Sharing the memories and tasting the freedom, Passover links us to Jewish history and tradition by disposing the Chametz and bringing in the Matzah!

What is Chametz?
”Chametz” includes bread, cookies, pastries, macaroni, whiskey or liquor; any wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt flour that had 18 minute liquid contact before baking.

Passover’s chametz prohibition is as severe as eating on Yom Kippur. Even minute chametz particles, or food processed in chametz processing utensils are forbidden. All processed food must be reliably certified Kosher for Passover.

It is forbidden to own or derive any benefit from chametz. We do not buy, sell, give a chametz gift, or use chametz pet food. (If there is no Kosher for Passover alternative, the pet is transferred to non-Jewish ownership).

"Kitniyos"
Grains similar to wheat, e.g. rice, kasha, peas, lentils, beans, and corn, including corn starch, corn oil, peanuts, soy, etc. are not eaten. (Sephardic Jews may eat kitniyos.)

Cleaning House
We clean every room, closet, drawer, etc. in the house or office to remove any cookies, cereal or crumbs. The car, seats and trunk are thoroughly cleaned and vacuumed. Year-round books or benchers used at the table are sold with the chametz

A clean room is dedicated to store Passover supplies. No Passover food is placed in the kitchen until it is kosherized for Passover. Dishes and cutlery are reserved exclusively for Passover. (Consult a rabbi on how to kosherize metal utensils for Passover).

The Kitchen
Kitchen surfaces and counters used year round are scrubbed and covered with aluminum foil or cardboard, etc.

The stove is thoroughly cleaned. Grates and parts touching the pot should preferably be new for Passover. Cover the stovetop with heavy aluminum foil. To bake on Passover, a tin box is inserted in the oven after it is thoroughly cleaned. Consult a Rabbi on how to kosherize the oven if an insert is not available.

The sink is lined with a plastic or tin insert. Stainless steel sinks (not ceramic) may be kosherized.

Clean the refrigerator and line with paper or foil, perforated to allow air circulation.

Closets, tables and chairs are scrubbed, and cabinet shelves are lined with paper or plastic. Clean the baby highchair, crib, stroller and car seat well.

Search and Burn Chametz
We do a 'Bedikas chametz' search Sunday night April 1 through the house (office & car) in all rooms, closets, shelves, behind furniture, etc.

Ten wrapped pieces of bread are placed to be "found" during the search. (Tip: Keep a chametz hiding list, in case you forget their location!) A blessing is recited before searching by candle (use flashlight under beds etc.) with a feather, wooden spoon and bag to collect all chametz found.

After the search, we disown all overlooked chametz by saying and translating “Kol Chamira: All leaven in my domain which I did not see or did not remove, or have no knowledge of, shall be null and void as the dust of the earth.”

Burning the Chametz
All chametz found in the search, and all post-breakfast Chametz is burned Mon., April 2 late morning (check your calendar for your area’s chametz deadline), along with this Chametz annulment: "All type of leaven in my possession which I have seen or not seen, which I have removed or not removed, shall be null and void as the dust of the earth."

Chametz Deadline
Chametz found during Passover must be burned immediately. If found on Yom Tov (1st, 2nd, 7th, or 8th day) or Shabbos, it is covered, and burned after Yom Tov or Shabbos.

Sale of Chametz
All remaining chametz is sold through the rabbi to a gentile, who gives a deposit in a legally binding sale, and the balance is a guaranteed loan. The buyer can later resell it to the seller by mutual agreement.

Place all Chametz utensils in the designated room or closet(s) to be sold, and lock or seal it until after Passover.

Unsold Chametz
The prohibition against Chametz applies to all Chametz owned by any Jew during Passover. We patronize only bakeries/groceries owned by Jews who sold their Chametz, or non-Jewish owned stores. Consult a rabbi which supermarket chains we may buy Chametz from after Passover.

First-Born Fast
The Jewish first-born were spared when the tenth plague struck the Egyptian first-born. In gratitude, our first-born sons fast on Passover eve, Monday, April 2, but are exempt by hearing a Talmudic Siyum conclusion, usually held in the synagogue.

Laws of the Day Before Passover
After the Chametz deadline, only kosher for Passover foods may be used. But we don’t eat matzah, wine, romaine lettuce, horseradish and endive which are reserved to be eaten the first time at the Seder. Some also abstain from eating the charoses ingredients: apples, pears, and nuts before the Seder.

Matzah
Once the house is clean of all Chametz, we are ready to usher in Passover.

Matzah is a simple 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. Consult a Rabbi regarding egg Matzah, permitted only in case of illness.

Shmurah Matza
All Kosher for Passover Matzah is carefully watched during baking. Shmurah Matzah is a specially made Matzah, preferably hand baked, whose grains were supervised from the harvesting of the wheat.

The special Shmura Matzah is used at least for the first ounce of Matzah eaten at the Seder. A little over half of a round hand baked Shmurah Matzah equals 1 ounce.

Some refrain from eating "Gebroks"- Matzah or Matzah meal mixed with liquid, to avoid any possibility of leavened dough. But everyone eats Gebroks on 'Achron Shel Pesach,’ the last day of Passover (Tuesday April 10). This day’s Haftarah is about Moshiach; and a Seudat Moshiach meal raises our Redemption awareness.

