If you have questions about preparing for Passover this year, please contact the rabbis.

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Passover Schedule

PASSOVER RITUALS

Pre-Passover

We are not doing pot and utensil kashering in the CBS kitchen this year.  If you have questions about kashering for Pesach, please ask the rabbis. 

Mekhirat Chametz - Selling of Chametz
Thursday, April 4, by 3:00pm
Any chametz not consumed, burned or otherwise disposed of prior to Passover must be sold to a non-Jew who will own it during Pesach. In order to ensure compliance with the details of the law, Rabbi Borodin will act as our agent for the sale. If you would like Rabbi Borodin to serve as your agent, you must complete the “Sale of Chametz” form and return to Ellis Engbar or Rabbi Borodin by Tuesday, April 4 at 3:00pm.

Bedikat Chametz - Search for Chametz
Tuesday, April 4, after dark, at home
The search is usually performed the night before Pesach. It is customarily done with a candle, feather and wooden spoon.  Chametz which is found (except that which may be specifically set aside for use before Pesach), is put aside until the morning for burning.  (See the beginning of the Haggadah for the liturgy for bedikat chametz).

Ta'anit Bekhorim and Siyum- Fast of the Firstborn and Learning Celebration
Wednesday, April 5, in the CBS Beit Midrash or on Zoom
Minyan: 7:00-7:40am
Siyum &  Breakfast: 7:40-8:15am
The fast applies to the firstborn child of a mother or a father, and begins at dawn (5:03am this year). It is customary, after Shacharit, to have a siyum, completion of study of a section of rabbinic literature, followed by a seudat mitzvah, a meal accompanying the performance of a mitzvah. All firstborn in attendance are then permitted to eat for the rest of the day. This year, Rabbi Rose will lead us in a siyum of Tractate Gittin.
If you're joining us virtually, please use the morning minyan zoom link from cybershul.

Biur and Bitul Chametz - Destroying and Nullifying of Chametz
Wednesday, April 5
Dispose of the chametz found the previous night during bedikat chametz and recite the formula for nullifying chametz (found in the beginning of the Haggadah).

Passover Home Rituals

Birkat Hamazon during Passover
It is traditional to use either your haggadot or benchers only used at Passover (not the rest of the year) for birkat hamazon during Passover to avoid being exposed to possible chametz in the regular bencher. We add ya’aleh v’yavo for every day of Passover.  On days 1, 2, 7 and 8 we also add the harachaman for Yom Tov.

First And Second Days Of Pesach

Candlelighting + Eruv Tavshilin
On the first and second nights of Pesach (Wednesday, April 5 and Thursday, April 6), we recite the blessings “Baruch atah...le’hadlik ner shel Yom Tov” and “shehecheyanu” (p. 718/303 of Siddur Sim Shalom).  On the second night, candles should not be lit until the end of the first day of Yom Tov, and we do not light a match but transfer the fire to the candles from an existing flame.  Likewise, when lighting Shabbat candles on Friday, April 7, we light from a pre-existing flame (before Shabbat begins).  Therefore, when you light yom tov candles on  Wednesday, make sure that you have a fire burning that will last until after dark on Friday.  A burning candle that lasts for more than 25 hours or a pilot light on a gas range (not a gas range with an electronic starter) works well for this purpose.  Additionally, since cooking on yom tov is permissible for food that will be eaten that day only, it is traditional to prepare an eruv tavshilin before yom tov to enable cooking for Shabbat (p. 716/306 Of Siddur Sim Shalom).

Kiddush
There are festive meals for dinner (i.e. seder) and lunch on each of the first two days of Pesach. At each meal, 
kiddush is recited and hamotzi is made over matzah. Details regarding evening kiddush are fully set forth in the Haggadah; please note that kiddush on the second night includes havdalah.  The daytime kiddush can be found on page 746/335 in Siddur Sim Shalom; please note that the additions for Shabbat are included on the first day of Pesach (Saturday, April 16).

Seventh And Eighth Days Of Pesach

Candlelighting
On the seventh and eighth nights of Pesach (Tuesday, April 11 and Wednesday, April 12), we recite “Baruch atah...le’hadlik ner shel Yom Tov”, but we do not recite “shehecheyanu.”  
On the eighth night, we do not light a match but transfer the fire to the candles from an existing flame.  When you light candles on Tuesday, make sure that you have a fire burning that will last until after candlelighting time on Wednesday.

Kiddush
There are festive meals for dinner and lunch on each of the final two days of Pesach. At each meal, kiddush is recited and hamotzi is made over matzah.  On the seventh and eighth nights we recite the evening festival kiddush with the insertion for Pesach. The daytime kiddush can be found on page 746/335 of Siddur Sim Shalom.