PASSOVER 2024 - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
THINGS TO DO BEFORE PASSOVER
SUNDAY, APRIL 21st
The mitzvah of Bedikat Chometz is to be done Sunday night, the 14th of Nissan, the evening
prior to the Seder. Why at night? Because in your home there are crevices and corners that have
to be illuminated by artificial light and artificial light works best at night. Any processed foods
that are not certified “Kosher for Passover” may potentially include Chometz ingredients.
MONDAY, APRIL 22nd
Fast of the First Born - Siyum Bechorim - Services at 7:00 AM - Siyum at 7:30 AM concluding one of the Talmudic Volumes thereby permitting all the participating Bechorim (first born sons) to eat and not Fast. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE SIYUM
Eating of chometz until 10:04 AM; Bittul, the nullification of Chometz is recited on Monday morning before 11:35 AM.
Burning of Chometz is before 11:27 AM and will be available at THE SYNAGOGUE SIDE ALLEY ON ROGER PILON FROM 9:30 - 10:30 AM.
MA’OT CHITTIM FUND
No family should sit down to the Passover seder before they have made a charitable contribution so others can share in the blessings of Passover. Click HERE to donate.
SALE OF YOUR CHOMETZ
The sale of Chometz must be completed by Monday morning April 22nd before 9:00 AM. To expedite matters we would appreciate all forms submitted by Friday April 19th. Click HERE to sell your Chometz.
ATTEND SERVICES
To expand your Pesach experience we urge all parents to join us at Passover Services with your children.
The eating of Chometz sold before Passover is permitted on Tuesday, April 30th after 8:50 PM
SCHEDULE
MONDAY, APRIL 22 - EREV PESACH
FIRST SEDER
Shacharit & Siyum 7:00 AM
Candle Lighting 7:32 PM
(Blessings #1 & #3 - see below)
Mincha Ma'ariv 7:40 PM
First Seder after 7:40 PM
TUESDAY, APRIL 23 - YOM TOV
SECOND SEDER
Shacharit 9:00 AM
Yom Tov Candle lighting after 8:40 PM
from an existing flame
(Blessings #1 & #3)
Evening Services 7:40 PM
Second Seder after 8:45 PM
Counting of the Omer begins
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24 - YOM TOV
2nd day of Passover
Shacharit 9:00 AM
Evening Services 7:40 PM
Yom Tov ends 8:42 PM
THURSDAY, APRIL 25 - CHOL HAMOED
Shacharit 7:00 AM
Evening Services 7:40 PM
FRIDAY, APRIL 26 - CHOL HAMOED
Shacharit 7:00 AM
Evening Services 6:45 PM
Candle Lighting 7:37 PM
(Blessings #4 - see below)
SATURDAY, APRIL 27 - CHOL HAMOED - SHABBAT
Shacharit 9:00 AM
Evening Services 7:40 PM
Shabbat ends 8:46 PM
SUNDAY, APRIL 28 - EREV YOM TOV
Shacharit 8:00 AM
Candle Lighting 7:40 PM
(Blessings #1)
Evening Services 7:40 PM
MONDAY, APRIL 29 - YOM TOV
Shacharit 9:00 AM
Candle lighting after 8:49 PM
(from an existing flame)
(Blessing #1)
Evening Services 7:40 PM
TUESDAY, APRIL 30 - YOM TOV
Shacharit 9:00 AM Yizkor 10:30 AM Evening Services 7:40 PM
Yom Tov ends 8:51 PM
BLESSINGS FOR CANDLE LIGHTING
Blessing #1 Yom Tov
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Yom Tov.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has sanctified us with commandments, and commanded us to light festival candles.
Blessing #2 Shabbat & Yom Tov
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Shabbos V’Shel Yom Tov.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has sanctified us with commandments, and commanded us to light Shabbat and festival candles.
