Passover 5768
Wondering what the big deal is? Want to brush up on Passover? You've come to the right place! Click on the links below to jump to that section.
What is Chametz?
The Search for Chametz - Bedikat Chametz
The Burning of Chametz - Bi'ur Chametz
Matzah - Unleavened Bread
The Passover Seder
The Four Cups
The Cup of Elijah
The Seder Plate
The Haggadah
Next Year in Jerusalem
Additional Resources
What Is Chametz?
 The basic rule which underlies the special laws of Passover is that for the duration of the holiday which lasts eight days, a Jew must not eat, own, or derive any benefit from chametz or from s’or. Chametz means fermented, and s’or means that which causes fermentation. The term chametz refers to products made of naturally or artificially fermented wheat, rye, barley, oats or spelt. The term s’or refers to yeast-like products which cause or accelerate the fermentation of these grains. Note that it is fermented grain products which are forbidden and not all food which has been fermented. It is perfectly permissible, for instance, to eat borscht, which is made with fermented beet juice, and to drink wine, which is made of fermented grapes.
It is not only bread and cake which can contain pure unadulterated essence of chametz. Beer and whiskey are both made from fermented grain, as is grain vinegar. Thus, whiskey and beer are strictly forbidden for Pesach; whole Pesach vinegar is made from fermented cider. Then, too, any product which contains even a small amount of chametz is declared chametz and cannot be used for Pesach. This would rule out most of the prepared products which you usually buy at the supermarket. Salad dressing, pickles, and mayonnaise are usually made with grain vinegar; sauces may be thickened with chametz flour. There are so many ways in which products can prove to be unfit for Pesach use that one has to be very careful about whatever one buys in the supermarket at Pesach.
What is Done With It…
All chametz not destroyed and stored away must be sold to a person who is not obligated to refrain from using it—namely a non-Jew—since one cannot derive any benefit from chametz which has been kept by a Jew during Pesach.
Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller will be available to handle the selling of Chametz. For more info, contact Rabbi Chaim.
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The Search for Chametz - Bedikat Chametz
 The process of creating a chametz-free environment comes to its climax the night before Passover. This year, being that the night before Passover is a Friday night, Bedikat Chametz actually takes place one night earlier, on Thursday (April 17th) night, no earlier than 8:00 pm. We conduct a veritable “search and destroy” mission to find any remaining chametz in our home and eradicate it. The search is traditionally conducted with a beeswax candle, using a feather, wooden spoon, and paper bag for collecting any chametz found. It is customary to place ten pieces of bread throughout the house to be “found” during the search.
On the evening before Passover, as soon as the sun is down, gather the household together, light the candle, and recite the following blessing:
In transliteration from the Hebrew:
Bo-ruch A-toh Ado-noi E-lo-hei-nu
Me-lech Ho-olom A-sher Ki-de-sha-nu
Be-mitz-vo-sov Vi-tzi-vo-nu Al
Be-or Cho-metz.
Or, in translation:
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments, and has commanded us to remove the leaven.
Next, search for chametz in every room, as well as any other area of the home that may have chametz. When you’re done, take all the chametz that was found in the search, wrap and seal it securely and place it in a conspicuous spot. This Chametz will be joined with all remaining chametz in your home and burned the next morning. Food intended to be sold or eaten later should similarly be carefully put aside.
Once the search is completed, gather the family back together, carefully put away the chametz and the implements used in the search and recite the "Kol Chamirah" - translated below, nullifying all unkown chametz and relenquishing it from our ownership.
"All leaven or anything leavened which is in my possession, which I have neither seen nor removed, and about which I am unaware, shall be considered naught and ownerless as the dust of the earth."
On the morning before Passover, Saturday, April 19th 2008, Chametz may be eaten until the fourth hour of the day (10:40 a.m. in Los Angeles). After that, only foods that are kosher for Passover are eaten. We don’t eat matzah, though. We’re saving that for the Seder.
Now we’ve got an hour to put away all the chametz utensils and any other chametz that will be sold over passover in their designated areas, and gather the rest of the chametz together for the burning of the chametz.
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The Burning of Chametz - Bi'ur Chametz
 On the morning before Passover - this year on Friday April 18, 2008 before the fifth hour (11:46 a.m. in Los Angeles), we burn all the chametz that was found during the search, and anything that was left over from breakfast and not stored with the chametz that will be sold to a non-Jew (who is not prohibitted from owning Chametz on Passover). (This can be arranged through Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller.) Being that the day before Passover is Shabbat, the burning is done one day earlier than usual this year. On Shabbat it is permissible to eat chametz until 10:40 a.m.
After the chametz has been burnt in the fire, we recite the following:
"All leaven or anything leavened which is in my possession, whether I have seen it or not, whether I have observed it or not, whether I have removed it or not shall be completely considered naught and ownerless as the dust of the earth."
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Matzah - Unleavened Bread
 When our forefathers left Egypt they were in such a hurry that there was no time to wait for the dough to rise. They therefore ate Matzah, unleavened bread. With only this food (but with great faith) our ancestors relied on the Al-mighty to provide sustenance for the entire Jewish nation -- men, women and children. Each year, to remember this, we eat Matzah on the first two nights of Pesach, thereby fulfilling the Torah’s commandment of "Matzot shall you eat…"
One of the holiday's primary obligations is to eat Matzah during the Seder.
