The Passover Slave

During the Jewish holiday of Passover a Jew is supposed to feel as if he himself were freed from slavery. This year I was given help achieving slave status.

Last Wednesday night, as my family gathered in our Dining room to begin the ritual Passover Seder, we noticed that someone essential hadn't arrived.

The dog.

Yofi, an 18 pound Corgi/Chihuahua half-breed, our faithful companion for ten years had escaped to the outside world.

For the next hour engines roared, poison ivy infested forests were searched, death infiltrated our thoughts, and tears flowed like the Nile. Finally, after it appeared hope was lost and Yofi was a goner, I sadly began the drive home.

And then, on a yard a few houses away from where I was driving, I spotted a tail waggin', grass sniffin', territory markin' poop of a dog. Yofi was found and our Seder could begin!

Not yet.

Upon returning home my father said my mom was still conducting her forest search, and worse yet, had neglected to bring her cell-phone with her. My feelings of frustration soon turned to feelings of fear, as I believed I heard the voice of a screaming woman coming from the woods.

The next 20 minutes I sprinted, like a man posessed, through the backyards of our neighborhood, screaming my mother’s name. The neighbors stared at me through their back windows like I was a lunatic, which I was. Then my cell-phone rang.

My mother had returned shortly after Yofi was found. Unfortunately, no one shared this news with my father or me.

As our Seder finally began an hour and a half late, I was drenched with sweat, scraped from the forest brush, hoarse from screaming, and sore from the frantic search.

I was beat up, lifeless, and exhausted. Yet I was so happy that even matzah seemed appealing.

I was like one of the Jews being freed from Egypt.