This year, Passover begins on Saturday night - an inconvenient turn of the calendar that happens rarely enough that people can forget how to handle their Pesach cleaning and disposal of Hametz. (It will not occur again until 2021.)  Here are some notes to help you have a Hag Kasher v'Sameah, a happy and Kosher holiday.

Fast of the First Born - Taanit Bekhorim

First, an adjustment is made in the customary "fast of the first born" on the day before the Seder. (Incidentally, the legal tradition records an opinion that first-born females fast, too. An unexpectedly egalitarian view.) Since one does not fast on Shabbat, the fast of the first-born is advanced. But advanced by how much? It is thought to be burdensome and a spoiling of the Shabbat spirit to fast on Friday (although if Pesach were to begin on Friday night, one would fast on Friday anyway). Instead, we fast on Thursday, from dawn to sundown. However, it is most common for people to attend synagogue that morning to participate in the conclusion of a major study project and the celebratory meal that follows. So on Thursday April 17, please come to morning services and I will make a Siyyum on tractate Sotah.

Search for Leaven - Bedikat Hametz

In most years, the night before the Seder, just after sundown but before dark, one searches one's property to ensure that no Hametz is in one's possession. (It is forbidden not only to consume Hametz on Passover, but even to own it.) This year, however, we advance this practice by one day, to Thursday night. The custom is to check with a candle and feather to get into the nooks and crannies. (Be sure to make this a symbolic check. Every year or two, an overzealous checker burns down the apartment by igniting the drapes. So stay away from fabric, furniture and carpets.) My family and many others make this into a fun game for the kids, by hiding a certain number of packets of Hametz around the house.

Before searching, say a blessing: Barukh Ata Adonay, Elohenu Melekh HaOlam, Asher Kideshanu BeMitzvotav, v'Tzivanu al Bi'ur Hametz. Blessed is God, Master of the Cosmos, who makes us holy and commands us regarding removal of leaven. After that, one says a formula to nullify, or renounce ownership of leaven. This formula is given in prayerbooks and Haggadot in the vernacular Aramaic, so it is fine, even preferable, to say it in English: Any leaven in my possession of which I am unaware and which I have not yet destroyed, is hereby considered nullified, like the dust of the earth. 

Destroying Leaven - Bi'ur Hametz

In most years, the next morning after the search, before Hametz becomes prohibited to eat and even for any economic or practical benefit, one should destroy the last bits of the Hametz from the night before. Usually this is done by burning (and Ansche Chesed always has a small bonfire for this purpose), but one may also crumble it and scatter it to the wind or throw it in the ocean, or any other method. This year, the day after the search will not be the day before the Seder - it will be Friday, fully 36 hours before the Saturday night Seder. So there is no particular need to destroy the Hametz by a certain hour on Friday. We will still have a Friday morning fire at the shul, so we do not lose practice at the customary burning. But if you miss the morning fire, you should still burn or scatter your Hametz sometime on Friday, before Shabbat begins. Since this Friday act does not coincide with the prohibition on economic benefit from Hametz as it does on most years, there is no need to recite the final nullification formula, as you normally would.

Instead, one should recite that formula on Saturday morning before 11:47, when the prohibition on Hana'ah [benefit] takes effect: Any leaven in my possession, whether I am aware or unaware of it, which I have destroyed or not yet destroyed, is hereby considered nullified, like the dust of the earth.

Kashering Your Home

      In most years, one should complete the Kashering process by the time the prohibition of eating Hametz kicks in. This year, because that time kicks in on Shabbat morning, one has to prepare a bit earlier: All the kitchen transformations and Kashering of appliances must be complete before lighting candles for Shabbat, at 7:20 p.m.

 
    Shabbat Meals

      So what should you eat on Shabbat? Three states of affairs conflict: 1) the kitchen must be ready for Passover, 2) one should eat three Shabbat meals, including saying HaMotzi over bread, and 3) one is forbidden to eat Matza on the day before the Seder. (On this last point, many people avoid Matza for three days or even 30 days before Passover, but the actual law is only to avoid it on the day of the Seder. Still, I recommend avoiding Matza for the whole preceding month, not because of traditionalism, but because it intensifies the experience of eating Matza at the Seder itself.)

