Pesach in a Nutshell
by Rabbi Hackenbroch:
For those of you who are still in denial – we need to come to terms with the fact that Pesach is imminent and we might as well face up to it!
One of the fears overshadowing the beauty of Pesach is the daunting prospect of preparations and the minutiae….
This year, I would like to give you a helping hand transforming your Pesach from “Oy” to “JOY”!!!
Cleaning the house
Pesach cleaning doesn’t have to be spring cleaning. It is a matter of cleaning all the places where Chametz – i.e. leaven may be. So the shed or garage for example – if you know that food is not there, then these places do not need to be cleaned for Pesach.
Cleaning the kitchen
Clean and line all kitchen shelves. The Chametz food that is intended on being kept till after Pesach should be placed in a designated cupboard or area where no one will enter for the duration of Pesach. The Chametz needs to be sold – please see Chametz form.
The work tops should be cleaned and left for 24 hours. Boiling water should be poured over them and the surfaces covered. If they are non-porous, then there is no need to cover them.
The fridge should be cleaned and the shelves lined.
The oven should be thoroughly cleaned so that there are no stains visible on the inside, then set the oven temperature to the highest for one hour
The electric hob top should be cleaned and then left on the highest temperature for an hour and the areas around the hob where the fire couldn’t reach should be covered with foil.
The sinks should be cleaned and pour boiling water over them. If you have a stainless steel sink, there is no need to cover them. Otherwise you should use inserts
There are many more details but this is a general guide.
Please feel free to contact me with more specific questions concerning the preparations for Pesach or the Seder
The Seder
The word itself connotes order and yet there is perhaps no night seemingly as disorderly as the Seder. We wash our hands but don’t eat anything. Then we taste a little vegetable called karpas
We describe that we were slaves in Egypt but then jump back to the fact that our forefathers worshipped idols. We find ourselves in Bnei Barak witnessing a group of wise sages experiencing their own Seder… So what is going on?!!!
There is a profound idea here that Pesach and the Seder night in particular symbolise more than just reflecting on a historical and momentous moment from a bygone era. We are going further than celebrating the birth of our nation although this is truly significant.
The Seder is timeless and has the innate ability for us to be able to tap into and experience our own freedom. We can free ourselves from those things that enslave us throughout our lives – the routines, habits and social pressures that we find ourselves in.
Seder night is the quintessential parent and child experience. We are able to sit around the table and question everything and anything that has value in our lives.
We can look at the relative strengths and weaknesses that we all have as we discuss the four sons, bearing in mind that each and every Jewish child is equally precious to us and our community
Through the bitter herbs (Romaine lettuce or horseradish) we can question how we deal with challenges and difficulties in life. Are we families that choose to share issues that each family member could face? Or is there an expectation in our family to show a stiff upper lip – continue and ignore the issue or problem?
Through the matzah and four cups of wine, we lean back and celebrate our achievements. But, in truth what we are really engaged in is thanking G-d for our redemption. A question we may ponder over at this juncture is this – do we show appreciation to those who help us, our nearest and dearest as well as the Almighty? How often do we actually express that love and gratitude? Arguably not often enough…
The Haggadah is timeless – if we want it to have meaning like an opera does, we have to understand what is going on to truly appreciate its sublime beauty
The truth is that the Seder night in a nut shell is the one occasion when we sit around the table as a family. This enables us to share, discuss and reflect on the essence of who we are and in turn, determine the values we have.
Perhaps the mark of a truly successful Seder is not the lateness of the time it ends or the amount of courses served at the meal. The take home message from our Seder should be that we have experienced and engaged in meaningful conversation.
With this achieved, we will ensure that this night is indeed different from all other nights.
Wishing you and your families a Kosher Pesach and an uplifting Seder