My mind, and the places it goes

(This post is not meant as criticism.)

Was looking at the page on kashering countertops. Dang. As a conservative jew, I must say this all gets a little... different. Ahem. (Although Martha would likely be covering the counters if not for me.)

I do know someone who has special passover countertops they bring out every year. Then there's you with the passover fridge. Paula is pushing for a passover dishwasher. And my in-laws have a, no kidding, a passover house for this year.

Coming from someone who keeps kosher: I really do find the yearly pesach paranoia vastly amusing, every pesach.

Maybe we can get an all-glass house when we move...

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Just to clarify -- our Passover fridge is an item of convenience, not kashrut. What I mean is, we chose to use the empty-and-unused mini fridge for Passover instead of going through the rigamarole of cleaning out our big fridge, when we can just sell it contents. Since the week before Passover is a complete work week, this was our way of getting part of the Passover cleaning done more easily.

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As long as you have the thing, you should certainly use it. Cool. I'll still make fun of you for it, though. :)

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I'll still make fun of you for it, though. :)

Doing so will get you banned from commenting here -- my journal is a place for open religious discussion. Making fun of people for their religious beliefs, whatever they are, is not permitted.

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I can't make up my mind if this is sadly humorless, an ironic comment, or what.

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I can't make up my mind if this is sadly humorless, an ironic comment, or what.

It is none of the above. It is me simply stating my choice not to be "[made] fun of" in my own journal. I banned another LJ user this morning for a comment that I deemed offensive to observant people (and, honestly, non-observant people) of any religion. This is my policy, and I apply it across the boards.

This is not to say I do not allow debate here, even debate that takes a tone I do not like. See previous Pesach Preparation posts for examples of such debates/discussions.

The people who read my journal vary widely in beliefs and practices, Jewish and non-Jewish. I do not want them or anyone else to think that they will be ridiculed for anything they say here.

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I'm not sure what your concern is with the page on kashering countertops, especially from the Conservative viewpoint. If you go to http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/indexfl.html (which is the webpage of the Conservative movement's rabbinical association) and click on the Pesah Guide 2005, you'll find the statement "TABLES, CLOSETS AND COUNTERS: If used with hametz, they should be thoroughly cleaned and covered, and then they may be used."

That's pretty much the same thing that's stated by the Orthodox Union on their webpage at http://oukosher.org/index.php/passover/article/2875: "Additionally, the common custom is to cover tables, counters, refrigerator shelves and other areas where one might not have been able to clean away every trace of chametz."

The only difference I can find is that the webpage Nomi referenced from the CRC at http://crcweb.org/kosher/consumer/passover.html actually goes into detail about the types of counters. In short, their webpage allows for the possibility that someone might have a counter that can be kashered, and gives instructions. The Conservative one says that all counters must be cleaned and then covered, no matter what they're made of.

So they're all pretty much saying the same thing.

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I'm not concerned, I'm amused. Not critical, if you're taking it that way.

This time of year, I'm primarily fascinated by Jews who don't keep kosher indulging in passover kashrut. (Like my Mom, for example.)

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I'll grant that it is amusing that a lot of legal discussion and sometimes hairsplitting happens before a ruling is made. But there are some of us out there who would rather know why the rabbis have chosen to rule a certain way rather than accept their rulings blindly. For example, the Conservative movement's responsum on when one observes shabbat on the space shuttle (cf. http://www.schechter.edu/pubs/insight16.htm) is more interesting to me because the rabbi explains all the thoughts that went into his final decision.

And again, I have to say I wonder why your amusement was sparked by an Orthodox discussion of kashering countertops, given that the same level of discussion happens within the Conservative and Reform movements as well. You said above, "As a conservative jew, I must say this all gets a little... different." I grew up in the Conservative movement, and the level of discourse before a ruling is given seems almost identical to me.

As for people who keep kosher for Passover only, but not kosher during the year, it is a common phenomenon. A lot of people enjoy keeping their religion's major holidays although they don't consider themselves particularly religious.

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Given our history with written discussions, I deleted the very long reply I prepared to this.

mabfab, you have some good questions, but I suspect that you're missing the point that this is simply me finding humor in human behavior, including my own. If you want to continue this, please contact me offline.

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I think we may very well be experiencing what Samuel Delany called "rupture," when two people finally realize that are having two entirely different conversations.

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Heh. Could be. But it's a talent, no?

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It is indeed. :-)

I first read of Delany's "rupture" concept in a Spider Robinson story. I've found it a useful concept, especially in conversations that take place on-line.

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emrinalexander.livejournal.com

I'm actually having a lot of fun cleaning - really - and getting ready, but this is the first year I'm doing it all, including food, so I have the newbie's appreciation of how doing the prep work contributes to setting the holiday out from the regular days and making it all special.

In cleaning, I found a wonderful old, heavy fabric tablecloth tucked away - I think I remember my mother using it for special dinners. There is a faded tag that indicates it IS washable in hot water - am I correct in thinking I can washing this thoroughly in hot water and then use it as a table covering?

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Yup. As far as I've always known, any freshly laundered table linens are acceptable for use on Passover, even if you've used them for chametz in the past.

And I do enjoy the preparation. It's just that it sneaks up on me every year, and so it stresses me out more than I should let it. This year, we've staggered the work for our sanity, and it's been much less stressful.

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emrinalexander.livejournal.com

I wish I'd staggered the work - I kept thinking "Oh, end of April, plenty of time..." ACK.

Next year, I hope I know better and start pulling things together earlier *G*.

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With first night being Saturday night, we had the choice of being done a week early and having to eat Pesach food an extra week or staggering the work and doing it over the course of the work week. I'm glad we chose the solution we chose.

Every year I say I'm going to start earlier, and so far I haven't managed to do so.

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And speaking of freshly laundered linens...the folded laundry is now sitting on the bed.

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Yay! Thank you!

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vettecat.livejournal.com

Honestly I hadn't noticed. But I haven't had the time to do an item-by-item comparison, I just looked up a few specific things. What kind of changes have you noticed?

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