It would be ridiculous, preposterous, absurd for me to suggest that I wasn’t thinking about the holiday until the morning before. However, there is a HUGE difference between thinking about, even paying attention to something, and being focused on it with steely concentration. For example, shopping for what we need for Pesach always gets my attention. Unlike in The States, where the supermarkets put out their ‘Kosher for Passover’ items whenever it’s convenient for them in their aisle devoted to seasonal items (sometime after Valentine’s Day and before Easter), and there’s a mad rush to get whatever is available before it’s all sold out, here in The Land it’s no biggie. About two weeks before the appointed date, the markets begin putting out the matzot and everything associated with it, and if you forgot something, no worries, it’ll be there next time you shop. Of course, I’m always resupplying our larder, so the act of shopping for Pesach isn’t fundamentally different from what we do the rest of the year. Continue reading →