HAPPY PASSOVER 2025

I occasionally write parts of this e-zine’s columns while watching sports. (But only during the competitions that do not need every second of my attention, which means not during ice skating or the Olympics, except to take some notes on them.)

So, when I was recently obsessively watching every second of March Madness, (the college basketball tourney,) I wanted to get started on this Passover column. But nothing was coming to me.

And then something hit me on the recent night that Michigan State was about to play in the Sweet Sixteen. And that is the connection Passover has to March Madness for me. So I figured I’d write about that this year.

Two things that I try to never miss in the Spring are the Championship game of the NCAA tournament and Passover seders. So, of course, I always hope that the two disparate events do not fall on the same date.

But they did in the one year that I want to tell you about. I was invited to the first seder, (for those who don’t know, there are two nights of them,) at the home of a couple who were two of my besties. The husband and I were big sports buddies, while I was into more cerebral endeavors, such as playing Jeopardy, with the wife. She was actually someone who people would not have pictured that I would have clicked with, but it worked. Even their young sons and I loved each other. I spent a lot of time at their house in those days, so when I was invited to their seder, it was a natural.

But, as wonderfully as we all got along, the wife was definitely the boss. Of all of us! She was a television producer, (which is actually how I met her—I was a guest star on a couple of episodes of her sitcom,) which means that she was used to being in charge.

So, that same night as the seder, Michigan and North Carolina, (the eventual champion,) were playing for the NCAA basketball Championship. As much as I didn’t want to stay home to watch the game but miss the seder, I also didn’t want to miss the big game. And I wasn’t the only one who felt that way—the husband, the wife’s brother who was visiting from Michigan, and one other male guest were very into it, as well. (This was in the days before you could watch everything on-line or later. I believe Mr. X, who is not of my same ethnic persuasion so he stayed home that night, was taping it for me, but I wanted to see it on time, not after I already knew the results.)

But we were all aware that the wife would not allow us to watch the game while the seder was going on, nor let us just start the seder after the game. And I actually agree; I totally feel, as I assume most appropriate celebrants do, that seders are sacred—there should never be a TV on during them, not even for the not-very-religious dinners, which this one was.

So, that night, to not upset the hostess, but satisfy our desire to see the game live, the three guys and I took turns saying we had to go to the bathroom, and then sneaking into the den where the husband had left the game on for us, at a very low volume. We’d watch the game for a minute or two, and then go back to the packed dinner table, and play “Telephone” to get the score around to the others. It was so crazy. And a tad stressful at the time. But now in retrospect, it’s a fun and happy memory.

And now I’ve realized that writing this column while watching this year’s March Madness is quite the full circle. And I’m happy that there will not be a problem for me this time because the basketball tournament ended this past Monday.

So all that’s left for me to do is to wish all my readers who celebrate this holiday a very Happy Passover. Have some chocolate-covered matzahs for me!