Writing a long overdue article entitled “No Problem” would on the surface seem “no problem,” but the opposite is true here, because the expression “no problem” was not your standard blasé phrase but one repeatedly said to me by many people, circa Pesach 2024. Please let me explain.
B”H, my
children are all married, all but one living outside of Baltimore. Being with each
other is usually reserved for big Chanukah get-togethers or family simchas,
such as bar mitzvahs and weddings. Those happen, but not as often as we would
like, and in February or March of 2024, my daughter in Passaic came up with the
idea of my hosting Pesach for as many of the family as could arrange to
come to Baltimore. While feigning joyous rapture at the suggestion, the mere
thought of it filled me with dread! At my core, I truly believed this was
totally beyond my capabilities. My panic level soared! Where would I put all
these people? How would I feed them? Did I have enough linen, wine, matzah,
garbage cans? The list was endless. My daughter in Passaic answered each one of
my concerns with what would become the mantra of the season: “Don’t worry; it
will be no problem.” Without even realizing it, this project was becoming a
reality.
To begin with, my
daughter has a Costco membership and a working Pesach kitchen. She gleefully announced
that she was prepared to come to Baltimore the week before Yom Tov to help set
up the kitchen and prep the food. Not only that but her oldest daughter loves
to bake, especially Pesach treats that require more than one bowl. They both
came, as promised, with a van full of baked goods, frozen side dishes, fruits,
vegetables, and drinks. Before the van was unloaded, the all-important holiday season
menu spreadsheets were taped on the kitchen cabinets.
But where do I
store all the meat, chicken, fish, prepared foods, and snacks that were
necessary to feed 25 people? Even with my kitchen and basement refrigerators/freezers,
there was hardly enough room. What about tables, chairs, beds, linens, towels,
dishes, cutlery, and sleeping accommodations? Each hour brought another
challenge, each question answered with the proverbial, “Don’t worry; it will be
no problem.”
And that’s
exactly what happened. While scanning Baltimore’s local bi-weekly Advertiser,
I came across the Gemach page and saw a listing for “freezers.” What? Someone
has a “freezer gemach”? Bridal gowns I understand, but freezers? I
called Mrs. Oratz, listed as the owner, and she readily asked, “Sure, when do
you want it?”
“The week before Pesach?”
“Sure, no problem.”
“I can’t pick it up.”
“No, problem, tell me what time, and
I’ll be there.”
At 5:00 p.m. on the dot, she came
with her two sons, who carried in a spotless chest freezer. “No problem,
when do you want us to pick it up?”
“The week after Pesach.”
“No problem,” she said.
There was a question about the
freezer light, but within minutes my husband and the boys had solved that
problem as well.
As Mrs. Oratz was
leaving, I said what a lovely thing it was for her to share her extra freezer
with others.
“No,” she said, “I have seven or
eight extra freezers.” I stood there stunned and started to cry as she
explained that her friends had helped her and her family during a medical
crisis, and she was just paying that mitzvah forward. When her husband came
with his sons to pick up the freezer (“No problem, at all”), he told me his
wife had low balled the number of freezers.
When the Pesach
project had started, “no problem” had been a plea and a prayer, but as the Yom
Tov drew closer, “no problem” became the hallmark of every single day. Who knew
what the next day would bring?
Tables and chairs for the seder? All
sizes and shapes, courtesy of the Meister Table and Chair Gemach. What time is
good for you?
“Anytime, no problem.”
Kashering the kitchen? Transformed
from a two-hour ordeal and puddly floor in the middle of the night to a
22-minute affair (we timed it!) with counters and oven covered, thanks to Rabbi
Tendler and his Vaad Hakashrus crew. Money
well spent! And our “thanks so much” was answered with the classic “no problem.”
Even the broken appliances and
other problems that always arise pre-Yom Tov were fixed by handymen and workers
with speed and what was becoming the customary “no problem.”
But our neighbors
raised the mantra of “no problem” to an entirely new level. My block has
changed considerably since I moved here years ago with two small children. Many
of my contemporaries have transitioned to apartments or homes near their
children in different cities or Eretz Yisrael. I felt uncomfortable asking
young couples I hardly knew to host my children and their families. But my
neighbors had no such qualms. As a matter of fact, they apologized when they
could not host because of previous engagements. Each family that did host went
out of its way to ensure that their guests would be totally comfortable in
every conceivable way. Some even made me promise to call them earlier to
reserve their space if I should think (!) of doing this the following year. My
efforts to thank them met with surprise and of course, “We’re happy to do it. No
problem.”
Pesach was
incredible in every possible way. Aside from the enormous joy and gratitude of
celebrating Yom Tov together with family came the knowledge that all of this
would not have been possible without the support and kindness of so many
members of Klal Yisrael, whose only goal is to help others and to do it quietly
and without fanfare. In other words, no matter how great their efforts or time,
it was always “no problem.”