      For those who wish to keep these laws scrupulously, there are two basic options. The easiest is to be fully Pesach-dik one day early, rid all your home of Hametz on Friday before Shabbat, exactly as you would on any other year (and say the nullification formula on Friday before Shabbat, not as advised above), and eat only Kosher for Pesach food on Shabbat. Then, say HaMotzi at the meals on Shabbat over what the sources call Matza Ashira ("rich matza") or what we usually call "egg Matza." Egg Matza is a kind of middle ground food: it is sufficiently close to Matza to be considered bread for purposes of saying HaMotzi, but not truly Matza, such that one could use it for the mitzvah of eating Matza at the Seder. [This is tactic recommended by R. Moshe Feinstein. Note: many Ashkenazim have the tradition of not eating egg Matza at all on Passover. Even if that is your practice, it is universally agreed that one can eat it before Passover actually begins.]

But some people will find that extra day of a Hametz free zone to be burdensome. So here is another option: one can simply keep a small, defined and well-guarded amount of Hametz food in your home for Friday night dinner, and make HaMotzi over regular Challah. In that case, one might want to eat on paper plates and be careful with the crumbs. Then after Friday night dinner, dispose of the remains thoroughly and be certain to shake out your tablecloth well, then store it away with the Hametz dishes. This practice can apply to Saturday morning breakfast as well.

What about Shabbat lunch? Since the prohibition of eating Hametz kicks in at 10:40 Saturday morning, obviously one cannot eat Challah at lunch. In some very traditional settings, they make a point of beginning Shabbat morning prayers at 6:30 or 7 a.m., so they can complete davvening early enough for a full meal. Should Ansche Chesed try that this year? On second thought . . .  let's davven at the regular time. But in this case, one could only use egg matza for HaMotzi on Shabbat. For Seuda Shelishit, the third meal in the afternoon, one may either say HaMotzi on egg matza or, in this difficult situation, simply omit the bread, and restrict the meal to fruit, veggies or fish. Since it is desirable to be hungry during the Seder, I recommend eating a very small Seuda Shelishit. 

 
-- Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky

Sunday, May 4, 7:00 p.m.

With young, talented musicians from Israel and their band, Shorashim, in "For the Bitter and the Sweet, Celebrating 60 Years of Israel in Song." Shorashim will be joined by community chorus Shirei Chesed andHazzan Natasha Hirschhorn.  With vocalists Magda Fishman, pianist Yuval Cohen, and Ya'aki Levi on percussion.  $10 in advance / $15 at the door / Children under 13 free.

GENERAL DONATIONS  

Deborah Brodie in honor of the birthdays of Ellen Braitman, David Shapiro, David Roskies, Rabbi Marion Shulevitz, the bat mitzvah of Anna Peterman, and in honor of Michelle Dingoor, Alan Divack and Josh Hanft for their work on the tribute Journal; in memory of Lester Herschlag, brother of Yocheved Muffs
Michael Brochstein in memory of Isaac Meyers, son of William Meyers and Nahma Sandrow
Ann Hiatt in memory of Isaac Meyers, son of William Meyers and Nahma Sandrow
Frances Degen Horowitz in honor of Yocheved and Yochanan Muffs, a wonderful and dedicated couple
Barry Holtz and Bethamie Horowitz in memory of Isaac Meyers, son of William Meyers and Nahma Sandrow
Marjorie Hort in memory of Isaac Meyers, son of William Meyers and Nahma Sandrow
Leah Silberman Jenner
David Lock and Dawn Kellman in memory of Isaac Meyers, son of William Meyers and Nahma Sandrow
Stephen and Carol Koenigsberg in honor of Roberta Koenigsberg and her dedication to our mother, and with thanks to Rabbi Kalmanofsky and his wonderful care and attention for our family during a time of need
Selma Kronengold in honor of Yocheved and Yochanan Muffs
Salomee Lindenbaum in honor of Yocheved and Yochanan Muffs
Joan Rosenbaum in honor of Yocheved and Yochanan Muffs
Ruth and Ira Salzman in memory of Isaac Meyers, son of William Meyers and Nahma Sandrow, in honor of Sarah Jacobs, and in honor of Michael Schmidt's new position
Saul Scheidlinger and Rosalyn Tauber Scheidlinger
Robert and Naomi Schwartz in memory of Isaac Meyers, beloved son of William Meyers and Nahma Sandrow
Judy Margolin and Seth Schwartz in honor of the 60th birthday of David Roskies and the 40th birthday of Jenny Lyss
Ira and Lenore Silverstein in memory of Sophie Seidlin, mother of Mindell Seidlin
Amy and Paul Sklar in honor of Gabriel Levine's Bar Mitzvah
Joyce Slochower in honor of Anna Sydney Peterman's Bat Mitzvah
Fanny Steinhauser
Sandy and Burt Visotzky in honor of Jenny Lyss's birthday
Suzanne and Michael Weinstein in memory of Rae Koenigsberg, mother of Roberta Koenisgsberg
Terry Sue Zisowitz

