It’s not surprising that a lot of people spend a lot of time thinking about food during Passover. When our tradition asks us to get rid of our regular food and dishes and silverware and pots and
pans and…it makes sense that our attention is drawn to the realm of the kitchen.
For me, all of this focus on the kitchen and food has two elements. The first is the logistical need - how many boxes of apple sauce squeezers do I need? What will we eat for lunch on day 4 when we’re sooooo done with matza? Do I have a Passover wisk? The second is the spiritual preparation. One year our family decided to get the help of a chef for creating the seder meal because I was many months pregnant and we were having a lot of people. It seemed like such a good idea and when seder rolled around I was certainly less tired than I would have been, but it also felt like something was missing. It turns out that the organizing and cooking were a big part of the way that I got into the Pesach mental state. So, I believe that the cooking and food prep can be a very important part of the spiritual preparation for Passover.
AND I believe that we do ourselves a disservice when we only focus on the food. Now more than ever there is a huge variety of Passover content available that can engage our minds and focus on the holiday. It can be as active or passive as you want, but all of the efforts you make will ultimately enhance the holiday experience for yourself and the others around you. For example,
you can create your own Passover Haggadah. This used to be very involved with photocopying and compiling, and you can still do it that way, but now there some websites that guide you through it, such as www.haggadot.com and punktorah.org. There’s also a huge number of supplements, readings, poems, and songs that can add to the regular haggadah content, depending on what you want to focus on.
For entertaining kids, you can make Passover games or buy/download pre-made ones. We always love reading Passover-themed picture books leading up to the holiday and during the holiday. There are cute Passover skits that kids (or kids of all ages) could learn and perform at seder (google Passover skits and see the variety of what’s available!) There’s also options for Passover crafts, which also can be mostly homemade or pre-packaged.
If visual stimuli are impactful or meaningful to you, consider what images you want to have in your home that will inspire a deeper connection to the holiday. Perhaps there’s art that you hang up; perhaps it’s how you set your table. You can focus on spring with fresh cut flowers and floral tablecloths or a table that exudes the Exodus with a beige tablecloth (sand) and a blue runner (for the sea.) If you like the idea of décor, but are not sure what to do Pinterest has no shortage of ideas for a Passover tablescape.
Whatever you decide to do, giving some thought to these non-food ways to prepare for Passover will enhance your holiday. Please share in the comments anything you do. I’m always looking for new ideas!
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