Finding the afikoman is one of the most talked about parts of the seder. At least in my family.
Where will Zayde hide it. Who will find it.
Who found it last year. Why did Zayde hide it in the box under the pillow like the year before.
Why didn’t Zayde hide it under the table. Or, why did he.
The kids celebrate and revere the afikoman, the half piece of matza needed to finish the seder meal.
And their Zayde’s (Grandpa’s) role in hiding it is no less sacred.
So, with the coronavirus pandemic upon us – and with my dad, siblings, their families and my family now stuck in five cities in three countries, cancellation of the afikoman game could have caused a fiasco.
Could have.
But while speaking to my dad (Zayde to the kids) on a video chat the other day, I asked if he’d be on a mobile device or a desktop computer during the seder.
He said a tablet. (Apt, considering Moses is a main character in the Passover story… but that’s going on a tangent.)
So, I asked him if he would be willing to hide the afikoman and when it is time to find it, the kids will direct him to different possible hiding places to check if it’s there – and take the tablet device with him to show them if they were right or not.
Everyone in the family is thrilled that we can still hide and seek the afikoman.
In fact, we’ve also shared this idea with friends – who are also celebrating the seder in different homes this year due to social distancing.
They said they’ll adopt this afikoman-at-a distance hide-and-seek, too.
Now, the question remains: Where will Zayde hide the afikoman this year?
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