Why is this Night Different? A Passover Memory from April of 2001: "Two-Dog Night"

I just followed the path that my mind and soul set before me to celebrate Passover. As for the participants and the foods and dinnerware, I simply decided to use what was at hand, which—when you think about it—is exactly what the Israelites did during that first Passover that all the subsequent celebrations that were to come. By definition the word Seder means “order,” and so I established a sequence to ours.

I found this: Passover on the Net
So, due largely to my pedigree-- though not so much to my upbringing where Passover was little more than a night to eat some of the traditional foods: gefilte fish with two kinds of horseradish and matzoh, I decided to celebrate Passover with Maggie and Geordie.

Larry had to late, Noah was in Bend snowboarding at Mt. Bachelor with some friends, and Alan was at college in Claremont, California: I encouraged him to go to a Seder had there been one on campus-- and to celebrate Easter on Sunday, too. He did neither, having just returned to school after Spring Break and being in the thick of it. His last Instant Message tag had read "politicking at Pomona."

Geordie, the oldest male "child,” although an extraordinarily bright canine was—and still is-- illiterate, so I had to do some adaptation to allow his “reading” of The Four Questions using the order laid out on the site—with total reverence, I might add: I am serious!

Moreover, I finally found a use for the trophies that my dogs won in obedience competition. They have remained unused for any other occasion: small crystal glasses. By using the small Nyquil-sized ones they earned for 4th place scores, Maggie, Geordie, and I each had our own, and there was one for Elijah as well. I (reluctantly) bought Manischewitz Blackberry wine—for our home is in Oregon-- where blackberries grow like weeds. This wine is so thick and cloyingly sweet that it might make a funky topping for vanilla ice cream. Even the dogs, who are as omnivorous as dogs can get backed away from their glasses of “wine.” For us, it’s unanimously undrinkable!

The dinnerware was paper plates and brand new plastic utensils! Never used for anything else.

My intention was to experience gratitude, something I am all too mindless about. I bought a Yazreit candle, which I lit for the six million Jews and all the others in the world who have suffered blatant injustice, regardless of their faith. I will light it again on the eighth night.

A Seder with my dogs may seem eccentric-- but by no means was it flippant or insincere. Even though my dogs were, on that first night of Passover, my only family present (and by birth, being of Scottish descent, probably Presbyterian), the night was ecumenical!

I prepared a special charoset (symbolic of the mortar stuff that bonded) made from apples, walnuts, honey. To theirs, I’ll added some chicken gizzards and
hearts. Yummmmmmmmmmmm.

"Some of my Best Friends. . .Jewish" Cairn Framed Tile

They actually make matzoh-ball-soup-in-a-cup? Kosher for Passover. Soup for one, two, three. . . The prize for the first “child” to find the afikomen (hidden matzoh) was the matzoh itself! Maggie used her keen nose to find it first but shared it with Geordie. (She really had no choice.) Had it been reverse, I’m not so sure Geordie would have been so charitable.

Our celebration had elements of a modern cyber-ceremony-- "Dayenu" played in the background from my computer’s speakers. I lit a candle for the six million Jews and all the other victims of the unthinkable genocide. This was a regular candle, one I used once before during a blackout. I'd save my Yazreit one for the 8th day, as tradition dictates for a less iconoclastic observance.

I did not celebrate Passover the same way as Dr. Laura or Joe Lieberman or Rabbi Shmuley from Shalom in the Home or even Rabbi Michael Lerner or even most other Jews or others who observe this feast. One could argue that this was crazy- and you might have had a case for this—but this celebration—this doing it our way, had much meaning for me, just as we did it.

Note: Yesterday—about six years after the one at which I was the only human being--Maggie, Geordie, Larry, and I shared another impromptu Passover. We incorporated not only the traditional foods—the most that I could amass in Portland, OR on such short notice but also The Two Minute Haggadah -- for humor and perspective--as well as a few bits of information off some other choice sites. We had none of the Manischewitz—instead, we had some really delicious kosher grape juice. We used the special glasses, which we only used for this holiday. And we had new paper plates and utensils.

There will always be the need for that. So much has transpired since: the war in Iraq, continued unrest in Israel, Palestine, and all over the Middle East. And the genocide in Darfur .

Happy Passover, and one day may there be peace on earth . . . Shalom.

Mag, Geord, Larry, and Jill