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The Seder
 The primary theme of the Passover seder (meaning order) is freedom. It is believed that the obligation to tell the story of the Exodus was observed by Jews' ancestors ever since the actual Exodus itself. Participation in the seder lets one symbolically and vicariously relive the Exodus, where past and present merge.
The seder service has a clear order, with each of 14 steps representing a different phase of the seder. Together, they serve to teach the lesson of the Exodus, God's saving the Jewish people from slavery. Much of the seder discussion focuses on God's might and the Divine role in redemption.
There are many instances of the number four throughout the seder: four cups of wine, four sons, four matriarchs, four names for Pesach, four Aggadot, four blessings, four types of food on the seder plate.
The most well-known example is the Arba Kushiyot, or four questions. These questions, usually recited by the youngest person at the table, are meant to highlight the main differences between this meal and all other meals of the year. They are also a brilliant way of keeping young people interested and involved in the events of the seder. They include queries about why we recline, why we dip food, and why we eat certain types of food.
The Seders this year at Hillel are catering to students only and start at 8:30 pm on Saturday night April 19th and Sunday night April 20th.
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The Four Cups
 The four cups of wine represent the four promises given by God to the Children of Israel: "...and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm........and I will take you to me for a people..." (Ex 6:6, 7)
Another reason given for the four cups is that the Children of Israel had four actions that merited their redeption. First, they continued using their Hebrew names. They also continued using the Hebrew language and they remained highly moral. Lastly, they remained loyal to one another.
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The Cup of Elijah
 There is a fifth cup of wine called "The Cup of Elijah" and it is reserved for Elijah the Prophet, who is believed to visit each Passover seder that takes place around the world. The fifth cup of wine is also an expression of redemption for all in future times and because this has not occurred yet, it is not drunk. Some families have a custom of opening the front door for Elijah, symbolizing our readiness for Elijah who is believed to be a harbinger for messianic times.
The seder takes place following the Passover evening synagogue service on the first two nights of Passover (or just the first night in Israel and among liberal Jews worldwide). The seder is supposed to take place with everyone in a reclining position. This is because slaves ate hurriedly; the affluent and free were able to recline on cushions. On erev Pesach (Passover eve), rich and poor are indistinguishable and all are free and thus privileged to recline. Many families have the tradition of placing pillows on each chair or at least having the seder leader follow this practice of reclining.
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The Seder Plate
 There are a number of symbols that occur throughout the seder, but perhaps the focal point of the whole event is the seder plate. It contains a roasted shankbone, symbolizing the Pesach sacrifice in the Temple, a roasted egg symbolizing either the spring season or mourning (for the destruction of Jerusalem), maror (bitter herbs) to represent the bitter experience of the Hebrew slaves, haroset (a mixture of apples, nuts, raisins, spices, wine) symbolizing the mortar the Hebrew slaves used to build for the Egyptians, and karpas (parsley, celery, or another green vegetable) symbolizing the green of spring. The table must also have three pieces of matzah, each piece used for a different purpose, usually held in a special pouch made to be used during the seder.
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The Haggadah
 The Haggadah--"the telling"--[is] the book containing the passages dealing with the theme of the Exodus recited at the Passover seder. The reading of the Haggadah is based on the verse, "You shall tell your son on that day: it is because of what the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt" (Exodus 13:8).
In order to tell the story, we read the Haggadah. It contains questions and answers, stories, show and tell, song, food as reward and symbol, pathos, and suspense. The creation of this script took place over hundreds of years at the beginning of the Common Era. There is evidence that parts of the seder were in a fixed format by the time of the Mishnah (second to third century CE). Midrashim were added and the current traditional version was fixed.
The Haggadah contains passages from early and late sources dealing with the Exodus, instructions for the conduct of the seder, Psalms, and other songs of praise, grace before and after meals, concluding in the Ashkenazic version with a number of table songs.
It has been estimated that no fewer than 2,000 different editions of the Haggadah have been published. No other Jewish sacred book has enjoyed such popularity. The Haggadah is, of course, a sacred book. Its theme, the delivery of the people of Israel from Egyptian bondage, is more than a celebration of freedom as such. It is a celebration of the freedom the people of Israel attained in order to become God's people and receive His Torah.
Because every generation has managed to find its own significance in this wonderful teaching tool, there is now a plethora of Haggadot with added stories, songs, games, and pictures, to suit every political, spiritual, and religious point of view. You can now find liberal, mystical, feminist, ecological, children's, and even atheist Haggadot.
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Next Year in Jerusalem!
 We conclude the Passover seder with the following statement: "L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim!" - "Next year may we be in Jerusalem!"
The purpose of the above declarationreflects the hope that when the Messiah first appears, which will be in Jerusalem, all Jews, past and present, will be reunited again in Jerusalem, peace and prosperity will reign supreme, not only for the Jews but for all humankind.
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Additional resources
Want more information on Passover? Click on the links below:
Hillel International's Passover Page - download pdf step-by-step guide, additional resources, & more
MyJewishLearning.com - Essentials, guided learning, insights, recipes, etc...
KOACH's Passover Resources & Links Page
Chabad's Passover.net Page
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