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Category: Appointed Times

The Feather Story

Tags:  bedikat chametz, chametz, leaven, Passover, Pesach, unleavened bread

By Tikvah Michael

An anecdote about Bedikat Chametz and Unleavened Bread written from the perspective of a young religious child.

Jerusalem, 1938, Erev Pesach

"I just have to find the feather...Abba will be so disappointed," I cautiously mumbled searching my room for the newest family treasure. The love and respect that I had for father was so strong that the thought of seeing him disappointed was more than I could bear. Perhaps he should not have trusted me; perhaps I was too young for this task.

Yet he so confidently placed the feather into my hands that I felt nothing but certainty. I remember the sunny day last week when he took me to the trading square and spent an entire lirah in place of our weekly ration of eggs to purchase the feather. I mimicked the way Abba examined it all the way home, just as if I were grown.

I held it close. It was long, full and dark, soft to the touch. The rows of fluff became tightly formed strands extending from the quill in so neat an arrangement I believed HaShem had crafted it just for us. I walked very near Abba all the way home so that I could listen carefully to his instructions. "Guard it my little one, you must be attentive -- you will do a big mitzvah in our home this week." His beard lifted from his chest and wiggled about each time he spoke and although I had snickered about it on days past, today I barely cared. I was solemn after hearing his injunction.

The steady and slow paces Abba took assured me that he was proud to be with me. He boasted over me with pleasure when we met friends on the way. I stretched up as tall as I could each time his words blanketed me with honor and esteem. We rounded the corners and made our way through the walkways of stone that extended to the sky. Before I knew it, we arrived at the Kotel.1 It must be time for ma'ariv;2 how quickly our day together had passed. As usual, Abba sat me on the stone...

End of Guest excerpt:
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© 2009 First Fruits of Zion. All rights reserved. We encourage you to share this material with your friends for further personal study. However, This material may not be republished, in print, electronically, or any other form without our prior permission. Adapted from messiah magazine #90 .

For more information about this issue, click here.

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