Pessah is a multi-faceted holiday. We celebrate the Exodus from Egypt (after the Israelites smeared the doorposts with blood to avoid the tenth plague), the freedom from slavery, the arrival of Spring, and the eating of matzot. There are a few things we must do to prepare for the holiday, so here is a concise guide:
Pessah begins on Wednesday evening, April 5, and concludes after dark on Thursday, April 13.
On Wednesday, April 5, after 10:00 am, we are not allowed to eat “Hametz” anymore.
What is Hametz?
Hametz refers to food prepared from five species of grain (rye, wheat, barley, spelt and oats) that comes in contact with water and is not cooked in 18 minutes.
What are we to do with the Hametz that is in our homes??
The goal is to remove all hametz from our homes. Donate your unopened (and within the expiration date) items to your local food pantry. I, like many of you, have things that I would not feel comfortable throwing away, like bottles of whisky or expensive spices and condiments. For that reason, we can do “mechirat hametz.” The words mean “selling the hametz,” a legal fiction that permits us to hold on to expensive forms of hametz to use it after Pessah. I will “sell” your hametz to someone from another faith for the duration of Pessah. Since this is a legal transaction, I need to be explicitly appointed to perform such a sale on your behalf. Please send an email to info@Jilli.org or a letter with language similar to that below, so I can sell your hametz. Mechirat hametz forms are due on April 2.
I/we, _____________________________, residing at ____________________________ authorize Rabbi Lia Bass to sell my hametz according to the stipulations of Jewish Law. Should the new owner decide to take possession of the hametz, it will be found in a sealed closet in the ________________________ room of my house/apartment/office.
Signature _________________________________ Date______________________
When we sell our hametz, we think of those in our community that are not as fortunate, and we try to provide the means for them to enjoy the holiday. It is customary to donate money for this purpose. I suggest you either send a donation to your local food pantry or to MAZON, A Jewish Response to Hunger.
At the end of Pessah you may again enjoy the hametz you sold. Please give me a half hour after the appearance of the three stars to open your cabinets. We will be able to eat from that hametz again this year on Thursday, April 13 at 9:00 pm. Pessah will end at 8:26 pm.
We continue the preparation for Pessah by koshering our kitchens. If you have any questions about how to do this, please do not hesitate to send me an email to set up a time to talk with me.
On Tuesday evening, April 4, as night falls, we continue the process of removal of hametz by doing Bedikat Hametz (the search for leaven) and Bitul Hametz (the nullification of leaven). We light a candle, say the benediction “Baruch ata…. vetzivanu al biyur hametz” and we search the house for little pieces of hametz that have been previously hidden. After the search for the hametz is done, and all the pieces are found, we collect the pieces and the remaining leaven. We proceed with Bitul Hametz, and the formula for that can be found in any Haggadah. The next day, Thursday, April 5, each one of us shall burn their leaven, in a ceremony called Biyur Hametz. We do that ceremony after the special service we will have on Wednesday April 5 at 7:30am. During services we will finish a unit of Rabbinic text study. This is done because firstborn children are to fast in memory of the slain firstborns of the last plague in Egypt. To avoid the fast, we organize a Siyum (concluding a unit of Rabbinic text study), and we are then commanded to eat.
Services
- Wednesday, April 5, 7:30 am, Morning service and Syium. (virtual)
- Thursday and Friday, April 6 and 7, Pessah services. (virtual)
- Friday, April 7, Kabbalat Shabbat. (hybrid)
- Saturday, April 8, Shabbat Shaharit. (hybrid)
- Wednesday and Thursday, April 12 and 13, 10:00 am, Pessah services. (hybrid, April 13 service includes Yizkor.)
(If you would like to participate in our activities, please send an email to info@JILLI.org)