Adath Congregation Pesach Service Schedule 5776 – 2016 Hag Kasher VeSameach!

Bedikat (Searching for the Leavened ) Thursday, April 21 Make a Final Search for Leavened Bread in the home, after 8:05 PM

Ta’anit Bekhorim (Fast of the First Born) Friday, April 22 and Siyyum for the First Born 7:00 AM Mechirat Chametz, all Chametz sold by 10:30 AM Biur Chametz, Burning of Chametz found the previous 10:30 AM Candle Lighting/First Seder 7:27 PM NO EVENING SERVICE AT THE

Pesach – First Day Saturday, April 23 /Yom Tov Morning Service 9:30 AM Candle Lighting/Second Seder (Begin Count) 8:28 PM NO EVENING SERVICE AT THE SYNAGOGUE PASSOVER 2016

Pesach – Second Day Sunday, April 24 Adath Israel Congregation Yom Tov Morning Service 9:30 AM at home 8:29 PM

Erev Seventh Day of Pesach Thursday, April 28 Yom Tov Evening Service 7:30 PM Candle Lighting 7:34 PM

Pesach – Seventh Day Friday, April 29 Yom Tov Morning Service 9:30 AM *EARLY* Shabbat/Yom Tov Evening Service 6:15 PM Candle Lighting 7:35 PM

Pesach – Eighth Day Saturday, April 30 Shabbat/Yom Tov Morning Service 9:30 AM Yizkor after 11:15 AM Havdalah at home/Pesach Ends 8:36 PM All Chametz will be repurchased by 9:00 PM To Bean or Not to Bean Kol Chamirah VaChamiah K’Ika Virshuti Dachazitei U’d’lah Chazitei, Da’chamitei U’d’lah Chamitei, d’Va’aritei U’d’lah Va’aritei Livtil V’lehevei Benjamin J. Adler Hefker K’Afrah d’Arah.

There was one issue of great importance and controversy that dominated the “Any Chametz or leaven that is in my possession whether I have recognized it recent AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington. It was the topic of or not, whether I have seen it or not, whether I have removed it or not, should conversation among my Conservative rabbinic colleagues as we moved from be annulled and become ownerless, like dust of the earth.” session to session and engendered heated debate. No, I am not referring to Donald Trump, but rather the issue of on Passover. Ok, maybe I am With the myriad of things to remember if you are making a home seder, exaggerating a bit, but certainly the second most controversial topic at the we include this checklist which we hope will be helpful. conference was whether the Conservative movement should allow the eating of corn, rice and beans (known in Hebrew as kitniyot) on Passover. For hundreds of • Candlesticks and candles years, the dominant practice of Ashkenazi has been to refrain from eating • A for each participant these foods during Pesach, while Sephardic Jews do eat them. • Ceremonial seder plate including stick and grated , haroset, In the last few years, many in Israel and the U.S. have begun to parsley, saltwater, roasted shankbone, roasted egg. adopt the Sephardic custom. In Israel there are a large number of mixed • Symbolic foods for each guest: horseradish (stick and grated), haroset, Ashkenazi-Sephardic families. In addition, most Jews in the country are parsley, saltwater, hard-boiled egg. decedents of people who originally came from Middle Eastern countries and so • Three matzot either in special 3-tier cover or on a plate with napkins grocery stores cater to their traditions. A large number of products on the shelves separating each from the other and covering the top one. for Passover are labeled "Kosher for Pesach for those who eat Kitniyot". • Additional plate of matzot for everyone. In Israel it is simply more convenient to follow the Sephardic tradition. • A napkin in which to wrap the afikomen (or a special zippered bag for that) In America the impetus to eat kitniyot often stems from our changing diet. Many • cups – silver or glass cup for each person. people are vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and shun processed food. It is quite • Kosher for Passover wine sufficient for four cups per person. (Make it difficult to eat healthy, tasty, and kosher for Passover food that does not contain animal products, wheat, or excessive amounts of chemicals without including Israeli wine and support Israel!) kitniyot. • Cup of Elijah • Pillow for the leader (some like to have a pillow for everyone) Last year before Passover, I tackled this question in a on Tap session • For n’tilat yadayim (ritual hand washing): a pitcher of water, bowl, called “Why can't we eat rice on Passover?” You can view the source sheet here: and towel sefaria.org/sheets/9119. We had a lively debate on the sources a year ago, but a quick summary of discussion is that the explicitly rejects the position of If you have any questions, call Rabbi Adler. Also, you can find the Rab- one rabbi who forbids kitniyot on Passover. On Pesach we are forbidden from binical Assembly’s helpful Passover Guide at eating only wheat, , spelt, rye, and oats in leavened form. However, at rabbinicalassembly.org/pesah-guide. some point in the Middle Ages, for an unknown reason, the custom arose to refrain from eating kitniyot as well, although many disagreed with the practice and only Ashkenazic communities adopted it.

