Excerpted from Mitzvah the Mutt
Mitzvah watched Daddy carry a stack of plates into the dining room. “I’ll set the table for the Seder,” Daddy told Mommy.The children helped Zaydie fill a large plate with a variety of unusual foods. Rachel let me taste the haroset.“You’ll like this, Mitzvah,” she said. Rachel was right. The haroset tasted almost as good as a hamburger.Next, Zaydie added parsley and a roasted egg to the plate, while David added a bone. He called it the shank bone. I hoped it was for me.Finally, Rachel placed the maror (which is spicy, burning hot horseradish) on the plate. When a small piece of maror fell to the ground, I eagerly snapped it up.“No, Mitzvah!” Rachel shouted.Her warning was too late. My mouth was on fire. I ran to drink water from my bowl. It didn’t help. My tongue was still burning. I ran around in circles, and then took another drink of water. My eyes were watering and my nose was twitching.“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Bubbie clicked her tongue. She placed a matzah ball near my feet. “Here, Mitzvah, eat this. It might help you get rid of the taste.”I swallowed the matzah ball and felt much better. I thanked Bubbie with a lopsided grin.
Reading the story of Mitzvah the Mutt”s first Seder to the delight of the children
Happy Passover to you and your family.