Our primary link to Jewish history and tradition, Passover experiences the joys of freedom. Passover preparation involves getting rid of the Chametz, and bringing in the Matzah.
What is Chametz?
"Chametz" includes bread, cookies, pastries, noodles, macaroni, beer, whisky or liquor, made from wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt that came into contact with liquid. Eating Chametz during Passover violates the essence of our Judaism and freedom.
The Chametz prohibition applies even to minute traces of Chametz, such as:
A. Food containing any Chametz ingredients, or processed in utensils that once processed Chametz. All processed foods must be reliably certified Kosher for Passover.
B. It is forbidden to own or derive any benefit from Chametz, so all remaining Chametz must be transferred to gentile ownership before Passover. We cannot buy, sell, or give Chametz as a gift, or use Chametz pet food. If there is no Kosher for Passover alternative, the pet is transferred to non-Jewish ownership.
"Kitniyos"
Grains like rice, kasha, peas, lentils, beans, and corn, corn starch and oil, peanuts, soy flour, etc. are prohibited to Ashkenazic Jews. Sephardic Jews may eat kitniyos.
Cleaning House
A thorough housecleaning before Passover removes leftover chametz crumbs etc. from closets, drawers etc. We also clean the office and place of work, the car and trunk. Closets, tables and chairs, a baby highchair, crib, stroller and car seat are scrubbed. Prayerbooks & 'benchers' used at the table year round are sold with the Chametz.
The Kitchen
Pre-Passover cleaning focuses on the kitchen. Consult a rabbi how to Kosherize metal utensils, the stovetop, steel sink (not ceramic) and counters with boiling water.
Counters used year round for Chametz are covered with aluminum foil, cardboard or linoleum. The sink is lined with a plastic or tin insert.
Stove grates are preferably replaced for Passover, and the stovetop is covered with heavy aluminum foil. The oven is thoroughly cleaned and heated, and an oven insert is used. Refrigerator shelves are scrubbed and lined with paper or foil (perforate for air circulation.) Cabinet shelves are lined with paper or plastic.
Searching and B
urning the Chametz
Sunday night before Passover (April 4) we search for Chametz in all rooms, closets, shelves, behind furniture, car, office etc.
Ten little wrapped bread pieces are placed through the house to be 'found' during the search (make a chametz hiding place list in case you forget their location). The search is conducted by candle (use flashlight under beds etc.) with a feather, wooden spoon and a bag to collect all Chametz found.
We then verbally disown any Chametz we missed, reciting “Kol Chamirah…” "All types of leaven in my domain which I did not see or did not remove, or have no knowledge of same, shall be null and void as the dust of the earth."
Burning the Chametz
Chametz found during the search, and breakfast leftovers, are burned Monday morning, April 5, and we again annull all Chametz:
"All manner of leaven in my possession which I have seen or have not seen, which I have removed or have not removed, shall be null and void as the dust of the earth."
The Chametz Deadline
Check your calendar (or back page of this publication) for the schedule for eating & burning Chametz in your area.
Selling Chametz
To avoid owning Chametz on Passover, we transfer all remaining chametz to a gentile (through a rabbi’s agency, see back page) in a legally binding sale. The year-round Chametz utensils are placed in the designated room or closet(s) to be sold, which remain closed during Passover.
Unsold Chametz
Chametz owned by a Jew during Passover is prohibited even after Passover, when we patronize only bakeries & groceries of Jews who sold their Chametz through a rabbi, or buy from non-Jewish stores.
The Day Before Passover
After the Chametz deadline on Erev Pesach, we eat only kosher for Passover foods, excpt for Matzah, wine, romaine lettuce and horseradish, which are relished for the first time at the Seder.
First Born Fast
When the Egyptian first-born were stricken before the Exodus, the Jewish first born were spared. In gratitude, Jewish first-born sons fast the day before Passover (Monday April 5). This fast is superseded by a Mitzvah meal, i.e. a Siyum celebrating the conclusion of a Talmudic tractate, held in the synagogue Monday morning.
Matzah
Once the house is clean of Chametz, we are ready to usher in Passover.
Matzah is a basic mixture of flour and water that did not rise. Matzah relives our flight from slavery to freedom, reminding us how Israel left Egypt in great hurry that their dough had no time to rise.
Note: Not all Matzah is kosher for Passover. Read labels carefully. Egg Matzah is permitted only in case of illness.
Shmura Matza
All Kosher for Passover Matzah are supervised during baking. Shmura is a special Matzah, preferably hand baked, whose grains were supervised from the wheat harvesting.
The Shmura Matzah should be used at least for the first ounce of Matzah eaten at the Seder. The minimum requirement to be eaten is a little over a half of one round hand baked Shmura Matzah
Some people refrain from eating "Gebroks"- any Matzah or Matzah meal mixed with water or liquid. It is customary, however, for everyone to eat Gebroks on the last day of Passover (Thursday, April 13). On this day we read the Haftorah about Moshiach, and we celebrate a Seudat Moshiach meal, expressing our yearning to the Final Redemption.
Maror: Bitter Herbs
Romaine lettuce, endives, fresh horseradish, or a combination of these fulfill the Mitzvah to eat Bitter Herbs, - a taste of the bitter suffering of Egyptian slavery. The minimum amount eaten is 1 ounce; Romaine lettuce or endives covering a 12x10 inch area.
