1 Guide 2021 March 2021 So… What’s New in 2021? have toyed with rigging up their webcams to try again the idea of doing a seder via Skype or Zoom or FaceTime. And some have even considered celebrating Pesach Passover time represents many things to many people. Sheni, the Second Passover, which takes place on April For some, it is a time to clean one’s house from the clutter 28th, one month from the the original one- assuming and chaos of wintertime, back-to-school, and summer physical distancing restrictions are relaxed or lifted vacations long since passed. For others, Passover is a altogether. Whatever you decide, please continue to do so time to start again; a time to buy new dishes, utensils, safely. We want you to celebrate the holiday as best you cookery, and more. Still others see Passover as a time to are able and we want to see you at future celebrations, life renew friendships, welcome family, and open the door for cycle moments, and God willing, at Passover seders to new opportunities to arrive. come.

This year, Passover begins on Saturday, March 27 at Unlike previous iterations of this guide, we decided to sundown. If you look at the important dates below, you make the full Rabbinical Assembly’s Pesah Guide might notice that even though the holiday begins on a available as a separate file available on our website. That Saturday night, the Fast of the First Born is on Thursday, being said, we added a few new pages to this year’s March 25 and on top of that, you have an “extra” day to guide—including some resources for interfaith families, clean your home of hametz. Believe it or not, sixteen activities to keep the kids (and kids-at-heart) occupied years ago, in 2005, Passover fell on a Saturday night. and of course, a few recipes to try. And thanks to our And, as luck would have it, on page 3 of this year’s guide, Religious Life Committee, we have put some additional we have a reprint from our 2005 Passover Guide, “When resources on our synagogue website—just in case, you Passover Falls on a Saturday Night.” run out of things to do in celebrating the festival of our

freedom from slavery and bondage. Undoubtedly, with the continued concern of the coronavirus, many people are once again trying to figure Our tells us, “this year we are slaves, but next out how to have a meaningful holiday apart from family year we will be free people.” And in that hope, let us try and friends. Some have thought about breaking the to keep our spirits high, recline with whom we can, and curfews and sneaking in with close friends whom they together, we can overcome any obstacle in our path. know are likely not to have caught the virus or have now been vaccinated with the appropriate dosages. Others

DON’T PASS OVER THESE IMPORTANT DATES

Please visit our website often for complete details on services and programs. While many events have been moved to Zoom, we are attempting to keep our programming as “normal” as possible .

Thursday March 25 7:30am Fast of the First Born / Siyyum Evening Search for hametz Please return all contracts for hametz before March 26.

Saturday March 27 9:30am Services Evening First Seder

Sunday March 28 9:00am Day 1 Passover Services / Second Seder / Omer 1 at Night Be sure

Monday March 29 7:30am Day 2 Passover Services / Omer 2 at Night to visit our website Tuesday March 30 7:30am Chol HaMo’ed Services / Omer 23at Night www.cbswilmde.org Wednesday March 31 7:30am Chol HaMo’ed / Omer 4 at Night for a complete

Thursday April 1 7:30am Chol HaMo’ed / Omer 5 at Night listing of how

Friday April 2 7:30am Chol HaMo’ed / Omer 6 at Night to access our 8:00pm Shabbat Services services via

Saturday April 3 9:30am Chol Ha Mo’ed / Shabbat Services Zoom. Omer 7 at Night (Light Yahrzeit & Yom Tov Candles after Havdalah)

Sunday April 4 9:00am Yom Tov / Yizkor / Omer 8 at Night When Passover Falls on a Saturday Night (from Congregation Beth Shalom Passover Guide 2005)

(Editor’s Note: The date in the original article were in April plates and plasticware be used for these meals, so as 2005. To avoid confusion, the dates have been updated to not to confuse or accidentally mix chometz with your reflect this year’s observances.) Passover items. Remember, that if you intend to keep chometz for Shabbat, not to recite the “nullification This year, Passover begins on Saturday, March 27th, blessing” after searching for leaven. You will instead immediately at the conclusion of Shabbat. This causes us recite it after disposing of your leftover Shabbat to change how we observe some of the traditional chometz on Saturday morning or when you return practices of the Passover holiday: from synagogue services.

