An Away Game for the Seder

 

This year my wife and I stayed with some friends for the Passover seders.  For many years we would go away to my mother-in-law, who would usually host several other friends and relatives in addition to us.  My wife would, of course, help out with the meal preparations, and I would move the furniture and do all kinds of other things.  But the time came when my mother-in-law could no longer engage in such grand productions, so we began hosting the seders at our house.  A few years ago, having my mother-in-law stay by us became impracticable, but the senior community where she lived had good seder arrangements available for their Jewish residents, which my mother-in-law thoroughly enjoyed during her remaining days.

But my wife and I continued to have seders on a smaller scale, mostly with two or three guests (though we did a few with just the two of us a few times, including last year).

This year, what with our respective professional pressures and commitments, we were quite happy to jump at an invitation from some friends.  It was reasonably enjoyable, but many things were not what we have become accustomed to doing and eating and drinking.

I sort of miss my wife's Cousin Shira, who has been our own guest at our past seders.  Shira is quite leftward in her politics, and I enjoy (A) pointing out the inconsistencies in her worldview, and (B) getting her outraged by my own declarative statements.  But one of the other guests at this year's seder made Shira seem like a freedom-loving, true-blue American.  And in any case, this other guest, Leslie, scores considerably lower on the IQ tests than Shira.

Leslie still believes that she will eventually get free healthcare insurance when all of the bugs in ObamaCare are ironed out (Shira at least understands that her healthcare will always cost money, but she blames George Bush and the Republicans for the high cost).  Leslie doesn't understand that the process of making steel releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere ("They don't need to burn coal to make steel anymore because they now have electric furnaces.").  And Leslie doesn't understand how the flooding of America with illegal aliens costs the taxpayers any money.

Oh, did I mention that both of Leslie's grandfathers were captains of industry in their respective fields, and that they each made her a beneficiary of a trust fund?

Our hosts had to be good hosts and humor Leslie.  But I had no such obligation, and neither did Larry, another guest who thinks much along the same lines that I do.

I did feel a bit like a cowardly bully for picking on such a naïve opponent.  Cousin Shira, at least, mounts  a good verbal fight.

I hope that everyone had a good Pesach or Easter, as the case may be.