Charoset
The Maror is dipped into Charoset, a mixture of crushed nuts, wine, pears and apples symbolizing the mortar and cement used by the Jews to make bricks under Egyptian bondage.
The Seder Plate
The Seder centerpiece has 3 matzos covered by a plate with the following: In the upper right corner, a roasted shank or neck bone symbolizes the paschal offering (and is not eaten).
In the upper left corner, the hard boiled egg symbolizes the Festive offering. The egg is later dipped in salt-water and eaten at the start of the meal.
The Charoset is on the bottom left, the Karpas vegetable is on the bottom right, and the Maror in the center. Some also have a second Maror at the bottom center.
Seder Plates may be artworks of china, silver or embroidered cloth, but a napkin or cloth will suffice.
Reclining
It is a Mitzvah to recline (to the left side), a relaxed feeling of freedom and royalty. We recline when drinking the Four cups of Wine, eating the Matzah, the Korech, and the Afikoman (but not when eating the Bitter Herbs).
Four Cups
Each Seder participant should drink four Cups of Wine.
We drink the First Cup at Kiddush, the Second Cup after reading the Haggadah, the Third Cup after saying Grace after the meal, and the Fourth Cup concludes the Seder.
The cup should contain at least 3.5 ounces. If drinking wine is difficult, use grape juice.
Korech: The Matzah & Maror Sandwich
We eat a Matzah and Maror combination, as Hillel the Elder ate Matzah, Maror and Paschal lamb together in the holy Temple.
This sandwich consists of 1 ounce of bitter herbs placed within two pieces of Matzah.
Afikoman
The Afikoman, the last Matzah eaten before concluding the meal, should be eaten by midnight of the first Seder Night (may be eaten past midnight at the second Seder).
Cup of Elijah / Opening the Door
After the meal, we open the door for the prophet Elijah. Recalling our Redemption from Egypt in the past, we also look forward to the future Redemption, exclaiming "Next Year In Jerusalem!" at the end of the Seder.Our belief in Moshiach isn't just wishful thinking, but a Divine promise of Redemption and peace for Israel and all mankind.
Expanding the Haggadah
The original Haggadah is in Hebrew, but the story should be understood in plain English (or any language).
Suggestion: The Seder 'leader' should not monopolize the reading. Involve everyone by dividing Haggadah paragraphs among all at the Seder. For variety, ask someone who knows a foreign language (Russian, French, Spanish, etc.) to read aloud a paragraph in their native language.
Not the Last Word
Do not read the Haggadah merely by rote, for "it is praiseworthy to expand the Exodus story." We enhance the Seder with our personal commentary, experiences, thoughts and insights.
Food For Thought
Personal Chametz & Matzah
Historically, Matzah reminds us how the Jews left Egypt in a rush that their dough had no time to rise. The moral dimension of Chametz and Matzah also represents human characteristics. Puffing up and swelling big, Chametz is arrogant and egoistic. But Matzah's low humble profile has no pretensions of appearing greater than it really is.
First Fast Food
Chametz and Matzah, the two Passover opposites, are made from the same ingredients of flour and water. The only difference is the time factor: bread is left to rise, while Matzah dough is made in a rush.
A Matzah bakery hums with the movement of hands, dough, rolling pins, perforators, and shovels in the oven and out. Nothing stands still from when the moment that flour touches the water until the Matzah comes out of the oven.
What is time but fleeting moments, here today and gone tomorrow? Time may seem intangible and abstract, yet time makes all the difference. Not only on Passover, but all the time.
Matzah and Mitzvah
The Hebrew spelling of ‘Matzah’ and ‘Mitzvot’ are the same.
Just as we are quick with Matzah, we should be prompt and energetic in all Mitzvot. Our Patriarch Abraham is praised for "rising early in the morning" to serve G-d. If we don't seize the opportunity immediately, it may be lost when we finally get around to it. "Do not say when I will have time I will study, for you may not have the time." (Ethics of our Fathers 2).
Good Timing
Good timing enhances a Mitzvah. Even if it finally gets done later, it's not the same, for "a mitzvah is best at the right time" (Talmud). Procrastination shows a lack of appreciation.
It’s certainly better late than never, but a delayed Mitzvah is like a cup of hot tea sitting around and cooling off, a flat can of soda that lost its fizz, or dough that passed the 18 minute deadline and became Chametz.
Sometimes, it's best not to rush, but with a Mitzvah we strike while the iron is hot. Why wait till next year, or for retirement, to learn Torah, go Kosher, or wear Tefillin? The time is ...NOW.
Let's be Practical
All Seder items and actions commemorate the Exodus.
The question arises: why go through all the motions? Why don't we just close our eyes and reflect and meditate on freedom?
The Seder teaches us that the best way of learning is by doing. Judaism blends the spiritual with the physical, encouraging us to express lofty ideals in physical ways.
The Seder is rich in symbols that fill our senses, so we can see, taste, touch, and feel the concepts. The horseradish chokes us with bitterness, the Charoset looks and feels like mortar. We eat Matzah to internalize freedom and absorb it into our system.
Rather than flowery phrases of freedom, we drink four cups of wine, not just to reenact the past, as Elijah's Cup represents our future.
Good intentions may be vague and abstract; they become real and concrete only in a physical Mitzvah involving not only the mind, but also our body. A Mitzvah's thought and action complement each other like body and soul.