Article in The Times of Israel by Andy Blumenthal: I see Chabad not only performing genuine good deeds, but also always b’simcha (in happiness) with a big smile, even generously letting others take the Passover buffet home with them. To me, this is truly a taste not just of a festive and kosher Passover, but of the times of Mashiach where rather than fighting over the scraps of food, there is so much plenty and caring that we can’t even give it all away.

1. 4/17/22, 7:51 AM Making Off With The Passover Buffet | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
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Andy Blumenthal
Making Off With The
Passover Buffet
Credit Photo: Dossy Blumenthal
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We were invited to a beautiful Passover Seder hosted by Chabad. It promised a
meaningful rendition of the Passover Haggadah, good community friends, and a
feast of a dinner. So of course, we went!
The Rabbi and Rebbetzin worked so hard to make it a beautiful event. Their
children even read the Ma Nishtana (‘Four Questions”) and shared tidbits of
Torah during the Seder that they had learned in yeshiva. We made sure to fulfill
all the mitzvot of the Seder from the washing of the hands, saying the blessings,
retelling the story of our exodus from slavery, and eating the special foods.
The funniest thing though was when one family with a young child had to leave
the Seder early. They packed up their things to leave, said good evening, and
headed for the exit. But then I see the man one more time at the lavish Passover
buffet table. Wait, he wasn’t taking a little more on his plate, instead he was
actually loading a couple of the trays of roast beef and chicken into a box and
packing it to go. Since the meal was still going on, I suppose that I couldn’t help
looking at him with more than a little surprise on my face: like what in G-d’s
name are you doing walking out with the buffet? And then, oh he caught my
eye, and looking back gave me the funniest guilty smile that I have ever seen.
But not to misjudge anyone, as it turned out, the Rabbi announced at the end of
the Seder that everyone should take whatever was left over home, because they
had no use for it and would otherwise just end up throwing it out, since at home
during Passover they don’t eat ready-prepared foods, but only what they
themselves make. So, I realized that the people that had left early had also
gotten the message and the buffet didn’t just “walk out the door.” I must admit
that we ourselves also ended up with plenty of leftovers for the rest of the
holiday, and oh my G-d, I need to watch my weight.
Anyway, this all reminded me of a funny joke about food and Kashrut that I
heard recently. It goes something like this: A religious Jewish man dies and goes
up towards heaven. He’s standing before the gates to go in, and an angel of the
L-rd stops him, and says “Before you are admitted to heaven, we have a

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Blumenthal is a dynamic, award-winning leader who writes frequently about Jewish life,
culture, and security. All opinions are his own.
delicious, lavish feast for you to partake of.” The Jewish man being stringently
observant asks the angel: “Who is the mashgiach (i.e., who supervised the
Kashrut) of the food at this great banquet?” The angel is a little taken aback by
this man’s question about the kashrut, but then responds reassuringly that G-d
Himself was the mashgiach over the banquet. However, instead of the man
being satisfied by this answer, he stops again to think for a moment, and say to
the angel, “Can I get the fruit platter?”
I guess as Jews, we always have food on the brain. Like my dear father, Fred
Blumenthal, used to joke about the forever discontented man in the restaurant
who complained that the food was so terrible, and on the top it the portions were
so small!
After the Seder last night, I told the Rabbi sincerely that He and all of Chabad
are a true inspiration to me. While no one is perfect, I do generally see Chabad
as representing authentic Judaism and observance of the mitzvot. There is
something about Chabad’s selflessness (like my own father and mother were)
that they not only carry out G-d’s commandments, but they also help others to
rediscover their Jewish roots and strengthen their connection to G-d and the
Torah. Moreover, I see Chabad not only performing genuine good deeds, but
also always b’simcha (in happiness) with a big smile, even generously letting
others take the Passover buffet home with them. To me, this is truly a taste not
just of a festive and kosher Passover, but of the times of Mashiach where rather
than fighting over the scraps of food, there is so much plenty and caring that we
can’t even give it all away.