With a full week of Chol Hamoed, we have plenty of time for extracurricular activities. I don’t know about your house, but in mine, this often centers around the kitchen.
Then my friend’s mother related how one of her sons-in-law has particularly time-
consuming and challenging food-related minhagim, such as only cracking nuts with a nutcracker and not using an oven that was used during the year for chometz. My jaw dropped in awe of this woman as she matter-of-factly recounted how she accommodates her son-in-law.
But what she said next really sat with me. “It’s fine, I want this couple to come to me for Yom Tov.” So simple, but such a clear path to not getting worked up about extra hours of work.
I’m not going to say I never get worked up about extra work piled on already hardworking women, but considering that minhagim are the what brings to life a potentially black-and-white Pesach, approaching this topic with completely logical reasoning is going to result in a conversation that runs in circles.
So much of the Pesach atmosphere in each of our homes is guided by minhagim. Our customs, whether passed down for generations or just a few years old, are the flag we hold high, and they determine the culture in our homes on this Yom Tov in particular. Our culture is enriched by a Pesach atmosphere that buzzes with “because that’s what we do in our house.” And this is a mesorah to give over to our kids, hopefully alongside a positive Yom Tov spirit that will also be passed on for generations.
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