of who you really are. It is a humility combined with  courage, faith and committment.

Happy Passover.
May we be next year in Jerusalem!