Wednesday, April 12th, 2006...3:29 pm
May it Pass-over fast…
What’s the first thing you do when you run away from a country and a bunch’o angry people are chasing you? You start cleaning, or at least that’s what I’ve been expected to do in the past few days to commemorate my ancestors running away from Egypt a few thousand years ago.
Everybody’s cleaning, all the time, and cleaning is a very “troublesome” action. I’ve never seen anything good come out from people cleaning together. The best of friends, the closest of family members, the most loving couples, all do the mistake of thinking that cleaning together might be fun, but it always turns out to be a mess. That’s due to a built in concept within the action of cleaning that says that things should be thrown out, if not at least moved around to make it look better. A simple cleaning job usually leads to a redesigning project that’s full of politics and power struggles. Soon enough, somebody will try and throw away something that means a little to someone else and some really bad stuff will start happening. Maybe it’s different when you have the thrilling sensation of running away from snake-looking Egyptians in the middle of a desert to do your cleaning the right way, if that’s indeed what they were doing there 
Passover holiday was always one of my least-liked holidays. What good can it bring to put your entire ‘loving’ family around one big table and have them follow some boring text nobody relates to? … of having to eat food that has to be made following millions of ‘holy’ restrictions and is suppose to remind us, in a very weird way, of something that even our ancestors thought was absurd?
Over a week of no normal bread or breadbased-food (in someplaces enforced by Israeli law (!)), special kitchenware, endless religious ceremonies… there were some years, not too long ago, when I just gave up.
But yeah, you’re right, when you’re working hard, or studying a lot, then a 2 weeks vacation is always welcomed. And yeah, true, it could be fun, especially for those who haven’t done it 27 times already. You know what? it may even seem magical and mysterious.
So, I’m hoping that after all this running around and cleaning up, something good will happen with this holiday.
(I know they’re not really China/Taiwan, but it is a very-funny far-east Matza gig (yep, that’s the horrible bread we have to eat :O)… Thanks, V - http://www.mantis.co.il/pesach2006/)
oh, do i love ‘irreverent’ posts. =D you go, fili!
in taiwanese families, such ‘religious’ celebrations are not uncommon, either. the weirdest thing is, whenever i ask the ‘elders’ the reasons behind the religious customs/rules, none can answer (they say: because it has always been like so - wtf?).
i just cannot fathom whatsoever why there is a need to attach oneself like this to a notion - any notion, be it religious or not.
hummmph!
PS: I really love cleaning, though!
תעשה פעם סדר איתנו, תראה שזו יכולה להיות חוויה אחרת לגמרי
ועדיין מוזר לי איך אתה מעריך, כמעט מקדש, חברה כל כך מסורתית ומשפחתית כמו טיוואן ומצד שני בז לכל מה שקשור למסורת ולמשפחתיות יהודית/ישראלית
Whhaoo… two comments from two people on one post.
to DS:
Thing is about Israelis, is that Israelis love their country, but also love to hate everything about it (or rather, love to complain about it).
All I can say, is that I joke about -me-, not anybody elses. I’m sure your sense of Passover is just wonderful, and although I envy you for feeling that way, I’m not sure I’ll be quick to change places with you. I’m sure that your ‘loving’ family and your ‘holy’ restrictions are very different than mine.
to both:
Yeah, well… thing I liked about the religious ceremonies I’ve seen in the east is that they were more about spirituality, and less about rules, more about simplicity and and less about perfectionism, more about embracing and less about criticism and judgement (self and others), more about soul and less about mind.
To Aussie-Yam :
Oh, then, in Jewish religion they would absolutely LOVE your questions and give your endless answers. In a way, that’s what Passover is about, they encourage people to ask questions about WHY so they could tell them each and every detail of what happened long ago. And since you say you love cleaning, then that would put make you a Passover goddess among Israelis. 
(Hmm… it’s a good topic, I feel like writing about that more)
In high school, many elderly Jewish grandparents would come and teach us about Judaism. It was fascinating. I loved how they could answer everything, indeed!! So unlike Taiwanese elders! =D But I totally understand your frustration. I experienced the same in Japan - it’s a case of ‘too much attachment’ to the past and looking too little at the present.
I do agree that in Taiwan and parts of Asia, religion is more spiritual in general. But that’s usually the case, because we don’t often know why the hell we celebrate certain religious events, because the original meaning was lost centuries ago. =D
Fili, is it frowned upon to be an agnostic/atheist in Israel, like it is in Muslim countries?
Yes, you should totally write more along this subject line. It’s so fascinating to read about it from someone who was born into one of the oldest cultures in the world. Thank you for the wonderful/fascinating insight!
Frowned upon?
You might find that strange, but Israel is a lot more atheist than most western countries. You’ll find that about 70% are not religious in Israel, of which only half are considered ‘traditional’ in that they ‘respect’ very few Jewish traditions.
Yet, there’s a big issue in Israel regarding the connection between being an Israeli and being a Jew, as our statement of indepencdence talks about forming a “Jewish state in Israel”, which for some people meant that Israel should be Jewish, rather than allow Jewish people to live in it (both are problematic, as there are over a million non-Jews in Israel, out of about 6m). Either way, Israel is heavily influenced by Judaism as, for example, our weekend is Friday and Saturday and not on Saturday-Sunday like most countries. There are endless examples, especially on a Passover holiday.
Non religious people in Israel are a very big majority, but - due to the intense religious aspect of Israel - they tend to respect religious minorities alot.
(Ofcourse that’s not even close to a full explanation, but that would take years)
My ‘frustration’ has its own background and explanation. Maybe I’ll write about that sometime, but it is true, as DS suggested, that I have special issues with where I “come from”. Though I tend to couple my issues with Judaism in the same group as my issues with Christianity and Islan together, as opposed to eastern religions. People who knew me (especially Asian ones) have heard my views on that quite a lot.
Fascinating. Thanks v. much for the insight - you know, the Western media are quite keen to portray an ultra-right (+ religious) Israel. We’re so starved of the truth (clearly). I am v. comforted by learning that most Israelis are irreligious.
Organised religion is really the bane of human existence.
Even over here in secular Australia, the Easter break has been totally puke-worthy. Blech!
Now, perhaps that’s topical enough for another 365 posts.