Blessing #3 Shehecheyanu
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha’olam sheheheyanu v’kiyimanu, v’higiyanu laz’man hazeh.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has given us life, and sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season.
Shabbat Only Blessing #4
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha'olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Shabbat.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has sanctified us with commandments, and commanded us to light Shabbat candles.
THE PASSOVER (PESACH) SEDER
The most celebrated and beloved of Jewish home rituals.
SEDER which literally means “order” is probably the most celebrated and beloved of Jewish home rituals. Many Jews have cherished memories of past family times spent at a seder. It is believed that the obligation to tell the story of the Exodus was observed by Jews ever since the actual Exodus itself. (In Israel, Jews have a seder only on the first night of Passover.) The seder takes place following the Passover evening synagogue service on the first two nights of Passover.
THE PURPOSE OF THE SEDER
One of the four names for Passover, and sometimes the aspect most emphasized is Chag ha-Herut (The Holiday of Freedom). Freedom is one of the primary themes of the seder. The seder permits Jews to worship God through prayer, study, and learning by taking part in what is essentially a lesson of Jewish history, literature, and religion. Participation in the seder lets one symbolically and vicariously relive the Exodus.
There are some essential elements to the seder that underlie the retelling of the Exodus. The three fundamental patterns of the seder are the family, the individual, the nation. It draws together all age groups. On the individual level, the seder requires every participant to feel as though he or she personally left Egypt. The seder symbolizes the first step toward the final redemption from slavery and the formation of the Jewish nation.
THE HAGGADAH
The script for this central ritual of Passover is the Haggadah (literally, “telling”). It contains questions and answers, stories, show and tell and songs. Because every generation has managed to find its own significance in this wonderful teaching tool, there is now a plethora of Haggadot with added stories, songs, games, and pictures, to suit every political, spiritual, and religious point of view.
THE SEDER PLATE AND ITS SYMBOLISM
There are a number of symbols that occur throughout the seder, but perhaps the focal point of the whole event is the seder plate. It contains a roasted shank bone, symbolizing the Pesach sacrifice in the Temple, a roasted egg symbolizing either the spring season or mourning (for the destruction of Jerusalem), maror (bitter 
herbs) to represent the bitter experience of the Hebrew slaves, charoset (a mixture of apples, nuts, raisins, spices, wine) symbolizing the mortar the Hebrew slaves used to build for the Egyptians, and karpas (parsley, celery, or another green vegetable) symbolizing the green of spring. The table must also have three pieces of matzah, sometimes held in a special pouch.
FOUR CUPS, FOUR QUESTIONS, FOUR SONS
There are many instances of the number four throughout the seder: four cups of wine are drunk, four types of sons are discussed, four names for the Passover holiday, four blessings, four types of food on the seder plate. The most well-known example is the Arba Kushiyot, or four questions. These questions, usually recited by the youngest person at the table, are meant to highlight the main differences between this meal and
all other meals of the year. They are also a way of keeping young people interested and involved in the events of the seder. They include queries about why we recline, why we dip food, and why we eat certain types of food.
Another special part of the seder is the extra cup of wine left on the table for Elijah. The suspense and excitement engendered by sending a child to open the door for the prophet, the chanting of the song Dayenu (“it would have been enough”), and a joyous recognition of God’s numerous gifts to us in the course of the Exodus, are other highlights.
FOUR QUESTIONS
The Four Questions are collectively known as “Mah Nishtana”. Mah Nishtana, in Hebrew literally means “Why Is It Different” from all other evenings of the year? Traditionally the youngest person at the Seder table recites the Four Questions:
“Why is this night different from all other nights?” “Ma Nishtana ha-laila ha-zeh mi-kol ha-lelot?”
- ”Why is it that on all other nights during the year we eat either bread or matzah, but on this night we eat only matzah?” ”She-be-chol ha-lelot anu ochlin chametz u-matza, ha-laila ha-zeh kulo matza?”
