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Passover is very much
associated with freedom. In the words of the Haggadah, “We were slaves to
Pharaoh in Egypt, but God brought us out from there with a strong hand and
an outstretched arm.” It is important to remember, however, that
the freedom of Passover is not the freedom of the libertine, the freedom to
skip work or school—it is, rather, the freedom to serve God and come
together as a Jewish people.
There are three central
elements to the observance of Passover:
1)
Getting rid of, and not
eating any chametz (leaven) during the 8 days of Passover
2)
Eating Matza
3)
Having a Seder
There are many many
details associated with the observance of Passover. My goal with this
guide is to provide a basic reference for what to do when, and a suggestion
for sources of additional information.
Chametz
Chametz is leaven from
one of the five species listed in the Torah: wheat, oats, rye, spelt, and
barley. If one of these five grains is in contact with water for more
than 18 minutes, it becomes "chametz." Matza is not chametz because it
is finished baking within 18 minutes after it is mixed with water; hence it
does not have the time to rise. We are forbidden to have chametz in
our homes or in our possession during Passover. The rabbis say that
the puffed up chametz symbolizes our “puffed up” egos; in addition to
striving to rid ourselves of the physical substance of chametz, we are
encouraged to work to rid ourselves of “spiritual chametz” as well, to get
rid of our sense of self-importance, to reduce our egos.
The rules about
chametz are very stringent: you are not allowed to eat, or even own ANY
chametz over Passover.
The first step in getting
rid of your chametz is to do a thorough spring cleaning, I recommend getting
your carpets cleaned as well. Don't forget your car, especially if you
have kids who eat cookies and crackers in the car.
People go to different
degrees of craziness in preparing their kitchens for Passover. You
should use separate dishes that are only used for Passover that have never
been used with chametz. Any silverware and pots and pans you want to
use during Passover should be kashered using boiling water. I know one
Orthodox rabbi who claims to have his kitchen ready for Passover with 30
minutes of cleaning. Between my pantry and kitchen I think it takes me
over 8 hours, and I know some people who go crazier than me.
Machirat Chametz
(selling your chametz).
Any chametz you want to keep and use after Passover should be put in a box
or bag and put in a special, separate location, like in a closet, a storage
shed, etc. If you fill out the form provided, I will sell this chametz
for you: it will be technically owned by a non-Jew during Passover.
Please note that alcohol made from one of the five species is chametz, and
needs to be set aside during Passover. No beer and no Scotch during
Pesach! Make sure I receive your form for the sale of your chametz
by the end of the day Tuesday, April 11.
Bedikat Chametz (the
search for chametz).
Once your house is ready, the next step is "bedikat chametz," the search for
chametz. On Tuesday night, April 11, you should make a
ceremonial search for any leftover chametz. If you look in any
Haggadah, you will find instructions for the ceremony. There is a
bracha to recite.
Biur and Bitul Chametz.
Wednesday morning, April 12, you do the ceremonies of "biur chametz"
and "bitul chametz," burning your chametz and nullifying your chametz.
Again, consult your Haggadah for details. Basically, we burn the
chametz we found in our search for chametz the night before, and we recite a
formula renouncing ownership in any chametz that might be remaining in our
possession after we've gone through all that.
You may eat chametz up
until 10am
Wednesday morning. Just take care not to mess up your house which you
have gone to such effort to prepare.
Matza
Eating Matza on Passover
is a separate, specific commandment. To make sure we have an appetite
for matza at the seder, it is forbidden to eat matza during the day on Erev
Pesach, during the day before the seder. At the seder we eat matza,
and as called for in the Haggadah we recite a special bracha regarding the
commandment to eat matza. It is preferable, but not mandatory, to use
Shmira Matza, matza which has been guarded every step of the way, for
fulfilling this mitzvah at the seder. Shmira Matza is usually available at
any store selling Passover foods. Warning: the handmade Shmira Matza
is definitely “the bread of affliction!” You should not use egg matza
to fulfill the mitzvah of eating matza at the Seder.
Seder
Wednesday night, April
12. The
Seder is of course the heart of the Passover experience. We are
commanded to tell the story in such a way that we will feel that we
ourselves were brought out of
Egypt
by God. If everyone falls asleep or can’t wait to get to the food, you
have not properly fulfilled the mitzvah.
