The matzah balls are made. (They turned out light and fluffy, just like Eppie's, may his memory be a blessing.) The hunter chicken is simmering in the pot. The table is set with the embroidered tablecloth two Russian friends gave me years ago at Pesach-time, our blue-and-white china, and my mother's silver. The holiday is only hours away!

There's very little blogging time for me today, so this post will be brief. Here are three terrific Pesach posts, to help get you in the mood:

• What Pesach Means, by DovBear. He quotes extensively from Bernard Henri-Levi's essay on baseball and authenticity, and links it with the Pesach story. Made me a little bit teary, in that baseball-fan way.

• The tension between law and redemption on Passover by Rabbi Shai Gluskin. About the seder, messianism, subverting the status quo, liberation, and change.

• Hametz, matzah, and liberation, by Rabbi Jill Jacobs. About the nature of hametz and matzah, what distinguishes them, and what they represent.

• Pesach on the farm by Rabbi Shmuel. Sugaring season, farm life, composting seder scraps -- this is granola-crunchy Judaism at its best. (Urbanites, it's a good enough post that you should read it, too.)

Wishing you all a sweet, joyful, and meaningful Pesach! May we all find surprises and serendipity on the road to liberation.

Technorati tags: religion, Judaism, Passover.