Bob Schwartz

It is Day 6 of Passover. The holiday is seven days long in Israel and Reform communities, mostly eight days in Orthodox and Conservative communities. The extra day for this and some other holidays is traditionally based on the reach from Israel to diaspora communities. So Passover may be over tomorrow, maybe the next day. We can, should and will debate it.

By Day 6 we appreciate that we can soon make a sandwich or put a hot dog in a bun. Not that it isn’t fun to devise workarounds: this morning’s breakfast was whole wheat matzo topped with cream cheese and lox. Back to bagels will be fun, but creative cooking is fun too.

Speaking of matzo, one challenge before Passover is to estimate how much matzo you will actually use. You don’t want to run out, especially if you don’t have easy access to it. This year, as most years, there is going to be leftover matzo, maybe a box or more. The good news, I just learned, is that properly stored, matzo will last 24 months or more. It’s not going to dry out or get moldy, is it?

For those with biblical interests, portions of the Torah are designated to be read during the days of Passover. Day 7 includes possibly the most famous and dramatic scene in the Exodus story:

And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites, that they journey onward. As for you, raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and split it apart, that the Israelites may come into the midst of the sea on dry land. As for me, look, I am about to toughen the heart of the Egyptians, that they come after them, and I shall gain glory through Pharaoh and through all his force, through his chariots and through his riders. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, through his chariots and through his riders. And the messenger of God that was going before the camp of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. And it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel, and there was the cloud and the dark, and it lit up the night, and they did not draw near each other all night. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD led the sea with a mighty east wind all night, and He made the sea dry ground, and the waters were split apart. And the Israelites came into the sea on dry land, the waters a wall to them on their right and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and came after them, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his riders, into the sea.

Exodus 14:15-25 (Alter translation)

Happy Day 6 and Day 7 (and maybe Day 8).

© 2023 by Bob Schwartz