Passover 5784

Do you need somewhere to go for the Seders, or are you looking to host some guests? You can participate in our Seder Connection, and we will do our best to pair you together for this Passover season.

AUTHORIZATION FOR SALE OF CHAMETZ 5784

Don't forget to sell your chametz!
Forms are due by Friday, April 19!

"On the evening of the fourteenth [of Nisan], one searches for chametz by the light of a candle [or, lamp]." (Pesachim 2a)

Searching for chametz - bedikat chametz - is a mitzvah for the evening before the first Seder. Someone in the house places ten pieces of chametz (such as bread, crackers, or cereal) in areas where chametz might normally be found. Someone in the house - ideally a different person, if there is one - says a blessing (...al bedikat chametz), then "searches" and collects the chametz using a lit candle or lamp (usually a flashlight). This can be a fun activity for kids! One tradition, illustrated here, is to use a feather to sweep the chametz into a wooden spoon. (See below for information about getting a kit!) But a napkin and paper plate are also perfectly fine; the goal is to have whatever touches the chametz be flammable.

At the end of the search, the chametz and anything that touched it are set aside, ready to be burnt in the morning. The final step is to recite a declaration nullifying any chametz that you missed. In the morning, you should recite a blessing for burning chametz (...al biur chametz), then burn your chametz and recite another declaration that any chametz you missed is nullified.

Click here for a printable version of the blessings and declarations from Exploring Judaism.

Click here for a catchy kids' song about bedikat and biur chametz: "Feather, Candle, & Spoon" by Eliana Light.

Thanks to the Men's Club, copies of the Rabbinical Assembly Passover Guide and bedikat chametz kits are available in the synagogue office. Come in during office hours and pick one up!