The key to having a seder
where people will feel as if they lived through the experience is to be
creative. The person leading the seder should definitely do some
planning as to how he/she wants the seder to go. It is worthwhile to
look at a variety of Haggadot with commentaries to find interesting ideas to
bring into your seder. Some things you can do to help enliven your
seder:
Act out the plagues—use
props, like ping pong balls for hail. Have first born people sitting
at the table do a dying act.
Dress like you are about
to go on trip. Have a suitcase sitting near the table.
Tell the story in the
first person.
Encourage discussion.
While it is good for
everyone to have the same Haggadah for following along, it is also good for
people to have different Haggadot so that they can share different
commentaries during the Seder.
The Basic Seder.
It is not mandatory to read every single word in the Haggadah. It’s
not even necessarily recommended. The basic seder requirements are
listed below. There is always tension between the tradition which says
“the one who expands on the Passover story is praiseworthy” and the
tradition which focuses on the fifth question: “when do we eat?” If
you recite the following selections from your Haggadah and skip the rest,
you will meet the minimum requirement and you will be eating about an hour
after you start.
Before the Meal:
1.
Signposts of the Seder: Kadesh Urchatz
2.
First Cup: Kiddush
3.
Dips: Karpas
4.
Breaking the Matza: Yachatz
5.
The Story of the Matza: Ha Lachma
6.
Four Questions: Ma Nishtana
7.
Storytelling-“We were slaves”: Avadeem Hayeenu
8.
Four Children
9.
The Promise: V’hee She-am-da
10.
The Tale of the Wandering Jew
11.
Ten Plagues
12.
Da-yeinu
13.
Explaning Pesach, Matza, Maror
14.
“In every generation”
15.
Psalm 114: Hallel
16.
Second Cup
17.
Eating Matza, Maror, and Korech
After the Meal:
18.
Afikomen
19.
Blessing after Eating: Barech
20.
Third Cup
21.
Elijah’s Cup
22.
Fourth Cup
23.
Songs: Echad Mee Yo-dei-a;
Chad
Gad-ya
24.
Next Year in
Jerusalem: La-Shana Haba-a
Miscellaneous
Fast of the
First-born.
It is traditional for people who were first born to fast during the day
before the seder. However, by attending services where someone is
celebrating a siyyum for having completed studying a tractate of Mishnah or
Talmud, you get exempted from the fast. We will have services
Wednesday morning, April 12, and we will have a siyyum for the Mishnah
Brachot which my daughter Katherine and I will complete that morning.
This will exempt first borns from fasting.
The first two days.
In Israel Passover itself is celebrated for one day; here in the Diaspora it
is celebrated for two days. We have seders both the first night and
the second night, convenient for those with large families and in-laws to
contend with.
Erev Tavshilin.
An Erev Tavshilin is made on Wednesday, April 12, before sunset. This
permits cooking and food preparation on the second day of the holiday
(Friday) for use on Shabbat. Ordinarily, on Holidays we are permitted to
prepare only the foods necessary for that same day. This year, Friday, April
14th, is the second day of the holiday, and the Shabbat meals must, as
always, be prepared before Shabbat. Special action is required, so that we
may prepare the Shabbat meals on Friday. The Eruv Tavshilin ceremony,
performed on the 12th, before sundown, renders this permissible. Your
Haggadah will have a description of the ceremony and what to do.
Additional Information
online:
http://www.rabassembly.org (click on Pesah Guide 2006) -- The
Conservative Movements’ Rabbinical Assembly’s guide to Passover.
Includes useful information about koshering your kitchen, and buying foods
that are kosher for Pesach
http://www.jewishfreeware.org/downloads/ .(click on
“Passover”) A very comprehensive Passover guide by Conservative Rabbi
Barry Dov Lerner.
http://www.passover.net/ -- Chabad’s guide to Passover. Lots
of good info.
http://www.vbs.org/religious/hagadah/index.htm An EXCELLENT Haggadah
prepared by Valley Beth Shalom synagogue in
Encino,
CA
can be found on their website. You are welcome to print it out and
make as many copies as you need for your seder.
If you have any
questions, feel free to contact me:
Email:
rebbarry@yeladim.org
Or call me at the
synagogue, 419-531-1677
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