I agreed with the rabbis, most notably my teacher Rabbi David Golinkin, who allow Ashkenazi Jews to eat kitniyot on Passover, and last fall the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative movement passed Golinkin’s paper and one other that permits the change. In our day when we struggle to infuse ritual observance in a community that is increasingly uninterested in Before Friday, April 22, 2016, 10:30 AM Jewish practice, I think it is wise to shed restrictive hardships when we can. Mechirat Chametz – Sale of Chametz Observing Pesach should not be a burden, but a joy, and if that involves a delicious dish of beans and rice so be it. It is prohibited to own any chametz. Therefore, we clean out our homes, our cars and our clothing of chametz. Technically, whatever chametz has There are many people, however, who value the traditional Ashkenazic been stored away is still owned. Since we are prohibited to eat chametz, we custom not to eat kitniyot on Passover for a number of reasons, including sell it to our Shaliach, our agent, in this case the Rabbi. The form () fidelity to custom, which is an important value in . Each family that is filled out and returned to the Rabbi serves as an authorization of should decide for itself what practice to follow. I encourage you to read the sale. He in turn sells the chametz to a non-. At the end of Pesach, the positions found in the helpful Pesach Guide (rabbinicalassembly.org/pesah-guide) as well as a dissenting opinion found chametz is re-purchased and we can begin using chametz again. You can here: goo.gl/c3ehmI, and of course I would be happy to answer any questions. fill out the form online at goo.gl/formsOeb4oRnmdY. There are a few important points to note in the kitniyot discussion. The first is Ma’ot Hittim (“money for wheat” for matzah) that we will not serve kitniyot here at Adath on Passover so that everyone can So that others less fortunate than we can be provided with matzah, wine feel comfortable eating together in our synagogue. The second is that even if and other Pesach essentials, our tradition urges us to contribute money in you refrain from eating kitniyot on Passover you may still eat at a home where advance of the for this purpose. If you wish Rabbi Adler to they are served. Kitniyot do not render dishes in which they are cooked not facilitate this for you, simply write a check to the “Rabbi’s Discretionary kosher for Passover. One would simply politely ask not to be served the bean Fund” and mail it to the synagogue office. Please indicate that it is for or rice dish. Lastly, for those who choose to eat kitniyot on Pesach, one must “Ma’ot Hittim”. be careful to eat only processed foods that have a Passover certification. Even if the kitniyot product has no grains listed in the ingredients, there may have been grain derivatives used in the processing. See the Rabbinical Friday, April 22, 2016, 7:00 AM Assembly Pesach Guide for more information. No matter what custom you Ta’anit Bekhorim – Fast of the First Born chose, I want to wish you a joyous and kosher Passover!

This fast, commemorating the deliverance of the first-born in Egypt, applies to the first-born of either a mother or a father and is held the day of the first seder. It is customary after completing the morning service (talit and are worn) to have a siyyum, the completion of the study of a tractate of . The siyyum allows us to have a seudat , a meal that accompanies a mitzvah, in this case the siyyum. All first born in attendance may eat of this meal, thereby ending their fast.

Friday, April 22, 2016, Before 10:30 AM Biur Chametz – Burning of Chametz

The chametz which was found the previous night and was set aside is now burned or otherwise removed. You can light your grill and burn the chametz at home finishing before 10:30 AM. While burning the Chametz we recite a modified version of the nullification:

PREPARING FOR PESACH 2016 Baruch Ata Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha’olam Asher Kidshanu Bmitzvotav V’tzivanu Al Biur Chametz. On Pesach we are prohibited from eating, benefiting from or owning chametz (food prepared from wheat, barley, oats, spelt, or rye that has been allowed to This Chametz is put aside in a bag and left until the next morning. Once leaven). The prohibition includes food mixtures containing chametz. Thus this Chametz has been set aside, we recite the formula for nullifying grain alcohols (e.g. rye, scotch, bourbon, beer) may not be consumed on Chametz: Pesach. In addition, Ashkenazic Jews have to custom to not eat rice, millet, corn and legumes, however the Conservative movement has passed an opinion Kol Chamira Va’Chamiah D’ika Virshuti d’lah Chamitei U’d’lah allowing these foods on Passover provided that products made from them are Va’aritei Livtil V’Lehevei Hefker K’Afrah D’Arah. done so under reliable rabbinic supervision. A Passover Hekhsher (Rabbinic certification) indicates that a product is free from chametz. However, certain products that are always chametz-free (such as sugar, salt, pure , tea and “Any chametz or leaven that is in my possession which I have not seen, milk) do not require a Hekhsher IF purchased before noon on Friday, April 22, have not removed and do not know about, should be annulled and 2016 and not opened until the house is Kosher for Pesach. The same products, become ownerless, like dust of the earth.” if purchased during Passover, do require a Hekhsher. If you want to know what other items fit this category you can download the Rabbinical Assembly’s One way to fulfill the mitzvah of getting rid of chametz while Pesach Guide at rabbinicalassembly.org/pesah-guide or contact Rabbi Adler. simultaneously fulfilling the mitzvah of feeding the hungry is to donate unopened packages of chametz foods to the local food pantry. All such Preparations for Pesach commence considerably before the onset of the packages should be brought to the synagogue no later than Tuesday, itself. The house must be cleaned and special Pesach utensils must April 19, 2016. Even if you are giving chametz to the food pantry, you replace those used the year round. It is best to use dishes and utensils should still authorize Rabbi Adler to sell any chametz you may have especially set aside for Passover use. However, metal pots and pans used for overlooked. cooking only (but not baking), all-metal flatware and glass can be made kosher for Pesach (kashered). As a rule of thumb, a utensil is kashered by the same function for which it is used. Since a pot boils liquids, then a pot is kashered by filling it up with water so that it boils over. A pan is kashered by the heating element. It must become hot enough so that paper can be singed. Glassware is kashered by soaking in water for 3 days changing the water every day. Silverware with no wood or plastic handles can be kashered by washing and then placed in a pot of boiling water.

Thursday Evening, April 21, 2016 Bedikat Chametz –Searching for Chametz

The night before the seder we need to inspect our homes in case we in- advertently failed to rid ourselves of chametz. It is customary to place some chametz (cereal) in various places in the house. Then with a burning candle to light your way and a feather to brush the chametz onto a spoon (similar to a broom and dustpan), we go through the house to gather these last remnants of chametz. We recite the blessing: