Can we “manifest” reality? My daughter, the Vegan Hippie Queen, believes so. She always says if you envision what you really want or need, the universe will make it happen — one way or another — because “God works in mysterious ways.” Her having found her personal Vegan Hippie King stands as a testament to the power of this philosophy. Nevertheless, I remained somewhat skeptical until we lost our home — and most of our possessions — in the Woolsey fire on Nov. 9, 2018.
One week after the fire, one of our children’s closest friends came over with a huge suitcase and announced, “You lost all your Judaica, and I want to give you the Jewish year.” Which she did! This incredibly thoughtful young woman gifted us with a hanukkiah and candles, Shabbat candlesticks, a Havdalah set, challah plate and cover, a set of Passover haggadahs, a lovely modern Pesach platter — even matzo — and many more beautiful items to celebrate each holiday on the Jewish calendar.
Her generosity brought tears to our eyes and warmed our hearts. Other friends sent us a gorgeous, sleek, contemporary seder plate. We have used these precious gifts at holiday time and are so grateful — not only for these new treasures themselves, but for the extraordinary love and kindness they represent.
It’s a silver lining, to be sure. Dayenu!
Yet, a painful but necessary corollary to the destruction of our home is the ongoing list I have been charged with keeping, documenting all of our lost items. Every day, we remember something else we didn’t think of taking with us as we hurriedly loaded our cars for evacuation that fateful day.
With Passover approaching, I became nostalgic for one “old” piece, a cherished relic that reminded me of my children growing up, my grandchildren participating in their first seders, my (now departed) parents sitting at our Pesach table. It was an old, old Seder plate purchased when my own kids (now in their 40s) were very small. That platter was special to me, not only because of its age and related memories, but because it featured scenes from the Passover story as well as little matching bowls depicting each of the ceremonial items of the seder.
I began a mad online search to see if I could find one like it before this year’s holiday. As I typed in “vintage Passover plates,” an interesting and unexpected site came up − one for Messianic Jews. This particular site contained photos of various Pesach platters with explanations next to each one about why the contributor particularly loved his/hers. Eureka! That is where I found a photo of “my” plate! Armed with this image, I thought surely I would be able to find a replacement, so I continued my search.
As Parsahat Vayera reminds us, angels do not always appear as we might imagine them, but they do appear.”
I sent out a query to every Judaica company I could find, as well as to Etsy, eBay and Amazon: “Can you help? My house burned down in the November 2018 Woolsey Fire, and I lost my precious ‘Illuminated’ Passover seder platter + 6 matching bowls. It looked almost like the one pictured here except the center was not textured. Do you know where I can get an exact replacement? I saw a porcelain platter online that was similar, but not identical. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.”
Responses came quickly: “This plate has been discontinued”; “ Not available”; “No longer being made”; “Discontinued several years ago”; “We do not carry this item. Sorry.”
Ah, well, one must be philosophical. Accepting loss is part of life. I put the plate (sort of) out of my mind.
Then recently, an old friend of my husband’s dropped by for a brief afternoon visit on his way back to Las Vegas from San Diego. Traveling with him was a companion whom we had never met. She was a delightful guest (despite her politics, about which we were able to disagree with good humor and goodwill). This woman regaled us with amusing anecdotes about life in Las Vegas and her volunteer work in a thrift shop there. I mentioned I should probably begin looking in thrift shops for a particular favorite Passover platter that was lost in the fire since my online search had reached a dead end. She told me about a favorite seder plate of hers that she had carried back from England — one with pictures from the Pesach story and six little matching bowls. My jaw dropped. I brought out the photo of my plate and she exclaimed, “That is exactly the one!”
She added, “And I want to give it to you.”
My daughter is right. We can find the hand of God in the most unlikely of scenarios. As Parsahat Vayera reminds us, angels do not always appear as we might imagine them, but they do appear. Living in gratitude and being open to the Divine miracles the universe has to deliver, I wish you all a happy, healthy, miraculous Pesach!
Emily Levin Lodmer is the founder of the Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue.
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