Why does This Passover Feel Different?

For some strange reason I just can't wait for this year's Passover to be over.

All other years I want it to go on. I look back at all the work, all the preparation and expenses and sort of mutter to myself, said with that Yiddish inflection so popular with Jewish comedians:

"All this for just a one week holiday?"

I probably should have gotten my act together and invited lots of people. Hosting generally puts me in a better mood. But my barely functioning kitchen makes cooking very difficult and time consuming. Things take ages to cook on the simple two-burner hotplate/stovetop I've been using since the gas stove smells. My after the school year is over plan is to design and order a new kitchen. No doubt it will take all summer from beginning to end, if not longer. I do have the basic design and just need a professional to work out the details, then hire workers and buy two full-size ovens and a nice new stove-top.

Baruch Hashem, Thank Gd, we did have a totally wonderful Passover Seder and first day Holiday at our daughter's with most of our kids and all the grandchildren, bli eyin haraa. It was a real treat to hear the two and a half year old ask the "four questions." And even the first grader read from the Haggadah.

One of the problems with this year's Passover, unlike the previous two, is that there were only two full days of chol hamoed, the "intermediate days" when you have a full day to travel, host etc. Of course, I can't really complain, since out of Israel, there was only one! At least I did manage to get out of the those on both the days. On the first day I went down to see what was doing in Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh, and on the second day we went to Jerusalem and saw cousins.

It's hard to believe that in just over thirty-six 36 hours we'll be putting all the Passover stuff away and taking out the "regular kitchen."

Gd willing, next year will be much better! Enjoy and Chag Kasher v'Sameach!