A. L. Kaplan

Tag: Seder

  • Memories

    I find it fascinating how different people can remember the same event in different ways. I got a call from my sister the other day right after she read my post titled A Pesach Story. She didn’t recall much of the food we ate at Seder growing up, but this is what she did recollect.

    1. The smell of the apartment building as we entered and walked down the hall from the elevator. My sister thought it smelled like roast chicken, but to me it smelled like chopped liver. And yes, Grandma Dorothy made the best chopped liver.

    2. There was always a small glass of tomato juice at everyone’s place setting. I had forgotten about the tomato juice until she mentioned it.

    3.  Everyone chanted something at one point or another during the Seder, whether it be the blessing over the wine, the four questions, or other prayers. Sometimes it was the same prayer repeated by another family member. Perhaps this is why music is such an integral part of religious ceremony and celebration to me. From my earliest memories music has been a key element. Whether it be the chanting of a prayer or the comfort of family gathered around a piano, singing, happy.

    4.  The Afikoman was broken so each child present had a piece to turn in for a prize. Being the youngest by more than five years, I don’t think I ever realized this.

    5. The smell of the salty air. My grandparent’s apartment was on the beach. We could stand out on their balcony and watch the waves crashing on the sand. I have many fond memories of playing in those waves during the summer while my grandparents watched from the boardwalk.

    Family = Love = Together

  • A Pesach Story

    Recently I was asked to share a favorite Passover story. Dozens of memories flashed through my mind, most of them involving matzo, like the year we went to Seder at my brother’s house and their dog, Bert, stole the Afikoman while we ate dinner. Then there was the time with my husband’s family where the kids hid the Afikoman for the adults. After much searching, a dozen people announced that they had found the hidden matzo and held up napkin wrapped fakes. The looks on the kids’ faces were priceless. Of course my husband loves to tell the story about when his aunt moved and they found an old Afikoman hidden behind a picture. I’m sure many people have stories like that in their family.

    Our engagement was also announced on Passover. Saturday morning we drove from Maryland to NJ and told our parents. After an early Seder (and meal) with my family, we drove to my future husband’s family gathering. Forty people packed the townhouse where he announced “I’d like to introduce my fiancé.” That night we drove back to Maryland. It was a wonderful but exhausting day.

    Even with all these delightful Passover memories, there is one that stands out in my mind and it’s the one I shared. When I close my eyes I can still see it: the little apartment in NY, a piano on the right hand wall near the kitchen, my aunt, uncle, and cousins from my dad’s family. I loved visiting with my cousins and listening to my grandpa chant the prayers in Hebrew. Then the meal would come. I think there may have been pot-roast somewhere on the table, but the plate of steaming sliced tongue was what I reached for every time. Tongue must be a NY/NJ kind of delicacy. It’s hard to find here in Maryland. When I do find it, I’m always reminded of my family, and the occasional sing along with Grandma playing that piano I mentioned.

    Do you have a Passover memory you’d like to share?