Am I being unreasonable (Passover ?)?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Here is the situation. I don’t keep Passover strictly but I try to refrain from leavened products for that week. To my mind, the importance of the dietary restriction is as a reminder that the Jews escaping Egypt didn’t have time to let their bread rise, etc.

While I understand that there are many many products that are kosher for Passover that mimic foods traditionally not allowed, I personally feel that using a “substitute” while within the letter of the law, takes away from the reason for keeping Passover, ie remembering the story.

My problem is noodles. My mother likes to make a noodle kugel on Jewish holidays because the rest of the family like it. She uses kosher for Passover noodles. I have told her that I personally would not serve it at a Sedar, especially one to which other Jewish people are coming. I have no problem with her eating it any of the rest of Passover, although in my particular-unique to me-interpretation of Passover I prefer not to. Of course, she is my mother and should serve whatever she wants, as long as she doesn’t push it on me or ridicule my beliefs because I don’t want to eat it (another topic far too complex to even start to discuss here).

So, my question for Jewish dopers is this: if you went to a Sedar at the house of somebody you did not know well, but knew was not particularly observant in general and were served a noodle kugel, would you assume that it was made with Passover noodles? Would this bother you in any way or is it a nonissue?

2

What would be in noodles that would make them un-Kosher? There isn’t any leavening.

3

Now, this is all wild conjecture from a Catholic that used to date a Jewish girl and so got to hear all the comparisons, but…

Isn’t “bargaining with God” a central part of Jewish life? Isn’t interpretation of the law almost a science?

I remember hearing about one folk tale (and I know folk tale isn’t the right word; I mean to say non-canonical story) about a rabbi nitpicking with God over trivial meanings.

Doesn’t that set the stage for having the tradition of a gentile who turns on/off your lights or stove or what have you? There are “Jewish Stoves” where you can set timers for certain times so that the stove will essentially do all the cooking for you. I’ve heard of Jewish families with beachfront property running string from porch to ocean so as to make the beach technically part of the “house.”

I may be off with some of the specifics, but isn’t adherence to the law the point? And if you can do so and still get your kugel, then why not?
I’ll leave aside the headshaking over keeping some of the law and not the rest of it, because, although it is my main beef with many Catholics (see my trainwreck of a pit thread), it’s not my place to judge you.

I would say, however, that if you are selectively interpreting the law, it does make it difficult to question another’s selective interpretation.

4

Can’t you tell passover noodles from regular noodles? I know I sure can.

I would never assume my Jewish host at a Passover Seder had intentionally violated the dietary rules for the occasion, but if I had any doubt whatsoever, or if I were in disagreement as to whether an item should or should not be excluded, I would simply abstain from that one particular dish. Based on our family’s Seders, there’s plenty of other food to stuff one’s self on.

This year I served chicken soup with matzo balls (the box is marked Kosher for Passover!), gefilte fish, chopped liver, charoseth, brisket, mashed yams, kasha (without the shells or varnishkas), roasted carrots, roasted asparagus, and for dessert, roasted pears and macaroons. Now, most cites will tell you that kasha is a no-no on Passover. However, according to this cite, “Cereal foods such as buckwheat (“kasha”) and grains such as rye are sometimes mistakenly included in the [forbidden] group because of mistranslations of the Hebrew or upon modern Hebrew usages which should not be applied to terms in their Biblical contexts.” I, personally, don’t feel bound by mistranslations, but if one of my guests was opposed to eating kasha on Passover, they would certainly be free to abstain, and there was plenty of other food that they wouldn’t have gone hungry.

However, keep in mind that I wouldn’t be inviting an Orthodox Jew to my Seder, nor would one be likely to accept an invitation even if one were proffered. I change all my primary dishware, silverware and glassware, but I don’t bother with changing my pots and pans, so nothing I cook in my kitchen would be considered kosher for Passover anyway, even if every ingredient restriction was strictly adhered to.

And especially since your mother uses noodles that are marked “Kosher for Passover,” yes, I think you’re being silly, as she’s obviously in strict compliance with the rules (at least as far as the food itself goes), even if you think they’re too similar to non-Passover food.

5

The kosher-for-Passover noodle kugels that I’ve tasted remind me, every second that I am eating them, of the ban on leavened foods :slight_smile: I wouldn’t worry.

Shayna, if you don’t mind my asking, why do you bother changing your tableware if you don’t change your pots? To me, the reasons to change each are the same, so I can’t make sense of treating them differently. I would understand better if you didn’t change your dishes at all, actually.