• The Fast of the First Born, Ta'anit Bechorot, falls on Thursday, March 25. • Rabbis permit the use of egg matzah over Shabbat for those families with concerns about the efforts • Usually, we are to finish cleaning our households of necessary in saving chometz past the traditional chometz the morning before the first Seder. Because “deadline”. Keep in mind that actual matzah should this year the first Seder falls directly after Shabbat, not be eaten before the first Seder, so that participants Searching for Leaven, Bedikat Chometz, is done on have a “good appetite” for the “real” matzah during Thursday night, March 25th, and you should ensure the Seder (Also, you should be saying Shehechiyanu your household is chometz-free by Friday morning, over the matzah during the Seder…). However, since March 26. (Remember to send in your contract!) egg matzah is not permited for the Seder, it is permitted for the preceding Shabbat. • If you wish, you may keep only enough chometz to be eaten for Friday evening and Saturday. Remember • For those families that partake of Seudat Selishit, this that if you are keeping chometz for Friday and meal should be more of a snack, consisting of fruit, Saturday meals, that it should be eaten and any extra eggs, or fish, and neither chometz nor matzah of any disposed of (not by burning) early Saturday, in kind. preparation for the Seder. It is suggested that paper

You Can’t Do That With Matzah Meal

If you have been in a grocery store of late, you probably have noticed the many things that are now Kosher for Passover. Many of these items have one common ingredient - matzah meal. Well rather than rehash the many different things you can do with matzah meal, I would offer a little bit of humor about the things you can’t do with matzah meal.

• You cannot make toothpaste. You could try, but trust me the people at Crest and Colgate won’t even touch it. They say it is guaranteed not to make your teeth any whiter than they already are!

• You can’t use it for a facial or “mud mask”. Sure it might make a good “cake” but I have never heard anyone claim matzah meal made their skin feel as soft as well . . . you know.

• You can’t use it for laundry detergent. It might get some wine out of a fine linen, but Proctor and Gamble have tried with no success to get other stains out using the power of matzah meal.

• You can’t use it as a weapon - banana cream pies, maybe - matzah meal is just too messy.

• You cannot use it for artistic measures, such as papier-mâché or sculpture. Meredith, the artistic one of the family, assures me - stick with clay for sculpture and wait until Passover is over for papier-mâché.

• You cannot, and I repeat cannot, use it for paper. Let me assure you that I did try this - but this guide would not have gotten through the mail in matzah meal form.

Next year, we are most likely to find even more things made with matzah meal! But until then, keep thinking of all the things you can’t do with matzah meal - I am sure we missed a few!

B’Shalom, Hayim Weiss

March 2021 Passover Guide 2021 3 2021 CONTRACT FOR SELLING HAMETZ FOR PASSOVER NOW ALL THESE PEOPLE BY THESE PRESENTS: That I, the undersigned, do hereby make and appoint Rabbi Michael S. Beals my true and lawful K representative to act in my place and stead, for me and in my name and in my behalf, to sell all hametz owned and possessed by me, knowingly or unknowingly, as stated in the and defined by the sages of Israel (e.g. hametz; hashash hametz - suspect hametz; and all kinds of ta’arovet hametz - hametz mixtures); also, hametz that tends to harden and to adhere to the surface of pans, pots, or other cooking or eating utensils of whatsoever nature, and to lease all places wherein the aforementioned hametz owned or possessed by me may be found, especially in the premises located at the address(es) below. Rabbi Beals has the full authority and power to sell said hametz and to lease said place or places wherein said hametz may be found, upon such terms and conditions as discretion dictates. Rabbi Beals has the full power and authority to assign or appoint a substitute or substitutes to act in my behalf with all the same powers and authority that I have invested in the Rabbi, and I do hereby ratify and confirm all that Rabbi Beals or a rabbinic substitute lawfully does or causes to be done by virtue of these presents.

And to this I hereby affix my signature on this ______day of ______in the year 2021.

