Pesach Traditions: Our “go-to to-go” bag

Hello dear readers,

I’m so excited for our upcoming pesach vacation (thanks Leisure Time Tours), I’ve already started my list of things to pack! We’re obviously looking forward to the sunshine and the warm Florida spring, especially here in New York when it’s still February. Brr!

The ordinary packing list is pretty straightforward – socks, toothbrush, beachwear, and a good book or three to read by the pool. But I want to talk about another important list. Now, I haven’t had a lot of opportunities recently to work on this list, as we haven’t been on a pesach vacation for eight years. But it’s still important, so I’ll share it with you.

Okay, ready? Here it is: It’s the pesach go-to to-go bag!

You might be asking, “What is a go-to to-go bag?” Well, it’s a bunch of super important (the “go-to” part) items and objects that you need for a specific situation (in this case, pesach), especially when that situation is somewhere outside your usual environment (the “to-go” part).

So, what are the five most important “go-to to-go” items in the Silver/Jacobsen/Blum bag? I’m glad you asked!!

1) FAVORITE HAGADDAHS – Everyone in the family has his or her own favorite Hagaddah to use for the seders. Some, like my adorable niece Dalia, prefer a Hagaddah with lots of pictures; some, like my nephew Boaz, fill their Hagaddahs with post-it notes of divrei torah they want to share; and some, like Grandpa Yossi, just need the large print. All I know is, if you’re going to be away for the seders, B.Y.O. Hagaddah – I know we will.

2) HAND-MADE AFIKOMAN POUCH – Grandma Helen made one for each of her three children, and no Afikoman quest is complete without some lucky child running back to the table holding the bright blue pouch triumphantly in the air.

3) CHAD THE STUFFED GOAT – Each year at the Silver/Jacobsen/Blum seders, each verse of chad gadya is led by the person who is holding the stuffed toy goat, who we named Chad (get it?). Chad is kept locked away with the pesach dishes for most of the year, so we’ll make sure to unpack him and buy him a ticket to Florida (first class, of course!).

4) BLACK SHIRTS AND BLUE JEANS – The Silver/Jacobsen/Blum family takes a family portrait every year, always at pesach. Everyone wears black shirts and blue jeans in the photos, so we’ll make sure to pack the outfits.

5) FRUIT LEATHER – So this is a weird family tradition: No one eats fruit leather the rest of the year, but when pesach rolls around we eat enough fruit leather to fill a fruit tannery! So no family pesach, at home or away, would be complete without a healthy stash of fruit leather.

What about you? What’s in your pesach go-to to-go bag? Write in the comments about your essential pesach items, at home or wherever your pesach vacation may take you!

More soon,

Ariella

Leisure Time Tours makes planning your Pesach family vacation easy. To find out more information, contact us at 718-528-0700.