It occurs to you on one of the of those freezing winter days, when you are arranging Chamisha Asar platters or leafing through costume catalogs: Pesach is coming, and the thought awakens an almost physical trepidation within you. You consider it beyond belief that a full year has elapsed since you last scrubbed and organized, cooked and labeled, and finally reclined at the magnificent table you didn’t recall setting, marveling at how the millions of details miraculously came together. Quite appropriate, it seems, for a yom tov that celebrates redemption at the brink of murderous labor.
Food styling and decor by Esther Indig Recipes by S.L. Goldberger and Esther Indig Photo credit Miriam Indig
They say Pesach is the birthday of our People as a nation, the celebration of our status as the Chosen People. Our conception, as the Seder tales attest, is one ablaze with miracles, an exodus of astounding and entirely supernatural qualities. The moment of redemption took but a single minute, the entire salvation occurring in a fraction of time, because that is our nature: We minimize the physical element, the reality of time, to maintain a more uplifted and meaningful general experience. And as our creation, is our existence, proven by a history that plainly defies all that is natural and probable. Pesach is the anniversary of the initial demonstration of this idea, which is perhaps why our avodah seems to be entirely supernatural. Is it not miraculous how we pull off a yom tov of such magnitude on a yearly basis? Is it not superhuman how we emerge, each time anew, not merely having endured the intense preparation, but relishing the celebration thereafter? The hours upon hours, the exertion and money and brain space we devote for this special time of year pays off in that single moment of completion, in the display of cheirus and royalty characteristic of the Seder night. In this miracle, the paradox of freedom and slavery resolves itself, expressing the harmony between the two, and herein lies an inkling of the elation we will experience at the ultimate redemption, then, after two thousand years of agonizing tribulations. As the preparation takes on a new flavor and starts shifting into the kitchen, I present you with an elegant, traditional and festive menu, an assortment of dishes that will make for a truly majestic setting. Get a little head start by preparing these in advance and freezing them, so that you can later focus on the food that needs to be prepared fresh. May your work prove to be pleasurable, rewarding, and ultimately — liberating. Wishing you a kosher and freilichen Pesach,
Esther Indig
March 29, 2017 / THE MONSEY VIEW / 129 www.themonseyview.com / 845.600.8484