Rusty's Armory

Some coffee, and maybe more than you wish to know.

Posted on April 4, 2015

Shabbat morning and Pesach morning dawn a cool 55° this morning. The combination of the two make for a Shabbat of Shabbats, or a high Shabbat.  It was an interesting Passover meal we had last night, the first where we had no guests or children. The observance has been a teaching moment for Hebrew children since the time of Moses.

However, as two aging adults, what need of we to open the door to see if Elijah has come? Or to toss plastic vermin, lice and frogs as the story unfolds? There is no evil son to speak to disrespectfully, nor good son who inquires, nor a simple son who is taught, nor is there a son who does not know how to ask.

So it was a simple seder of drinking the four cups, the eating of the bitter herbs, and the dipping of them twice in the brine.  But oddly, it was a mystical moment for us. A moment when life has come to full circle. The peace of the Shabbat descended on our modest home in the central grasslands of Texas.

And the morning dawns with the same peace, the same gnosis as that mystical moment last night as we ate breakfast. I forgot the day, however, and put biscuits in the oven. There is some debate as to whether biscuits have leaven in them or not. Nevertheless, we usually try to follow the wisdom of the sages in our observances unless we have a valid reason to reject a part of the ritual. I hold that biscuits are not leaven, but also are not matzah. The early Israelites did not have biscuits in popping cans, so they would not have made them in haste to leave. The biscuits went into the freezer.

Later today, we will go to normal Shabbat services. It is about 40 miles to the meeting place. They meet late in the day, around 3pm. I have grown to like that now that I have had a chance to get used to it. The mornings are spent in an unhurried brunch, then a little sitting around listening to music, and lastly, about 1 PM we start preparing for services.

So with this little good coffee post, I wish you good morning, hag sameach, Happy Easter Sunday, and for my atheist friends, I wish you a pleasant day.