PESACH RESOURCES 5774

PESACH RESOURCES 5774

 

Chaverim nichbadim - Dear friends:

It’s almost time for Pesach! You know, the “Festival of Freedom”, the holiday on which we celebrate our release from slavery to Pharaoh in Egypt by abiding by the very strict dietary and ritual rules created by the Rabbis and Jewish Tradition, including eating the hardtack called matzah for eight days. Freedom, you say? God said, “Send forth My people, so they may serve me.” That’s how it is typically translated. But the Hebrew word for “so they may serve me”, “v’ya’avduni”, might easily be translated as “so they will slave for Me”. The root for “serve”, “avad”, is also the root for “eved” – “slave”. So, how do you manage Pesach in such a way as to avoid complete slavery?

 

Here are some simple rules:

1. Accept that you are not perfect – and neither is anyone else! You don’t have to do it all!

2. Prepare the house by cleaning and removing the chametz. A short but very useful guide to kashering your home and identifying foods that are or are not kosher for Passover can be found at: http://rabbinicalassembly.org/pesach-guide

3. Prepare the food for the Seder.

4. Prepare the food for the remainder of the holiday by shopping for it before Pesach.

5. Prepare yourself and your family spiritually.

6. Prepare yourself and your family intellectually.

7. Do not drive yourself or anyone else crazy – see number rule #1.

8. Remember that Pesach really is about freedom; freedom is fun; have fun! See rule #7.

9. Any questions? Ask a rabbi!
 

 

 

Are you looking for ways to make your seder more meaningful, more accessible, more involving for children, more interesting, shorter, etc.? Then check out these resources on-line:

a. A downloadable, brief and very accessible Haggadah can be found at:
http://jewishboston.com/279-jewishboston-com/blogs/1771-jewishboston-com-s-the-wandering-is-over-haggadah-free-pdf-download   (there's also a free mobile app version from Google, Apple and Amazon)

b. lots of great seder resources, including song sheets and do-it-yourself haggadot, are available at:
http://www.jewishfreeware.org/downloads/folder.2006-01-07.0640323187/

c. Jewish Freeware has a downloadable haggadah in PDF that allows you to print/copy only the pages you want to use for your seder can be found at:

http://jewishfreeware.org/downloads/folder.2006-01-07.0640323187/5770COMPLETEMASTERHaggadahPaginated3-8-10WITHOUT%20SONGS.pdf

 

d. MyJewishLearning.com is, IMVHO, the best Jewish educational resource on the web, and has material on virtually everything you might ever want to know about Judaism, but didn’t know how or whom to ask. The homepage is easily navigable. For Pesach, go to this page: http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Passover.shtml

 

e. The Conservative Yeshiva, in Jerusalem, has a number of text resources for study before the holiday and for discussion at the Seder. See the following: http://www.conservativeyeshiva.org/wp-content/uploads/Going-from-Observer-to-Participant.pdf                                                                 http://www.conservativeyeshiva.org/rich-matzah-poor-matzah       http://www.conservativeyeshiva.org/the-social-side-of-pesach

http://www.conservativeyeshiva.org/passover-cleaning-out-hametz

http://www.conservativeyeshiva.org/who-really-split-the-sea

 

f. Passover Gateway, a Pesach resource from an Orthodox perspective, also with good general Jewish resources on its main page:                            http://www.beingjewish.com/yomtov/passover

 

g. Passover according to Chabad in a straightforward manner. Follow the links on this page:   http://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/default_cdo/aid/109747/jewish/Passover.htm

 

h. Especially good for beginners, National Jewish Outreach Program’s extensive and accessible collection of how-to’s, background materials and videos, from the folks who bring you Shabbat Across America and Jewish Treats webzine (also has Shabbat and other holiday resources):                                                                       http://njop.org/resources/holidays/complete-guide-to-holidays/passover/

 

