Note: Some of this information applies to Pesach 5763/2003:
Wednesday April 16 through Thursday April 24 only.

Passover is our first and foremost Jewish holiday, our primary link to Jewish history and tradition, when we share the bitter experiences of oppression, and taste the joys of freedom. Passover preparation is based on: Getting rid of the Chametz, and bringing in the Matzah.

"Chametz" includes bread, cookies, cake, pastries, noodles, macaroni, beer, whisky or liquor. Basically, it refers to wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt that came into contact (for 18 minutes or more) with liquid. Eating Chametz on Passover is as severe a violation as eating on Yom Kippur.

The Chametz prohibition applies even to minute traces of Chametz, such as:

A. Food containing any Chametz, or processed in utensils once used to process food containing Chametz. All processed foods must have reliable Kosher for Passover certification.

B. It is forbidden to derive any benefit from Chametz. 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 should be included as part of the Chametz sale.

C. Chametz left in the house, store, car, etc. must be transferred to gentile ownership before Passover.

In addition to wheat, grains like rice, kasha, peas, lentils, beans, and corn, including corn starch, corn oil, peanuts, soy flour, etc. are prohibited. Sephardic Jews may eat kitniyos.

A thorough housecleaning before Passover removes leftover cookies, cereal or crumbs etc. from closets, drawers, etc

It is advisable to first clean a room where to store the new Passover supplies. Nothing is placed in the kitchen until it is thoroughly kosherized for Passover.

Passover dishes or cutlery are reserved exclusively for Passover.

Following is a suggested checklist of areas to clean: The car, including the trunk, must be thoroughly cleaned and vacuumed; seats are removed and cleaned. Prayerbooks & 'benchers' used at the table year round should be sold with the Chametz. Closets, tables and chairs, a child's highchair, crib, stroller and car seat are thoroughly scrubbed.

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. All surfaces or counters used year round for Chametz must be scrubbed and covered with aluminum foil, cardboard or linoleum or other covering. The cleaned sink is lined with a plastic or tin insert.

The stove is thoroughly cleaned. Stove grates that have direct contact with pots are preferably replaced for Passover. The stovetop should be covered with heavy aluminum foil. A baking oven must be thoroughly cleaned and heated, and a special insert placed in the oven. If an oven insert is not available, consult a Rabbi.

The refrigerator is scrubbed, and shelves lined with paper or foil, with perforations to allow air circulation. Cabinet shelves should be lined with paper or plastic before placing Passover dishes there.

Tuesday night before Passover (April 15) we do "Bedikas Chametz:" a formal, thorough search for any Chametz through the house (and office and car) in all rooms, closets, shelves, behind furniture, etc.

The head of the household recites a blessing for all adults participating in the search. Ten little pieces of bread are carefully wrapped (to prevent crumbs), and placed through the house to be found during the search. (Tip: Make a chametz hiding place list, in case their location is forgotten.)

The search is conducted by a candle (use flashlight under beds etc.) with a feather, wooden spoon and paper bag to collect all Chametz found.

After the search, we recite Kol Chamirah verbally disowning any overlooked Chametz. If you don't understand the original Aramaic, say the English translation: "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."

All chametz found during the search, and all Chametz left from breakfast, is burned in the (late) morning (Wednesday, April 16), followed by this declaration annulling 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."

Check your calendar (or back page of this publication) for the exact deadline for eating & burning Chametz in your area. Note: Any chametz found in the house during Passover must be burned immediately, unless it is on Yom Tov (1st, 2nd, 7th, or 8th day) or on Shabbos, in which case it should be covered, and burned later during the intermediate Chol Hamoed days, or after Passover.

To avoid owning Chametz on Passover, we transfer all remaining chametz to a gentile through the rabbi in a legally binding sale. The gentile buyer gives a deposit, while the balance is a loan, which he can pay up, or return to the seller. Place all Chametz utensils in the room or closet(s) to be sold. These designated places should be sealed, and not opened until after Passover.

All Chametz that was owned by a Jew during Passover is prohibited. After Passover, we patronize only bakeries or groceries owned by Jews who sold their Chametz, or buy from non-Jewish stores.