Signature: ______

Address: ______

City: ______State: ______

Business Address: ______

City: ______State: ______

Telephone: ______

Suggested contribution for Ma’ot Hittim (food for the needy): $______

Please make checks payable to Congregation Beth Shalom. Write Ma’ot Hittim in the memo line.

Candle Lighting Times

Friday, March 26 7:02pm Saturday, March 27 7:40pm (Shabbat Havdallah) / 8:02pm (Passover Candle Lighting) Sunday, March 28 8:04pm Friday, April 2 7:09pm Saturday, April 3 7:47pm (Shabbat Havdallah) / 8:10pm (Passover Candle Lighting)

Yizkor candle should be lit on Saturday, April 3, for those observing. Yizkor will be recited on Sunday, April 4. Counting of Omer begins on Sunday, March 28 and concludes on Thursday, May 16 in time for .

4 Passover Guide 2021 March 2021 AN ASHKEFARDIC TREAT FOR PASSOVER As an Ashkefard, I grew up with delicious Ashkenazic and Sephardic recipes - the best of both worlds! While I love both sides of my heritage equally, I have fond memories of celebrating Pesach with my Sephardic grandparents. Seders were always in Ladino and they included delicious Sephardic treats and traditions. As kids, we always looked forward to my grandmother’s Bimuelos (Matzah fritters). They were a mainstay of the Passover meal and we always sprinkled a little extra sugar on top for extra sweetness! Now that my grandparents are no longer living, I have adopted their recipes and see that they live on through them each year. Here is the recipe in case you want to add this to your Passover recipe repertoire!

Bimuelos

6 matzot 3 cups warm water 3 eggs 1/3 tsp of kosher salt Vegetable oil

Break up the matzot with your hands and place them into a large bowl. Pour warm water over the matzah pieces and let them soak for 30 minutes. Pour excess water out and squeeze most of the water out of the saturated matzah.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs. Fold the eggs and salt into the matzah mixture. The mixture should come together as a wet batter.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Careful drop in medium sized spoonfuls of matzah mixture (2-3 inches in diameter) into the hot oil. Fry for approximately 2-4 minutes on each side, or until each side becomes golden brown. Photo Credit: Chef Times Two,

Drain bimuelos on paper towels and serve with sprinkled sugar on top. For an added twist, sprinkle cinnamon on top, too.

Enjoy and Chag Sameach!

Cantor Elisa Abrams Cohn

March 2021 Passover Guide 2021 5 COOKING AND SHOPPING Make and Shop on “JEW VC”

Wednesday, March 17 from 6:30pm-8:00pm Via Zoom

Let's gather virtually, as our Men’s Club Mavens, Ross C. and Andy S., demonstrate how to make two kinds of Charoset. After that, stick around to see what the Gift Shop has to enhance your Passover Foods and Seder. Visit CBS website calendar for Zoom link.

6 Passover Guide 2021 March 2021 WOMEN AND PASSOVER f one were going to look at a traditional Passover who gets paid by Pharaoh's daughter for care taking Haggadah today, you would find a great deal of and living with her own child. Miriam leads the I description devoted to the men of the story, Moses, Hebrew people in singing and dancing (that most Aaron, Rabbi Elazar, Rabbi Simeon, Elijah, Pharoah, and natural expression of religious joy) after they cross so forth. But, what about the women? Is there no story or the Red Sea. And she dies by the kiss of God; the tradition that can be added to the story of Passover to Angel of Death, we are told, has no power over her. include the lives of ancient and modern women into After her death, the Hebrews lose their most the narrative? precious possession: the water from Miriam’s Well – and it is then that her grieving In 1975, the first feminist seder was brother strikes the rock. organized by Broner, Marcia Freedman, and Nomi Nimrod in Haifa. • Add an Orange to the Seder Plate. Inspired by this experience, Ms. Broner and In the early 1980s, the Hillel Foundation Ms. Nimrod wrote The Women's invited Dr. Susannah Heschel to speak on Haggadah. According to the authors, “The a panel at Oberlin College. While on Women's Haggadah follows the traditional campus, she came across a Haggadah that Seder order, but alters the elements to insert had been written by some Oberlin students the lives of biblical and rabbinic women in the to express feminist concerns. One ritual they story, to speak of past and current oppression of devised was placing a crust of bread on the plate, women, and to enhance the spiritual journey of self- as a sign of solidarity with Jewish lesbians. But bread discovery.” Over the years, other congregations, on the Seder plate brings an end to Pesach – as it including our very own Congregation Beth Shalom, have renders everything chometz, and it suggests that being created modern Haggadot (plural form of Haggadah) for lesbian (or gay) is being transgressive, violating use to enhance family observances. .