- ”Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night we eat only bitter herbs? “She-be-chol ha-lelot anu ochlin she-ar-yetajit, ha-laila ha-zeh maror?”
- ”Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip our herbs even once, but on this night we dip them twice?” “She-be-chol ha-lelot en anu matbilin afilu pa’am echat, ha-laila ha-zeh shetay fe’amim?”
- ”Why is it that on all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night we eat in a reclining position?” “She-be-chol ha-lelot anu ochlin bayn yoshvin u-vayn mseubin, ha-laila ha-zeh kelanu mesubin?”
PASSOVER GREETINGS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
A zissen Pesach — Have a sweet Passover! (Yiddish)
Chag aviv sameach — Have a happy spring holiday! (Hebrew)
Chag kasher ve sameach — Have a happy and kosher holiday! (Hebrew)
Chag sameach — Have a happy holiday! (Hebrew)
Moadim l’simcha — May your times be joyous! (Hebrew, said only during the Chol Hamoed, or intermediate, days of the holiday)
PASSOVER VOCABULARY (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
Afikomen — A piece of matzah that is hidden during the course of the seder, found after dinner, and eaten as dessert at the end of the seder meal.
Arba Kosot — Hebrew for “four cups.” In this case, it refers to the four cups of wine drunk at the Passover seder.
Barekh — The 12th step of the Passover seder, in which Birkat Hamazon, the grace after meals is said.
Beitzah — Hebrew for “egg.” A roasted or hard-boiled egg is placed on the seder plate to symbolize rebirth.
Chametz — Bread or any food that has been leavened or contains a leavening agent, chametz is prohibited on Passover.
Chad Gadya — Aramaic for “one goat”. This is the last of the songs sung at the conclusion of the seder and tells the story of the little goat a father bought for a pittance.
Charoset — A sweet mixture of nuts, wine, and apples on the seder plate that symbolizes the mortar used by slaves in Egypt.
Chol HaMoed — The intermediate days of the holiday, between the first two days of the holiday, and the last two days of the holiday.
Dayenu — Hebrew for “enough for us”. This is the name of a song sung at the Passover seder that tells of all the miracles God performed for the Israelites.
Haggadah — Hebrew for “telling” or “recounting.” A Haggadah is a book that is used to tell the story of the Exodus at the seder.
Hallel — The 13th step of the Passover seder, in which psalms of praise are sung.
Kaddaish — The first step of the Passover seder, in which a blessing over a glass of wine is recited.
Karpas — The third step of the Passover seder, in which a piece of greenery such as parsley is dipped into salt water and then eaten.
Kitniyot — Hebrew for legumes. The term includes grains and seeds such as rice, corn, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, soybeans, peas, and lentils. These items are prohibited for use on Passover.
Korech — The ninth step in the Passover seder, in which bitter herbs are eaten together with a piece of matzah.
Maggid — The fifth and most substantial step of the Passover seder, in which the story of the Exodus is recounted.
Maror — Bitter herbs. The eighth step in the Passover seder, in which the herbs (usually horseradish), symbolizing the bitterness of life under Egyptian rule, are eaten.
Motzi Matzah — The seventh step in the Passover seder, in which a piece of matzah is eaten.
Nirtzah — The 14th and final step of the Passover seder, in which the night is concluded by saying “Next year in Jerusalem.”
Rachtza — The sixth step of the Passover seder, in which the hands are washed for a second time, and a blessing is recited.
Shulchan Orekh— The 10th step in the Passover seder, in which the meal is served. Pass the matzah balls!
Tzafun — The 11th step of the Passover seder, in which the afikoman is found and eaten as dessert.
Urchatz — The second step of the Passover seder, in which the hands are washed but no blessing is recited.
Yachatz — The fourth step of the Passover seder in which a piece of matzah is broken in half.
Zeroa — Shank bone. The bone is placed on the seder plate and recalls the blood on the doorposts and the terror and anticipation of the night of the plague of the first born.
