PassoverYour Guide “In every generation a person is obligated to regard himself as if he had come out of Egypt.” —Passover Haggadah Introduction Before Passover: the Festival of Freedom. Passover The holiday commemorating our Any and all leavened items that is, foods or ancient ancestors' supernatural products containing wheat, barley, oats, rye, escape from the Egyptian Empire. spelt or their derivatives— But Passover is more than a are chametz: Passover-prohib- ited. So a few weeks before Biblical legend or historical anec- Passover, begin cleaning your entire home and business–every room, nook and cranny where food dote-it's a celebration brimming may have been brought. Search for any chametz products with personal meaning, spiritual and isolate them in a designated "chametz closet." Empty your clothes pockets, throw out vacuum cleaner bags and sweep symbolism and rich, enduring every floor totally crumb free. Check ingredients in every- thing–even pet food is potential chametz. You'll be using a moral lessons. Read on, and separate set of dishes for Passover, so put your year-round discover a new and relevant side dishes in that chametz closet. And stock up on kosher-for- Passover items! For good leads on what's Passover-kosher, call of Passover. Chabad or check out www.ok.org. Before You You Passover Before Text and images provided courtesy of the Farbrengen magazine Search for Chametz Burning of the Chametz Conduct the formal search of your house for chametz on The morning* after your chametz the night before Passover, after nightfall*. We traditionally search, retrieve the bag, take it out- use a candle, wooden spoon and feather: with all lights out, side, put it on your grill and light up. the candle lights the way; any chametz found is swept by However you destroy your chametz, the feather onto the wooden spoon and dumped into a recite this annulment as you do: paper bag. Begin searching with this blessing: All leaven or anything leavened which Boruch Atoh Ado-noi Elo-hei-nu Melech Ha-olam Asher is in my possession, whether I have Ki-de-sha-nu Be-mitz-vo-sov Vi-tzi-vanu Al Bi-ur Chametz. seen it or not, whether I have observed After searching, put the bag-containing the feather and it or not, whether I have removed it or spoon-in a place you won't overlook, and recite this dis- Fast of the Firstborn not, shall be considered naught and claimer: When G-d slew the firstborn ownerless as the dust of the earth All leaven or anything leavened which is in my possession, of Egypt, He spared the first- which I have neither seen nor removed, and about which I born sons of Israel. Out of am unaware, shall be considered naught and ownerless as gratitude all firstborn sons the dust of the earth. fast on this day. To avoid fast- ing, simply participate in a siyum, the formal completion of a Talmudic tractate, the morning of the fast—the intellectual achievement and ensuing celebration are cause enough to void the fast. *See precise dates/times on enclosed calendar The Seder Tools The Seder Plate The Seder table contains an ZEROAH (Shankbone) The Pascal Lamb is eclectic mix of items each represented by the Zeroah. Mystical tradition alluding to myriads of mys- replaces the shankbone with a chicken neck tical meanings.The Seder's that is not eaten, as a reminder that although revelations unfold in the we approach freedom during the Seder, same order as the events our ultimate freedom is soon to come which led to redemption. In The Three Matzot with the final redemption. fact, the very word Seder The bread of Faith. Our ancestors BETZAH (Egg) The egg symbolizes means order. displayed the deepest levels of faith the Festival Offering made on when they followed G-d into the Passover in the ancient Holy Seder Time desert with such haste that there Temple. wasn't even time for the bread they MAROR (Bitter Herbs/Horseradish) had baked to rise.The three Matzot The bitterness of Egypt is brought represent the entire Jewish people- to the table with Maror. Cohen, Levi and Israel. In keeping with Passover's leaven prohibition, KARPAS (Vegetable) Egypt crushed use Shmurah (isolated) Matzah. our ancestors' spirits with endless, sense- Shmurah Matzah flour is carefully less, back-breaking drudgery. A raw veg- isolated from any contact with water etable, usually an onion, parsley or potato, is from harvest through grinding and dipped in saltwater and eaten so we may kneading at controlled facilities, taste their anguish-and in it realize the poten- making it kosher for Passover. tial to rise above our own. CHAROSET (fruit nut The Four Sons paste) As slaves we used The Four Four sons, four perceptions, forever found mortar - symbolized