A New Age Passover? by munificent Blog entry

Blog: Cold Water Blog
by munificent

A New Age Passover?

Well it skips around a lot but you will get the flavor of the evening, and the Players at Large-Or not quite ready for Prime Time Players! Fun, unique, intrigue plus Passover!

Date: 4/26/2005 12:09:22 AM ( 19 y ) ... viewed 2977 times

So Interesting the historical and religious bent of the Passover meal- a Meal of Thanksgiving to God that the Jewish households were "Passed Over" by the 8 catastrophic plagues that apparently hit Egypt. The Jewish slaves were spared these catastrophes - because they had marked their doors with red "paint"(lamb's Blood)! (OK now God, knows everything so the red paint was overkill-but that the way the story goes.) By the way, we did not do the long version so I missed a lot of the story I am sorry to say. I apologize for any errors and invite correction through the 'respond' button.

There was pestilence, frogs (?)(Maybe the kind that sucked up in waterspouts and deposited over land-yes that makes sense), locusts, some illnesses, plague, to which dunking of parsley in salt water, double dunking hardboiled eggs in salt water, hiding matzah bread, breaking matzah bread(something about the middle cracker and the bottom cracker-not sure here), putting egg, horseradish ("bitter herbs”) I had lost the connection by then, charoses and drinking wine to mark certain intervals in the prayer contributed to the whole story. We all read a portion of the Prayer but we skipped several pages and in doing so missed a lot of the story. I loved the reading out loud.

The host was not experienced in doing the "short version" by herself and she happens to have a crush on one of the goya who were there and although she is past 21X2 years in age-she acts just like a young girl in the presence of this man. So there was that extra fluster and stress-that made the evening self conscious for her. It was sweet to watch.

I have known her since high school, she like me, does not find many men she likes and wants. She likes and wants this one-so I -"her co-conspirator" block a seat at the table so she can sit next to him, and I ride fences on another potential suitor who may be too interested. I am charge of "men management" plus trying to get the symbolic significance of the Passover Meal. It is tricky to do all this at once and help cook and serve and do dishes. I am a hell of a friend.

Cherry Kugel was the other dish we made and it was delicious. It was not vege's but egg noodles and sour cream and cottage cheese, plus sugar and cherries on top! It was good, but not on my current eating regime. I sacrificed my vestal virgin temple for God. God it felt good. :-) (Woodlawn don't read this) Drank wine, ate deserts, kugel cherry nugel- , several matzah with charoses, with hardboiled egg, geltifish (beware), with horseradish on top. How I am dedicated to God (I am slightly tongue in cheek) But I am a loyal friend and a goddamn (huh?) good man manager. I ponied around those boys, had them in their separate corrals and behaving just as our hostess wanted them to.

The one she wanted to stay, DID. He stayed way past the cleanup crew, and the other left before the clean up crew even started (smart guy that one, eh?) Meanwhile "the Chosen One" and I moved furniture back to its respective places, and decided whether or what we would bring home-Since there was enough food to feed Egypt.

Back to the Prayer- There was lamenting of slavery in the prayer, and of the killing of the first born sons, and of the Pharaoh-but after the mystic/psychics predicted more bad luck for keeping the Jews enslaved-The Pharaoh booted them, before their bread has raised (hence unleavened cracker bread) and before there was time to pack for the trip-the Jews fled Egypt-while the getting was good.

Now no one talks about the 40 years in the desert (forgot the map in the haste of vacating?) Except to say that 40 years is the symbol of transformation-, which makes sense to me, I began to resist transformation at just about 40. Too bad, it didn't care what I thought about it, it was off to the races-But I went kicking and screaming with a glass of chardonnay in one hand, and a spoon of coke in the other-I'm nothing if not wildly original! Oh yes and a live-in boyfriend that was 15 years younger than me and spectacular in bed. But that's another blog-when I get to know you better.

One new addition to the symbolic Passover Plate (charoses, hardboiled egg, nasty fish, matzo etc. et al) was a slice of orange for "diversity" but the truth of that diversity was this: Some of the women (yes!) got to thinking that there weren't enough women in the Bebeit (However the governing body of the temple hierarchy is spelled-it sounded like this) so they went to the Mucky Muck's and said "we need more of us gals to be represented" and the Male Mucky said" having women in the "Beit" would be like having an orange on the "(Symbolic)Passover Plate" and so now there is an orange on the Passover Plate. I like Jewish Women-!

When I was in the meditative practice with Self Realization Fellowship, I had a like conversation with one of the "brothers"(as in "Oh Brother"!) that put on retreats on "How to Spiritual Business" and "Intuition" for men only. That burned me up, and before I left the practice I told them so. I think discrimination based on genitalia is an insult to men who actually can think longer and harder than their genitalia. It is not all of them, but many can. Enough said!

So we had 12 people at the dinner, we cooked for 40-so that turned about about right. My buddy got the guy, they have a date for next week-she is all a tizzy-I am laughing and feeling protective of her at the same time. He is a great guy-I stamped him "USDA Grade A"-(OK OK-I am having some fun) He is a decent nice man! Smart too! I am impressed.

The ages around the table ranged from 16-80, I fall somewhere in there. The 80 year old is a woman, Mimi, and we have the same sense of humor- she says "we are bizarre", and then asks me to sit next to her at the next play we will be going to- I laugh and accept the invitation and wink at her. The men look dumbfounded, and I do not think Mim's and I are bizarre-we tell it like it is, but we love most everyone and like to shake things up. 'Shock Jocks', 'Agents for Change', 'Women for Love & Truth" Mimi and me. This is a family of Attraction, and I'm glad I'm invited to join the family of Attraction! Rich in indivduality and caring!

By 11pm, me and 'The Chosen One" have done the heavy work-my back! - And then we begin to look at my friend's lovely work. Another of the men asks to walk me to my car, I accept, and he tells me he looks forward to seeing me at another one of the "events" of this group-I say I will see him at the "Talent Show" in a week or two- we begin discussing what each other's talents are or could be. He fills me in on what everyone has done in the past -pretty funny that- and he tucks me into my car-and off I go waving goodbye- to God, to my buddy, to her new "Chosen One" and to a really different night-but I'm thinking not as 'different' as the "Talent Show" will prove to be!

I ate too much and am sleepy but content!
Sat Nam-Oh and Elijah did not show up in the flesh-but I think he was there in spirit!