One of my seminary teachers suggested that, in addition to whichever Haggadah of choice you use for your Seder, you should every year acquire a new Haggadah with commentary and illustrations to help you prepare and make your Seder more enjoyable. Ask your local Jewish bookseller, consult with a rabbi, explore the web – there are beautiful and accessible Haggadot available. Here are some of my favorites:

1.   Passover Haggadah – The Feast of Freedom. The Rabbinical Assembly, 1982.

2.   A Passover Haggadah – Go Forth and Learn. Rabbi David Silver. Jewish Publication Society, 2011.

3.   The Haggadah Treasury. Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Artscroll, 1978.

4.   From Bondage to Freedom – The Passover Haggadah. Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D. Shaar Press, 1995

5.   A Different Night – The Family Participation Haggadah. Noam Zion and David Dishon. Shalom Hartman Institute, 1997.

6.   Studies on the Haggadah from the Teachings of Nechama Leibowitz. Urim Publications, 2002.

7.   The Hirsch Haggadah. Samson Raphael Hirsch. Feldheim Publishers, 1993.

8.   A Feast of History. Chaim Raphael. Steimatzky’s, 1972. (Out of print L but available used)

9.   The Origins of the Seder. Baruch Bokser. JTS Press, 2002 (Paperback edition). Not a Haggadah, but for those interested in an academic treatise that opens the eyes to history.

  

 

Some other important reminders about Pesach and the lead-up to the holy days:

1. All first-borns are obliged to engage in a fast, called Ta’anit B’chorot, from pre-dawn until the seder on the 14th of Nisan, this year on Monday, April 14, in recognition of the 10th plague. To avoid the fast, the custom has become for the firstborn to engage in Torah study and then have a festive "meal" (a siyyum) at the completion of their study. I will be hosting Torah study and siyyum (complete with the last chametz you will eat until the end of Pesach) on Monday, April 14, at 8:00 am at Congregation Beth Meier (CBM). All are welcome, not just first-borns. If you wish to join us, please let me know by e-mail to ravflom@sbcglobal.net by Sunday evening, April 13, so I will have enough coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts. :)
2. CBM is holding a communal second seder on Tuesday, April 15, beginning at 8:00 pm. Reservations are due no later than 5:00 pm, Sunday, April 6, by leaving a phone message at the CBM office - (818) 769-0515. We need to order from the caterer on Monday, April 7. Sorry, late reservations cannot be accommodated.
3. CBM calendar updates/reminders for the next few weeks:
Religious School will meet, and have a model seder, this Sunday, April 6, at 9:30 am. There is no RS on April 13 or April 20. RS resumes April 27.

 

The (Re)Introduction to Judaism outing to Cambridge Farms for Sunday, April 6, is CANCELED. Class resumes Wednesday, April 23.

 

Upcoming worship services at CBM are as follows:

Friday, April 4 - Shabbat Evening - 8:00 pm;

Saturday, April 5 - Shabbat Morning - 10:00 am;

Friday, April 11 - Family Shabbat Evening - 7:30 pm;

Saturday, April 12 - Shabbat Morning - 10:00 am;

Tuesday, April 15 - Pesach 1 Morning - 10:00 am;

Wednesday, April 16 - Pesach 2 Morning - 10:00 am;

Friday, April 18 - Shabbat Chol Hamoed Evening - 8:00 pm;

Saturday, April 19 - Shabbat Chol Hamoed Morning - 10:00 am;

Monday, April 21 - Pesach 7 Morning - 10:00 am;

Tuesday, April 22 - Pesach 8 Morning, including Yizkor - 10:00 am;

I guess it's time to start thinking about Pesach!

 

Wishing you a Chag Pesach Sameach, Kasher v’Mashma’uti – A Passover that is Happy, Kosher and Meaningful!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Congregation Beth Meier
Studio City, CA
http://www.bethmeier.org/
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"For the sake of Zion I will not be silent; for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still."  Isaiah 62:1