by Cups of in us.The Wise Son, brilliant, yet still asking Charoset - to make bricks Wine. the same questions each year.The Wicked that formed structures Son's cynicism is driven by his need to fit which were erected only The cups represent things into his down-to-earth world. to be destroyed. the four progressive stages towards freedom. Knowing the price for everything, he values nothing. Out there in a world of silent CHAZERET First Cup—Physical removal from the Land of amazement, the Simple Son is a transpar- (Romaine Egypt ("I will release you"); ent channel for the Infinite. If only he could Lettuce) The Second Cup—Liberation from intellectual and tell us about it.The Son Who Doesn't Know initial stages spiritual slavery ("I will save you"); How to Question probably thinks he is the of exile were Third Cup—Creation of a people forever wise son. When you know it all, there's pleasant, yet immune to permanent slavery ("I will liberate nothing left to ask. And in modern times, soon the you"); the most important son has appeared: the injustices of Fifth Son. While the classic Four are at the slavery became Fourth Cup—G-d's acceptance as His chosen Seder table each year, the Fifth Son has yet overwhelming. people and the granting of the Torah at Sinai. to experience the freedom of Passover. So too is the first ("I will take you onto me as a nation"). taste of Chazeret mild, A Fifth special Cup of wine, the Cup of Elijah,is but soon its bitter root filled after the Seder's Grace (Step 13). The becomes dominant. soul of the spiritually immortal Elijah the Prophet visits every Jewish home on Seder night, and this one's symbolically for him. Your 15-Step “Soulful Seder” Companion The first step of the Seder is to forget the noise and karpas yachatz stresses of the world and leave it all behind.Tonight we 3 4 enter a timeless space, where we experience the Exodus The appetizer Breaking the matzah together with Moses and all our ancestors. We now dip a vegetable Take the middle matzah from (potato, onion or parsley) your Seder Plate and break it into saltwater. Say the bless- into two. Put the smaller piece ing for eating vegetables, back between the two com- and munch good; you're not plete matzahs.This piece is the kadesh urchatz going to eat for a while.The "poor man's bread" over which 1 saltwater represents the we will recount the story of 2 tears of our people, begin- our Exodus.The larger piece A toast to freedom Washing hands ning with our slavery in becomes the Afikoman (see Fill your cup with wine (or Fill a cup with water. Pour Egypt.We taste harshness step 12); put it in a bag and set grape juice). That's the first of some water over your right again in order to give us the aside until the Seder's end four cups you'll enjoy at hand three times, then over humility necessary for free- tonight's Seder. Make sure it your left hand three times. dom. holds at least 3-1/2 ounces. (When we wash our hands Everyone stands and recites again before eating matzah, Kiddush together. Now get we'll recite a blessing. But ready for some serious relax- not now.) ing- remember to recline to your left side while you drink. maggid5 rachtzah6 matzah8 maror9 Retelling Washing hands Bless the Bitter herbs The Seder Plate is moved aside and We now prepare ourselves to eat matzah by matzah Maror is the bitter the second cup of wine is filled.The again washing our hands. Pour some water Recite the blessing on taste of our slavery story of our Exodus is now retold. over your right hand three times, then over the top and (broken) in Egypt. Dip bitter Children ask the Four Questions, your left hand three times. Say the appropri- middle matzah: ". herbs (horseradish, found in the Haggadah. No children at ate blessing and dry your hands. Who commanded us romaine lettuce or your Seder? Have an adult ask. Alone? concerning eating both) in charoset, You be the child and G-d, the Father. matzah." which recalls the The Exodus from Egypt was much Break off a piece from mortar of our more than just an historical event. motzie each of these two enslavement, and Rather it is a dynamic process that matzahs for yourself then shake off the occurs daily as we emancipate our- and for each of those charoset. Say the 7 blessing: ". .Who selves from our own limitations and sitting at your table. Thanking G-d for bread commanded us strive to grasp the divine.To retell Raise the three matzahs together-the top Everyone eats at least the story is to express our essential two ounces (about two concerning eating one, the broken middle one and the bot- bitter herbs." this self; to come face to face with who tom one-and say the blessing thirds of a matzah).