PESACH RESOURCES – 5778 EDITION
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! You can’t do it all!
2. Prepare the house by cleaning and removing the
chametz. A short but very useful guide to kashering your kitchen and home and
identifying foods that are or are not kosher for Passover can be found at:
https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/story/pesah-guide-5778
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. The Rabbinical Assembly’s Pesach Guide 5778 can
be read and downloaded at the following site:
b. Additional Pesach resources from the Rabbinical
Assembly may be found at:
c. Pesach kitchen kashering from a strictly Orthodox
perspective can be found at:
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 don't know how or whom to ask. The
homepage is easily navigable. For Pesach, explore this page:
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 many Passover links at:
f. Passover according to Chabad in a straightforward
manner. Follow the links on this page:
g. 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 (also
has Shabbat and other holiday resources):
h. My colleague Rabbi Gabriel Botnick has a short video
guide on shopping for Pesach, available at:
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 for getting ready:
1. Passover Haggadah – The Feast of Freedom. The
Rabbinical Assembly, 1982. Clear spiritual commentary.
2. A Passover Haggadah – Go Forth and Learn. Rabbi
David Silver. Jewish Publication Society, 2011. A new classic.
3. The Haggadah Treasury. Rabbi Nosson Scherman.
Artscroll, 1978. Midrash and traditional teachings.
4. From Bondage to Freedom – The Passover Haggadah.
Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D. Shaar Press, 1995. Tradition blended with
insights relating to addiction and dependency.
5. A Different Night – The Family Participation
Haggadah. Noam Zion and David Dishon. Shalom Hartman Institute, 1997. Difficult
to use at the seder, but lots of great ideas - especially in the leader's
guide.
6. Studies on the Haggadah from the Teachings of
Nechama Leibowitz. Urim Publications, 2002. Deep Torah from a great scholar.
7. The Hirsch Haggadah. Samson Raphael Hirsch.
Feldheim Publishers, 1993. The 19th century voice of Orthodoxy.
8. A Feast of History. Chaim Raphael. Steimatzky’s,
1972. (Out of print but available used) The lengthy historical essay is
interesting and useful.
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.
10. Passover – The Family Guide to Spiritual
Celebration. Dr. Ron Wolfson. Jewish Lights Publishing, 2010 (2d edition) A
straight-forward how-to guide with explanations and insights for the table.
Some other important reminders about Pesach and the
lead-up to the holy days:
1. All first-borns (except Levi’im and Kohanim) 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 Friday, March 30, 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 Friday, March 30,
at 8:00 am at Temple B’nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier. 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
Thursday evening, March 29, so I will have enough coffee and Krispy Kreme
donuts.
2. TBH/CBM is holding a Community Second Seder on Saturday,
March 31; beginning at 7:00 pm. Reservations are due no later than 3:00
pm, Thursday, March 22, by e-mail to bnaihayim@yahoo.com
or calling the TBH/CBM office - (818) 788-4664. We need to order from the
caterer no later than March 23. Sorry, late reservations cannot be
accommodated.
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
Temple B'nai
Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier
Visit me on Facebook