Here are a couple of suggestions for you to consider to At the next Passover, Dr Heschel placed an orange on add to your own Seder. her family’s Seder plate. During the first part of the Seder, she asked everyone to take a segment of the • Include a Miriam’s Cup. In recent years, we have orange, make the blessing over fruit, and eat it as a begun placing two ceremonial goblets on our seder gesture of solidarity with Jewish lesbians and gay tables: the traditional one, filled with wine, for Elijah men. the prophet, and a second one, filled with water, for Miriam the prophetess (she is called prophetess in We hope you will consider adding these traditions to your Exodus 15:20). Miriam is a central figure in the family’s seder. If you have other traditions, please jot Passover drama, She stands guard loyally when her them down and send them to the synagogue office. Your baby brother Moses is set floating on the Nile, and ideas are important to us and we always appreciate them. she arranges for a wet nurse – Moses’ own mother –

ANOTHER TASTY TREAT Carrot-Spinach Kugel Traditional

Directions Ingredients Chop the spinach in a food processor until desired texture 2 cups spinach is reached. Dice the onion roughly and grate the carrot. pre- 1 large carrots packaged shredded carrot works well too.

1 small onion Beat the egg in a mixing bowl, adding the oil and salt, pep- 2 matzohs, broken into pieces per, and paprika. 1 egg 2 tablespoons olive oil Add the matzohs. I find that doing a rough chop of the mat- zohs in the food processor gets them to a good consistency. 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper Mix in the veggies. Pour into a greased 9" pie pan, and 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika bake at 400oF for 45-55 minutes or until the top is browned.

7 Passover Guide 2021 March 2021 Tips for Interfaith Families: How to Make A Seder Inclusive (Adapted from InterfaithFamily.com)

Unlike most , Passover is observed 4. Add your own readings. Check out the web and your primarily in the home. The following tips are designed to local library. You can include as many or as few as you make non- feel more comfortable with the holiday, like to your own seder, or simply write your own rituals and traditions. blessings with your family.

1. Prepare your partner, children, and non-Jewish 5. Assign everyone passages from the hagaddah to guests. As more and more non-Jewish partners and non- read aloud during the seder. Participating in this way Jewish stepchildren attend seders, letting them know what can give your partner, children, and friends a better to expect will be helpful. Whether you are hosting or opportunity to experience the seder. attending a seder, explain what will happen, who will be 6. Connect the story of the Passover liberation story to there, what will be eaten and when, and what they may be other freedom stories, past or present. If there are asked to do during the meal. particular struggles that people attending your seder 2. Select the right hagaddah, the book that contains would relate to, be sure to mention them. This discussion the order, blessings, narrative and songs for the seder. may engage your partner, children and friends. There are hagaddahs to reflect different approaches and needs. Consider selecting a hagaddah that: 7. Don't forget the children. Children can have a big part. Don’t limit it to just the 4 Questions, the 10 plagues, • Uses Hebrew with aligned translation and and the search for (or the hiding of) the afikomen. Find transliteration, so that people unfamiliar with Hebrew ways to involve children. are better able to follow along. • Is inclusive and reflects gender equality. 8. Have fun. Seders can be relaxed and informal. Don’t • Provides background and explanations for the rituals. be so stuck in “old” traditions. Create and welcome new ones too! 3. In advance of the seder, rephrase parts of it to be more welcoming to the people who will be coming to it. While nothing is ever certain, we hope these tips will Doing this with your partner's and/or children's help, enrich your Passover holiday traditions and festivities. might enable them to feel more a part of things and can unite the family.

