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If you're like me, you're already familiar with Passover. It's the best known of the three festivals of the Jewish calendar. Unlike the other two, Shavuot and Sukkot, Passover is familiar to virtually all American Jews-and American supermarkets, which stock up each spring on matzoh-ball soup mixes, gefilte fish and macaroons. But Passover has many further rituals and traditions which, when you learn them, will help you see just how important Passover is, and make the holiday even more meaningful for you.
Well before Passover arrives, we begin scouring the house to remove all traces of chametz, or leavening. The energy we expend is tremendous-thoroughly scrubbing, vacuuming and dusting cabinets, pantries, furniture, and floors throughout the house. It's a top-to-bottom cleaning. And it doesn't stop at the door's threshold; if you've ever snacked in the car or at the office, you should clean to eliminate all chametz from there, too. And don't forget to check pockets on clothes and jackets, especially children's. The night before Passover (this year, the 5th of April), we conclude the search for chametz with a ritual that involves searching the house with a candle to locate any overlooked chametz, and using a feather to sweep it up so that we may burn it. During this search, we recite the blessing on removing chametz, and declare that all remaining chametz in our home is null and void, or ownerless like the dust of the earth.
You do not have to throw away all chametz from your home; you can also sell it. Before you begin cleaning the house for chametz, determine a special, out-of-the-way place where you can store the unopened boxes of pasta, cereal, cookies, crackers and other forms of chametz that you must remove from your pantry but that are too valuable to throw away.
You'll place those goods in an out-of-the-way pantry, closet or room, which is securely shut for the duration of Passover. Since we're not allowed to own chametz during Passover, we sell it to a non-Jew, and buy it back from him after Passover. Usually, the sale of chametz is organized through a Beit Din or your local rabbi; typically, you'll need to document the material value of your chametz, state where in your home you've stored it, and sign a receipt of sale in order to legally sell it.
The story of the Hebrews' exodus from slavery in Egypt is a fascinating one which includes themes that engross children of all ages. Before the seder, spend time with your children learning the stories of the Book of Exodus: Baby Moses floating down the Nile in his basket and being found by the Egyptian princess Basya; the bush that burned but remained unscathed by fire; the staff that turned into a snake, and ate the snakes of the Egyptian magicians; and the horrible Ten Plagues that God inflicted on the Egyptians after Pharaoh refused Moses' request to free the Hebrews.
You can find excellent storybooks specifically about the Ten Plagues; read them to your children well in advance, and they'll better understand and participate in the Seder. Did you know that the physical labor required to build Egypt's famous pyramids was performed by Jewish slaves? Teach your children also about the parting of the Red Sea, and the Hebrews' many years of wandering in the desert with only manna to eat before God gave the Jewish people the Ten Commandments.
Matzoh-processing technology has come a long way since the first matzoh-meal muffins. Today there are cookie mixes and carrot-cake mixes for near-normal snacks, and instant mashed-potatoes-in-a-cup for a quick mid-Passover lunch at the office. If you truly dislike matzoh, you can subsist healthfully and pleasantly without it after the seders. Try new potato dishes, like the Spanish tortilla of eggs, potatoes and onions, or the similar Italian frittata. Or offer your family a baked-potato bar, made fleishig with spicy ground beef or chicken strips, or dairy with a variety of cheeses and sour cream; either way, pile on Texas-style fixins like guacamole, salsa, and olives.
The overall purpose of the seder is to relate the story of the Hebrews' exodus from slavery in Egypt, and to focus Jews' attention on our gift of freedom. As you know, the Hebrew word seder means order, and every seder consists of the same 15 steps (Kiddush, hand-washing, vegetable-dipping, and so on). In advance, you'll prepare a seder plate that includes (in this order, clockwise from top) (1) a lightly-roasted egg; (2) a roasted meat or chicken bone; (3) the fruit-and-nut mixture called charoset; (4) a bitter vegetable, usually Romaine lettuce; and (5) a green vegetable, often parsley. You'll place the horseradish in the middle of the seder plate, and elsewhere on the table, you'll place a bowl of salt water for dipping vegetables.
You'll also arrange a plate of 3 matzohs, of which the middle will later serve as Afikomen, plus extra matzoh for eating at various points in the seder. You'll also want to prepare your children for the seder by practicing the Four Questions, which are traditionally recited by the youngest capable child at the seder. When you invite guests, be sure to remind them that the evening will be a late one, often extending into the wee hours of the morning. Passover is a time when we as Jews are focused on reminding ourselves of our people's history and beauty in our hertage and Torah.
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