After the Chametz deadline on Erev Pesach morning, only kosher for Passover foods may be used. However, we do not eat Matzah, which should be relished for the first time at the Seder. Other Seder items such as wine, romaine lettuce, horseradish and endives are also restricted. Some people also abstain from eating the Charoset ingredients: apples, pears, and nuts before the Seder.

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 (Wednesday April 17) One is exempt from this fast by participating in a Mitzvah meal, i.e. a Siyum celebrating the conclusion of a Talmudic tractate, usually held in the synagogue Erev Passover morning.

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, reminding us how Israel left Egypt in great hurry, with no time for their dough to rise. Matzah relives our flight from slavery to freedom. Note: Not all Matzah is kosher for Passover. Read labels carefully. Egg Matzah is permitted only in case of illness.

All Kosher for Passover Matzah is supervised during the baking process. Shmura Matzah, however, is a special Matzah, preferably hand baked, whose grains were supervised from the harvesting of the wheat. The special Shmura Matzah should be used at least for the first ounce of Matzah eaten at the Seder.

The minimum requirement is a little over a half of one round hand baked Shmura Matzah

Some people refrain from eating "Gebroks"- which means Matzah or Matzah meal mixed with liquid, to avoid any appearance of leavened dough.

It is customary, however, for everyone to eat Gebroks on 'Achron Shel Pesach,' the last day of Passover (Thursday, April 24). On this day we read the Haftorah about Moshiach. It is customary to celebrate a special Seudat Moshiach meal, looking forward to the Final Redemption in our time.  

Romaine lettuce, endives, fresh horseradish, or a combination of these fulfill the Mitzvah of eating the 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).

The Seder centerpiece consists of 3 matzos, covered by a plate or cloth arranged with the following items: In the upper right hand corner, a roasted shankbone or neck bone symbolizes the paschal offering. (This item is not eaten). In the upper left corner, a 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 placed on the bottom left, the Karpas vegetable is on the bottom right, with the Maror in the center. Some Seder plates also have a second Maror at the bottom center.

Seder Plates may be elaborate works of art of china, silver or embroidered cloth, but a napkin or cloth suffice. Children usually make Seder plates at Hebrew School as an art project.

It is a Mitzvah to recline (to the left side) at the Seder, a relaxed feeling of freedom and royalty. We recline when drinking the Four cups of Wine, and when eating the Matzah, the Korech, and the Afikoman (but not when eating the Bitter Herbs).

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 (1 ounce).

The Afikoman, the last Matzah eaten before concluding the meal, should be eaten by midnight of the first Seder Night. During the second Seder, it may be eaten past midnight.

After the meal, we open the door for 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. It is a Divine promise that a descendant of King David will inspire and redeem all Jews, and usher in universal peace and change the world for good.

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 various paragraphs of the Haggadah 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.

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

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. Chametz is arrogant and egoistic: it keeps rising, puffing up, swelling bigger and bigger. But Matzah's low humble profile has no pretensions of appearing greater than it really is.

Chametz and Matzah, the two Passover opposites, are made from the same ingredients of flour and water. The only difference between Chametz and Matzah 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 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.

The similar spelling of Matzah and Mitzva relates the rush of baking the Matzah to the observance of a mitzvah in general.

Just as we are quick with Matzah, we should be prompt and energetic in observing all Mitzvot. Abraham, our Patriarch, 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 enhances a Mitzvah. Even if it finally gets done later, it's just not the same, for "a mitzvah is best at the right time" (Talmud). Procrastination shows a lack of appreciation. A Mitzvah is certainly better late than never, but it loses its taste; like a cup of hot tea sitting around, 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 should 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.

All items at the Seder commemorate the Exodus. The question arises: why go through all the motions? Why don't we just close our eyes and reflect in our minds on the concept of freedom?

The Seder teaches us that the best way of learning is by doing. Judaism always 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. Eating Matzah allows us to internalize freedom and absorb it into our system. Rather than just express freedom in flowery phrases, we drink four cups of wine.

And we don't just reenact the past, as Elijah's Cup also 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.