Opening your column by saying you hate Pesach, calling it a "so called season of redemption," and claiming it "sucks"?

I don't know who's funding Jewcy, but if they knew what anti-Judaism drivel you were publishing (including all the "intermarriage is great and anyone who disagrees is a racist" crap), they'd cut your funding in a second. Hmmm, maybe I should do some research...

Just because I don't like Pesach doesn't mean I don't think it's a meaningful and important holiday.  I( also don't like the Department of Justice, but I'm not saying all kinds of justice are worthless, I just don't like the way it's being run).  You may have noticed that after I say Pesach sucks, I go on to give you a bunch of things you can read to make it suck less.

Expressing an opinion, even if the opinion is, 'I hate shul and it's stupid' (which I don't think, but anyway) isn't anti-Judaism buddy.  Just the way you not liking your mother in law doesn't mean everything from her family grosses you out, it means that you don't like being bossed around by someone who doesn't know what they're talking about.  Seriously, dude, chill.

Actually, he's right. Our funders found out that you don't like Pesach and they were PISSED. We're all fired. Ah, man! Well, see you at the Dairy Queen.

From the same folks who brought us A Different Night, there's what I think is an even better (and yes, much more attractive) haggadah-- A Night to Remember: The Haggadah of Contemporary Voices. Still fun for the whole family--and comes with a smart pull-out seder guide, to help you choose which sections might appeal to different groups (from preschool tots to precocious teens to discussion-minded adults).  It would be my choice for supplementing my family's Maxwell House (never gonna change as the base)...though this year with the frummy cousins it'll be all ArtScroll, all the time. Ah well! Them as makes the knaidlach gets to call the shots...

"Just because I don't like Pesach doesn't mean I don't think it's a meaningful and important holiday."

Anyone else see the contradiction in the above sentence?

I'm very sorry to read that you don't like Pesach. It's always been my favorite holiday. The food, family, and community feeling all are wonderful to me. I love the songs. I love that the entire ritual is done in the home -- the most "family minded" holiday of the year.

I love the predictability, but also love the room for new. I love that my mother makes the same joke every year about the section of "how many plauges?" I love that it is a mitzvah to expand on the writ and add to the evening. I love singing dyenu, especially with a crowd who doesn't know the song at the beginning and is singing with all their energy at the end.

I love watching children tear around the house looking for the afikoymen. I love opening the door for Elijah (especially since we are always wondering who will walk in -- a stray cat joined us one year).

Most of all I'm sorry that you care so consumed with your idea that Pesach "sucks" that you can't see the beauty of the day, and the joy of a familiar, comforting ritual that has been the same for all these generations.

I certainly hope that whoever is hosting the seder you attend hasn't seen this article though. I can only imagine how sad I would be to find out that one of my guests detested the celebration I put so much time and energy into.

rebecca@k2p2.net

How do you know it wasn't Elijah in disguise? ;-) 

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Anonymous- Have you never read a book that's considered a classic and found it to be boring or annoying? For me that book is the Haggadah. I don't think everyone else needs to dislike Pesach, but I do. I understand that there's meaning and importance in the holiday, but to me it's boring/frustrating.

Rebecca-It's not that I'm so consumed by how much pesach sucks to see the beauty. I never saw the beauty, so I concluded that it sucks. There are a few parts that I like, and I'm honest and happy about those, but as a whole, the holiday doesn't speak to me. My family is well aware of this, and I'm sure it's annoying to them, but it's old news at this point, so they pretty much just ignore my grumblings.

We don't all have to love every part of every bit of Judaism, and this is the part that I don't like. It doesn't mean I skip seders, or eat anything that's not K for P on Pesach. I observe the mitzvot, and I think it's important to do so. You may also want to consider that the way my family does Pesach is different than the way yours does it. Maybe if I went to your seder I'd love it.

The way you feel about pesach is the way I feel about sukkot. If you don't adore sukkot does that mean you just can't see the beauty of it, or that you just prefer Pesach? What if you didn't get along with your family? Would you expect 'the most "family minded" holiday of the year' to be your favorite then? Of course not.

The point of my post wasn't that everyone out there should join me in hating pesach. If you read past the first 200 words you'll see that I was trying to give some tips for making a seder more lively, and engaging, because it's clear to me that boring seders are a problem. I was, actually, trying to be productive. Can we focus a little? Please?

...always feel the need to lurk constantly and post rebuttals to the comments people make? You don't see online newspapers or most online magazines doing this. It's kinda creepy, to be honest.

You've had your say, as a paid staff writer. Now sit back until your next article and let us have ours.

I always wonder why our readers always seem to lurk and then post comments to articles. We don't even pay them.

But seriously, I guess it's lucky that Jewcy isn't most online magazines. The whole idea is the facilitation of discussion. I respect that it's creepy, but except for Izzy, we're a creepy bunch.

Our editors and writers aren't paid or even recommended to visit in response to comments. If they do it, it's for love of the community. I think it's nice, on a personal level, to be able to engage an author in discussion regarding something they've written. You're sure to get an honest response, and it might even be thought-provoking or intuitive.

Also, the magazine often highlights or features users and specific discussion threads. Everything is a two-way street here.

I HAVE TO AGREE - PESACH SUCKS.

I'm a Jewish professional and I think this.

I love Chametz. Why should I have to give them up in order to prove that I'm thankful for the sacrifice my ancestors made?

Tamar, you are certainly not alone. i am not a fan of Passover. our Seders are virtually the same every year- my father argues with my sister (and occasionally me, but for different reasons), my mother hates slaving in the kitchen for 2 days, and our Seders last longer than they should (though one year, we managed to finish just in time to watch "24"). but we have some variety- my aunt and uncle, who can barely read Hebrew, are always a pleasure to have (my uncle was very saddended by the passing of Charlton Heston as they shared a love of guns). as i said to my mother yesterday, is it really necessary to do this twice in a row? if we were Reform (we're Conservative, or at least my parents are. i was raised that way, but now i lean more towards the inclusive side of Transdenominational) or lived in Israel, we'd only have to do it once. the thought sounded good, but this is how we've always done it.

while the theme of liberation can be universally shared by anyone whether they are Jewish or not and welcoming hungry strangers into our homes is a mitzvah, there is nothing liberating about not being able to eat a Boston Creme or a bowl of Rice Krispies for a week. i can't stand Matzah. i have non-Jewish friends who love the stuff. if they want a box, they're welcome to it.

oh, and for the record i fell asleep in a bowl of Matzah Ball Soup when i was 5. we were at this hotel in the Poconos for Passover, and it was one of the most boring Seders i can ever recall. we also still use the Maxwell House Haggadot. it could be worse...if Sanka sponsored the Haggadot, we'd all be snoring away.