By Mendy Pellin
What was your most memorable and favorite Seder?
My favorite #Pesach #Seder was spent in a Crown Heights Mikvah when I was 8 years-old.
As was often the case, my father was running late to shul the first night of Pesach. On the way to shul, we made a stop at the Union Street mikvah for a quick pre-holiday dip. Actually, in my family there was no such thing as quick.
One of my brothers wanted to break his record and immerse 101 times in the holy water. I took forever to get dressed after my dip. My oldest brother didn’t have time to wait and went ahead to 770. By the time we were ready to go, we were the last ones there.
That’s when we realized we were locked inside the Mikvah. The management must have thought it was empty and locked it from the outside.
My father didn’t panic.
As we heard people walking home from Shul to their meals, we started banging on the door. No one heard us.
That’s when my brother, Yaakov, decided to try out his karate aspirations on the Mikvah door. He ran up, did a jump kick – and flew backward – hitting the light switch on the wall opposite the door. Even his great karate kick was no match for a New York deadbolt mikvah door. Now we were all in the dark.
My father still didn’t panic. He figured my brother, Levi, would eventually connect the dots and come check on us.
A few hours passed.
Most people on the outside were unlocking their doors for Eliyahu. But we were sitting in a dark, chlorine-filled, dressing room having – the best seder of my life.
It was as though nothing in the world existed but us. We had no distractions. No comfortable couches yelling for us to escape the endless Hagaddah. No guests chewing up our parents’ attention.
We were free.
Free to share stories with each other. Free to sing songs. Free to tell jokes. Free to talk about the story of Pesach. Free to laugh at our situation.
My father didn’t preach faith that night in the Mikvah. He showed us faith. Faith that everything happens for a reason. Faith to know that there will always be light no matter the dark situation we are in. Faith in ourselves to find freedom within.
My brother eventually found us and went to the home of someone that worked in Shul to get the keys. We went home to find a very concerned mother and starving guests. That’s when we began the traditional seder. Funny, I don’t remember a thing about that one.
This Pesach, don’t forget what it’s all about. That’s the only way for your kids not to forget either.
Happy Pesach!
i am filled with admiration for your father, Mendy.
G-D Bless him
This things don’t only happen to comedians. Things like this happen to all of us. Comedians just have the ability to see the humor and message in these occurrences, remember them and share it. For the rest of us a story like this would just fade from memory or be a traumatic experience to be afraid of.
PS yes typically comedians in one routine might say that just “this morning” they were in 10 different places that it’s not possible to be in…
zev stiefel-slovakia
funny, its all about finding the humor in every situation and what one does with a seemingly perplexed predicament. It sounded as though you all got out of “Egypt” just fine.
Why do all these crazy things always happen to comedians
Loved every second of this story. Mendy, you never fail to deliver 🙂
very inspiring
And he loved his kids!!!!!!!!
This was one amazing read for me without a single distraction or clicking on other tabs mid reading. You described the meaning of pesach.
Mendy,
I remember your father and Levi may he be well very well, that story made me cry but when you tell it who are we to cry?
Mendy, your an inspiration, keep on keeping it on!
that is sooooo funny lol
mendey loves this
Like this!
What an incredible story!! Thanks!!!
on tes vav nissan we have the mitzvah of telling over the story ofyitzias mitzrayim and we went from dark to light and that story is a amazing mushel and a great nimshul that we could bring gashmiyus to ruchniyus
shekoach
who agrees this is serious and inspirational article by a very funny young man?
great inspiration