Passover Is Almost Here, So Order Your Matzo ASAP

The days of the Hebrew calendar are fixed, but being a lunar calendar, they don't align with the calendar we use in our everyday lives, leaving us scrambling to figure out what happens when. And when it comes to holidays? It means paying attention. So when is Passover 2020? It's almost here. The holiday begins on the night of Wednesday, April 8, and finishes at sunset on Thursday, April 16.

The holiday, like most other Jewish holidays, is a celebration of Jews' continued survival, but Judaism is nothing if not totally metal. Think about it — the whole holiday revolves around celebrating surviving water turning to blood, frogs, lice, wild animals, diseased livestock, boils, fire and hail thundering from the sky, locusts, darkness for three days, and the death of the firstborn. There are even plague kits for kids available online, filled with fake frogs and locusts.

Let us all celebrate, as we light the candles, read the Haggadah, and pretend the horseradish doesn't make our eyes water, the triumphant Exodus from Egypt. Passover is a celebration of hope, of triumph over adversity, and also of people willing to make hard choices to preserve the health of their loved ones. As the questions are asked, a place for Elijah is set, and the afikomen is hidden, it is good to remember that these simple acts are a mitzvah, transferring some of that wonderful, mystical energy bestowed upon the Chosen thousands of years ago upon those around us and ourselves.

Have some cheesecake, play with your kids' fake frogs, and remember to light the candles at sundown on April 8. You're definitely going to be home, and this is the year to lean in on the coziness of a celebration. Don't forget to order your groceries with a delivery app or curbside pick-up if you can.