A few things about PESACH (with Lotsa Links!)

There is a wealth of information about Pesach (and the challenges of this year) at Exploring Judaism.org. (Click here for a link to the Pesach sections.)

For a comprehensive guide to preparation of all types click here to download PDF) of Pesach Guide from the Rabbinical Assembly.

Pesach beginning on Saturday night presents challenges: When do first-borns fast? When to search for chametz? What to do when Shabbat is a “limbo” day, we don’t eat chametz and it’s too soon for regular matza? How late does the seder begin? Isn’t it too late for the littles?

The fast of the first-born is Thursday. After our usual morning service (on Zoom), we will have a siyyum, closing out the study of a particular text, to which everyone is invited. In celebration of the siyyum, what do we do? We eat! (It’s a rabbinic workaround to enable eating on a day that is usually spent in heavy-lifting preparation for Pesach. Still, the reason for the fast — gratitude that our biblical first-born were spared — remains cogent.)

One should search for hametz on Thursday night, burn and nullify the hametz on Friday morning, and eat egg matzah at Shabbat meals. (click here for more from Rabbi David Golinkin)

The Seder’s So Late: A Strategy for the Little Ones When our kids were little, Ellie and I strategized about keeping them awake and aware for at least part of the seder. Here’s what has worked for us:

First, we feed the kids a little later than is typical, though still well before “bringing in” the festival with kiddush and candle-lighting. Then, starting about half an hour before Shabbat ends, we open the haggada and sing the songs! By the time we’re done with singing, it’s after Shabbat and we can start the seder. The younger kids usually last until a “second” dinner after which they go to bed and the olders continue at our own pace. We look forward to making it work again this year with the next generation at the table!

Counting omer. Many reasons for counting beginning on the second night of Pesach. Click here for the counting ritual from Exploring judaism.org. Click here for my download-and-print Omer Counter.

Yes, it’s a lot of effort. Yes, we discover all kinds of foods and kitchen tools we hadn’t remembered or used since last year. Yes, we promise ourselves that it won’t happen again this year. Yes, it can be tempting to hide the afikoman in the freezer (don’t).

Mostly, remember to enjoy the week. For me, it heightens my awareness of our foods — where they come from, that we’re blessed with abundance and choices, and that they can be enriched with tradition — and the layers of meaning in our rituals.



Meantime, rest up on this Shabbat and next: you’ll need it!