YAHRZEIT  DONATIONS
Vivian Awner in memory of her mother, Ruth Awner
Richard Ballinger in memory of his grandmother, Celia Felder
Zelda Damashek in memory of her mother, Sally Guttman
Emanuel Derman in memory of his father, Chaim Derman
Jerome Ehrlich in memory of his father, Isidore Ehrlich
Ellen Flax in memory of her mother, Doris Flax
Lucy Geldzahler in memory of her father, Adolphe Fischer
Sara Fisher Gillman in memory of her father, Harry Fisher
Lisa Greenberg in memory of her father, Jack Greenberg
Sandra Gubin in memory of her father, Benjamin Gubin
Renee Hausman in memory of her son, Erik Hausman
Frances Degen Horowitz and Floyd Horowitz in memory of Floyd's father, Joseph Horowitz, his aunt, Dorothy Horowitz, and Mindell Seidlin's mother, Sophie Seidlin
Jerome Mendlowitz in memory of his mother, Mayme Mendlowitz
Karen Palmer in memory of her father, Richard Druckman
William Shulevitz in memory of his father, Norman Shulevitz
Dr. Ian M. Yudelman in memory of his mother, Lena Yudelman
Amy Zarrow in memory of her mother, Evelyn Zarrow

RABBI'S FUND  
Paul and Mary Feinberg
Roberta and Stephen Koenigsberg
Josef Najar

SANCTUARY MINYAN KIDDUSH FUND  
Paul and Mary Feinberg
David Kaplan

PURIM DONATIONS  
Karen Palmer

SHELTER FUND  
Ariel Aloni-Netzer and Yael Aloni
Vicki Brower in memory of Isaac Meyers, son of William Meyers and Nahma Sandrow; Yocheved Muffs' brother, Lester Herschlag; and in honor of Yochanan and Yocheved Muffs, David Roskies' birthday, and Anna Peterman's Bat Mitzvah
Benyamin Cirlin
Howard Eisenberg
Sylvia Ettenberg
Judith Merion and Richard Fried
Robert Frost and Navah Perlman Frost
Melanie Schneider and Marla Gayle
Arthur and Ellen Giglio
Nancy L. Greenbaum
Rebecca Joseph
Rick and Lauren Koffler
Vera and Morton Leifman
Janet Leuchter in memory of Isaac Meyers, son of William Meyers and Nahma Sandrow and Rick Posen, husband of Sharri Posen
Carole Levy
Deborah Krohn and Peter Miller
Sara Shapiro-Plevan and William Plevan
Ellen Rafel
Eric Peterman and Ellen Resnick
Ruth and Ira Salzman
Joseph and Bonnie Schinagle

Condolences to the following members and their families:
Nathaniel Persily on the death of his mother, Nancy Persily, also an AC member.
Nahma Sandrow, William Meyers and Hannah Meyers on the death of their son and brother, Isaac Meyers.

Mazal Tov to:
March's B'nai Mitzvah and their families:
Ethan Levenson
Gabriel Levine
Maxwell Padway
Jack Stevenson
Lily Young

Todah Rabbah to March Shelter Volunteers:
(Names in bold indicate AC members)
Pat Corrigan, Yonina Creditor, Carol Cutler, Alan Divack, Allie Fleder, Matthew Feigin, Woody Freiman, Joel Friedman, Elliot Fruchter, Ellen Gerber, Uri Goldberg,
JTS Students, Kehilat Hadar, Gary Kallman, Dan Kaplan, Joyce Karagu, Ira Krell,
KOE Minyan, Tatyana Leifman, Reuben Levavi,Alex Levine, Joyce Mann,
Jocelyn Maskow, Andy Menkis, Daniel Messing, Linda Messing, Elizabeth Silberman & Zoe Goldfarb, Rachel Obenshain, Julien Ryu, Kate Schaefer, Dan Schwarzbaum, Kate Sharp, Aliza Shupac, Josh Steingraber, David Tabatsky, Michael Wise.
And many thanks to Charlie Davidson, Shelter Coordinator, Michael Bloome, Assistant Coordinator, and Josh Abrams, Volunteer Coordinator.