Pesach....

....I think if you did a survey well over 50% of us would say Pesach was our favourite festival, it has always been mine.  It involves a lot of work for the wife/mother, several weeks of frantic cleaning turning out every drawer and cupboard, every nook and cranny.  Then the big change over which I always leave to the very last minute and spend the last couple of hours before Pesach managing on the draining board because the rest of my kitchen is ready.  The day of our seder is spent cooking everybody's favourite foods, special cakes and biscuits that I only bake at Pesach and Pesach rolls which are such a treat - but thats probably because we have to then wait another year before we have them again.  Of course also preparing all the food for the seder which by tradition has always been held at our house.  But this year things have changed, for several reasons we decided to hold it at my older son's home, I made the chicken soup, the chopped liver and the roast chicken, my son's wife make all the vegetables and prepared the seder plate and my younger d-i-l baked macaroons and the lightest plava. 

I have always found the seder a very special and moving occasion - thinking back to how the Israelites escaped slavery and what they went through, having the whole family round the table for several hours.  This year our 4year old granddaughter was allowed to stay up for the whole seder, hopefully next year her little sister will be able to as well.   My younger d-i-l sang Mah Nishtanah with a little help from our granddaughter, then we have a family tradition of singing a song about the plagues it was written by a friend of ours and is sung to the tune of 'One Man Went to Mow' and by the time we reach the 14th verse the whole family is singing at full voice.  It just all goes together to make a wonderful family time and creates special memories. 

After shul on the first day I try to spend some time thinking over what has happened to our family and to this world of ours - a time to reflect and to remember and to wonder what is ahead of us.  A time to pray for peace in Israel and for the brave boys and girls there who are defending the country.  To also think of the British boys and girls who are working abroad in the Armed Forces and to wish them all a safe return to their families. 

May the leaders of the world be given the desire to find true peace and may all the peoples of the world be treated equally and allowed to live in peace.

Chag Sameach