A Digital Pesach

Dylan Kotkis

Finally, the Zoom call connects, I can see my cousins waving at me through my laptop screen and yet all I can think about is how quickly we can get to the Shulchan Orech. Before we start our Seder, my Mum stops to reflect on this unique setting. “Boys, this is going to be a Pesach that people will talk about for years to come”, and I’m sure she isn’t wrong. We are living in an interesting world at the moment, with natural disaster, international pandemic and global economic collapse a simple reality. 2020 has been a harsh year, testing everyone and pushing new boundaries that most people didn’t know existed, and for the first time, the Jewish community has first-hand experienced the effects of this modern world. Pesach was different this year, but yet, I think we all felt more connected than ever.

Some of my most vivid memories of Judaism in my childhood come from Pesach. Sitting at the kids table, singing Pesach songs, everyone taking a turn to read a part, it was a time of joy and togetherness, and although Matzah is a questionable substitute for bread, Pesach still holds a place in my heart. I think Pesach is so significant for me because for one week a year, the Kotkis household becomes completely Pesadic. All of the cupboards are taped shut, mainly so that I don’t forget and make myself some toast, my Mum’s study becomes the Pesach cupboard, and for the first and last time every year, I am confident that any Rabbi would feel comfortable dining at my house. My friends never quite understood the concept of Pesadic food. The conversation would usually end up with me explaining that, “Just because there’s no wheat, it doesn’t make it Pesadic!”. I would always be tempted to go out with my friends for their “Pesadic Nandos”, but for me, it is the one week a year where I get to stand out with my Judaism and fully immerse myself in the Pesach traditions. It is almost liberating, in a sense, to have the ability to commemorate the freeing of Jews from slavery and take part in an age-old tradition. We get to explore new culinary avenues, with almost all Jews pushing their creativity to the limits, all working to answer the question, “What is the best food that can be made with Matzah?”. For me, my all-time favourite is Matzah fried with eggs. Unfortunately, I was not gifted with any cooking ability and quite spectacularly, I managed to fail food technology at school. But in the spirit of the wild nature of 2020, I thought I should give cooking a go and I’m pleased to say that it was a success! I can now add Matzah with egg to my very short list of foods I can cook. But in between the all-time classic Matzah pizza and some of my mum’s Matzah toffee, I’m always amazed at the variety and creativity that people display, managing to weave Matzah into the most unique and delicious dishes. Unique to this year, was a sudden increase in the online sharing of recipes, cooking tips and some of the best food photos I’ve ever seen. Being stuck at home, although frustrating, has forced us all to connect in different ways, mainly on social media and video calling. This has allowed people from all around Australia and the rest of the world to still remain connected, whilst adhering to all of the social distancing laws we are facing.

Pesach was always going to be a challenge at a time like this, as the Seder is a time for Jews to collect as one unit and celebrate our freedom. Since this was unfortunately not going to be a reality, we all had to adapt and find a new solution in order to still live the true Pesach Seder experience. This brings me back to my Pesach Seder. For the first time in almost ten years, first night Pesach was held at my own house, with just me, my brother and my parents. We didn’t want to miss out on connecting with our cousins, so I brought out my laptop, perched it on the kitchen counter, and prayed that the Wi-Fi would work. Sure enough, after three tries we managed to get a Zoom call going and incredibly, it was as if we were all together like normal, singing our brachot and reading from the Haggadah. Even though we were all out of time and we could barely make out everyone’s faces, we were still having our very own digital Seder. Then we got to the song Ma Nishtana, and I suddenly felt a connection to the song like I had never before. We sang the first verse and asked the question, “Why is this night different from all other nights?”. Clearly there was no need to answer that question, because I don’t think there will ever be another Pesach quite like this year.