Rochelle
Liebermai

THE SPIRITUAL

JOURNEY from page 109

make certain no such crumbs are pres-
ent. Empty all pockets in all clothing,
scrub floors, clean refrigerators (inside,
on top, underneath), wipe down cabi-
nets. No wonder some people feel a
little less than joyous as they get ready
for Pesach.
Not Judy Goldsmith.
"While I'm cleaning, I try to feel
like I'm one of the Jews preparing to
leave Egypt," she says. "It's a time of
introspection, a time of considering
where I have been, where I'm going. I
look at each item in our house and
ask, 'Is this something we're really
using, or could someone else use it
more than we could?'
"It's like preparing for a spiritual
journey," says Goldsmith, a member of
Congregation
Beth Shalom. "It's a
0 0
growth process, a time to say, 'What is
the meaning of our lives?' and 'What
are we trying to accomplish in life?'"
One task she invariably accomplishes
is a lot of donating. Books go to the
Huntington Woods Library.
Everything else goes to the Kidney
Foundation or the Purple Heart, a
nonprofit organization that benefits
former U.S. military veterans.
Finally, extra food is taken to Yad
Ezra, the Berkley-based kosher food
pantry, and the clean, empty cabinets
are filled with matzah, of course. In
addition to the Pesach pancakes, the
family enjoys matzah with jelly and
matzah with melted cheese during the
holiday. Marshmallows are another
favorite.
Noticeably absent, however, are the
trendy items, like Pesach noodles.
Years ago, Goldsmith decided that
those gummy, essentially flavorless
strands that try to pass themselves off
as Pesach pasta definitely are not a
necessity. She quickly realized she did-
n't need the "just for Pesach cereal"
anymore, either.
Soon, her grocery bill for the holi-
day was down by $300.
Typical seder fare at the Goldsmith
household will include brisket,
enjoyed by friends and family alike.
While Goldsmith's in-laws were still
alive, the family gathered at their
home for the seder. "But slowly,
everyone has moved away," she says,
and her in-laws have passed away.
These days, the Goldsmiths' first
seder includes not only the immediate
family — Judy, husband Mark and
daughter Molly, 8, (son Jared
Rosenbaum is in graduate school work-
ing on his MBA at Loyola College in
Maryland, where he also works in the
commercial lending department of
Allfirst Bank) — but "people who we

,

know don't have other seders to go to."
This may mean friends who are single,
without any family in Michigan, those
who are divorced. "It's a pretty eclectic
group," Judy Goldsmith says.
The second seder they enjoy with
friends in the neighborhood. "Someone
invited us this year and I am so excit-
ed," she says. "The moment they asked,
`Would you like to come over?' I said,
`Great!" I didn't hesitate."
The first seder is led by Mark
Goldsmith, and he always completes
the entire Haggadah; the second will be
very child friendly and relaxed.
When Judy Goldsmith was a little
girl she attended seders at her grand-
mother's house: "She won't tell us how
old she is, but we think she's older than
100." Seders there were a solemn affair,
led by her grandfather, a serious scholar
who always included in the evening his
unique version of "Dayenu."
"He said cdayeani,' instead of
Vayenu– No one could contain him-
self, and "my grandfather would be furi-
ous because all the kids were laughing."
Goldsmith describes her own family
seders as "beautiful," because she loves
the way her husband leads them, and
because she loves to watch her daughter
enjoy the days, and because she loves
the way the family sing together.
"Molly has learned so much about
Passover, and so many songs at Hillel
[Day School of Metropolitan Detroit
in Farmington Hills], so the evening is
an absolute songfest," she says.
"Molly loves everything about
Yiddishkeit, everything'about Judaism.
She just has a different level of spiritu-
ality, and Passover is one of her
favorite celebrations.
"Getting ready is a lot of work, but
it's all worth it when I see my husband
and daughter are appreciative,"
Goldsmith says. "My husband is so
grateful that I do this for the family,
and he says it. It really makes me feel
like I've done something special."
In fact, she likes everything not just
about this holiday, but also about her
Jewish life as a whole.
"I love our family life," she says. "It is
infused with Judaism. When it's
Monday, we say, 'Just five more days
until Shabbat.' I love that when my
daughter pours herself a bowl of cereal
she says a brachah (blessing) on her
own; no one has to tell her to do it.
"Our home and our lives are won-
derful, like a rainbow, like a kaleido-
scope of Judaism, and Passover is the
ultimate observance. It has so many rit-
uals that it really highlights everything
we feel about being Jewish — in one
week." El

net Randolph
Staff.

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Formerly of
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