The Second Passover Post

E doesn't remember celebrating Passover. Last year, in London, we skipped it. Seders at London synagogues are prohibitively expensive, we had no idea where to buy Passover food, and really we're just not as observant as all that. So E was two the last time she attended a seder or encountered matzoh.

She's interested and excited, though, and trying to wrap her head around what Passover means. The other day M read her My Very Own Haggadah, which she now eagerly claims as her haggadah. Last night we read the relevant Sammy Spider. She knows that there will be seders, she's excited to wear a pretty dress, and she's a bit worried that she will get too hungry before it's time to eat. She also knows that M is going to try to keep kosher for Passover this year, so she's been talking a lot about how M fasted till lunchtime on Yom Kippur, but she doesn't fast and she gets to eat bread. Last night she even asked if she could break the shabbat bread at the seder.

Like I said, she's trying.

Edited to add: We're doing content too, at a four year old level. I asked her at breakfast if she knew why we celebrate Passover. She said, "Yes." I asked, "Why?" She said, "I don't know." So we talked about how the Jews were slaves in Egypt which meant that they had to work for the Egyptians and not get paid and the Egyptians were in charge of them and that was not very nice, so then they left Egypt to go be in charge of themselves, and that's what we are celebrating. Then we got sidetracked wondering why on earth it took 40 years to get from Egypt to Israel, which seems like it should take about two weeks if you're walking, though E suggested that maybe they took an airplane. Then we talked about how Passover reminds us to help everyone be free. Then we talked about Sammy Spider some more.