March 2021 Passover Guide 2021 8 Did You Know… The Fast of the First Born Explained

Ta'anit Bechorot - "The Fast of the ", Nissan 14, is a fast observed only by firstborn males, commemorating the fact that they were saved from the plague of the firstborn in Egypt. It is observed on the day preceding Passover except as noted below..

By right, this fast should be held on the anniversary of the day on which the miracle occurred: on the night of the fifteenth of Nissan. However, since the fifteenth is already Passover, and we do not fast on Festival days the fast is pushed back to the fourteenth.

There is an additional reason why we fast specifically on the fourteenth. The firstborn of the Jews were saved in Egypt because they humbled themselves before God, admitting and declaring that all greatness, power, and sovereignty are God’s alone.

This stood in contradistinction to the Egyptians who, filled with foolish pride and egotism, declared: "I am, and besides me there is none other."

Thus, the fast on the fourteenth of Nissan commemorates the fact that the firstborn of Israel humbled themselves on that day and accepted the yoke of God's sovereignty. Abstention from food and drink is a sign of a heart subdued before God.

There are different customs that are associated with this fast. Some maintain that every firstborn, male and female, whether the firstborn is that of the mother or of the father, must fast.

If there are no children, then the oldest member of the household must fast. They base this on the fact that there was no Egyptian household that was spared from the plague, every household in Egypt was struck whether there was a firstborn son or not. We commemorate, therefore, that all of the Jewish households were miraculously spared. Others maintain that the obligation to fast applies only to firstborn males.

If the fourteenth of Nissan falls on a Shabbat, the fast is observed on the previous Thursday [the twelfth of Nissan], for if a fast is suspended because of Shabbat, it is not held on a Friday. Which explains why this year, we are holding the service for our first-born on Thursday, March 25

There are those who hold that the firstborn sons who are should not fast for the entire day, in order not to enter the Festival suffering, and thus should eat a small amount before the Festival begins.

This fast is treated leniently. Thus, if there is a festive meal held that is connected with a , for example, the celebration of a or of a (the completion of a tractate of the ) the firstborn son participates in the meal rather than fasting.

It is therefore customary to arrange for a siyyum to take place in the synagogue after morning prayers on the fourteenth of Nissan. The firstborn sons who are present participate in this festive meal and, having broken their fast, may continue to eat for the rest of the day.

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9 Passover Guide 2021 March 2021 FOR THE KIDS

A PASSOVER PROJECT: MATZAH HOUSE

Materials: - by-6-by-6-inch cube cardboard box - Scissors or utility knife - Tape - - Melted chocolate - Kosher for Passover foods (for decoration)

Step 1 Begin by folding the cardboard box into the form of a house: Trim 2 of the top flaps into triangles and tape the 2 uncut flaps onto it along the cut angles to create a support for the pitched roof.

Step 2 Squeeze melted chocolate onto form. Tip: Keep melted chocolate liquefied by resting a container of it in warm water.

Step 3 Attach pieces of matzo to chocolate-covered house form.

Step 4 Decorate the matzo house with kosher food items of your choice, using the melted chocolate to attach the decorations to the house.

Source: Martha Stewart Living, April 2008

WORD FIND

KID-TESTED, PASSOVER APPROVED PASSOVER LASAGNA

For the Lasagna: • 1 box of matzah

• 1 cup tomato sauce

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella, cheddar, or jack cheese (or a combination of cheeses)

Preheat oven to 375oF. Break matzah into several three-inch rectangles and moisten slightly. Layer two or three across in your 9x13 baking dish. Words can be Coat with tomato sauce (spiced as you wish) and diagonal, cover with cheese. Repeat for several layers. left-to-right, Place any toppings you like throughout the layers top-to-bottom, etc. or across the top with additional cheese. How Many Can Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the cheese You Find? melts. Take out of the oven and serve. .

Yum.

10 Passover Guide 2021 March 2021