Maror: Bitter Herbs
Romaine lettuce, endive, fresh horseradish, or a combination of these are eaten for the mitzvah of Bitter Herbs, recalling the Egyptian slavery.
(Minimum amount is 1 ounce; Romaine lettuce covering a 12x10 inch area).

Charoses
The Maror is dipped into the Charoses mixture of crushed nuts, wine, pears and apples symbolizing the mortar the Jews used to make bricks in Egyptian bondage.

The Seder Plate
The Seder Centerpiece has 3 matzos, covered by a plate or cloth on which the following are arranged:

In the upper right-hand corner, a roasted shank or neck bone symbolizes the paschal offering, and 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 Charoses is placed on the bottom left, the Karpas vegetable on the bottom right, with the Maror in the center. The romaine lettuce is placed at the bottom.

Some Seder Plates are elaborate works of china, silver, or embroidered cloth, but a napkin or cloth is fine.

Reclining
We recline (to the left) in a relaxed feeling of freedom and royalty when drinking the Four Cups of Wine, eating the Matzah, the Korech, and the Afikoman (do not recline when eating the bitter herbs).

Four Cups
Each person drinks 4 cups of wine: First at Kiddush, the Second after reading the Haggadah, Third after Grace after meals, and the Fourth Cup concludes the Seder.

The cup should contain at least 3.5 ounces. Use grape juice if wine is difficult.

Korech: Matzah & Maror Sandwich
We eat a Matzah and maror combination, as Hillel 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).

Afikoman
The Afikoman, the last Matzah before saying Grace at meal’s end, is eaten by midnight of the first Seder. At the second Seder, it may be eaten past midnight.

Cup of Elijah / Opening the Door
Toward the Seder’s end, 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!"

Moshiach isn't just wishful thinking, but a Divine promise that a Redeemer will inspire all Jews and usher in universal peace to change the world for good.

Expanding the Haggadah
The original Haggadah is in Hebrew, but the story should be understood in plain English (or other language).

Suggestion: Rather than the Seder leader ‘monopolizing,’ assign Haggadah paragraphs to all participants. For variety, ask someone who knows a foreign language (Russian, French, Spanish, etc,) to read a paragraph aloud in their language.

Not the Last Word
Don't read the Haggadah merely by rote, but elaborate on it, for "it is praiseworthy to explain the story of the Exodus." Enhance your Seder with commentary, personal experience, thoughts and insight.

Food For Thought: Personal Chametz & Matzah
Chametz and Matzah represent the opposites of good and evil. Historically, the Matzah reminds us how the Jews left Egypt in a rush so that their dough had no time to rise. There is also a moral dimension: Chametz and Matzah represent human characteristics. Arrogant and egotistic, Chametz puffs up, swelling bigger, while Matzah’s low profile suggests humility with no pretensions of appearing greater than it really is.

First Fast-Food
Chametz and Matzah, the Passover opposites, are both made from flour and water. Timing makes all the difference: bread is left to rise, while Matzah is made in a rush.

A Matzah bakery hums with the constant rush and movement of hands, rolling pins, perforators, shovels and dough, into the oven and out. Nothing stands still from the moment flour touches the water until the finished Matzah comes out of the oven.

Time is but fleeting moments, here today and gone tomorrow. Intangible and abstract, time makes all the difference. Not only on Passover, but all the time.

Matzah and Mitzvah
This quick Matzah baking movement recalls the rush out of Egypt. The similar Hebrew spelling of Matzah and mitzvah relates the rush of baking Matzah to the mitzvah observance.

Just as we are quick with Matzah, let us be prompt and energetic with all mitzvos. Abraham, our Patriarch, is praised for “rising early in the morning” to serve G-d. If we don't seize the moment, 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, Chap. 2)

Good timing enhances a mitzvah. Even if it finally gets done later, "a mitzvah is best at the right time" (Talmud). Procrastination shows lack of interest and appreciation. Although better late than never, the Mitzvah loses its taste, like a cup of hot tea standing around, soda that lost its fizz and gone flat, or Chametz dough after the 18-minute deadline.

Sometimes, it's best not to rush into things, but with a mitzvah let’s strike while the iron is hot. Why wait till next year, or for retirement, to learn Torah, go Kosher, or try Tefillin? The time is ...NOW.

Let's be Practical
The Seder observances help us recall the Exodus. So the question arises: why go through all the motions? Why not just close our eyes and meditate on ‘freedom?”

The Seder teaches us that we learn best by doing. Judaism blends the spiritual with the physical, expressing lofty ideals in physical ways.

The Seder is rich in symbols that see, taste, touch, and feel the concepts. The horseradish chokes us with bitterness, the Charoses looks and feels like mortar. Matzah allows us to digest, 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, for Elijah's centerpiece cup represents our Redemption in the future.

Good intentions are vague and abstract; they become real and concrete in a physical mitzvah involving not only the mind, but also our body. Our Mitzvos combine thought and action, complementing each other like body and soul.