PESACH: The Secret

Today is the 11th day of Nisan, 5771

What is the secret for a successful Pesach Seder? What do you have to do to have a very enjoyable moment with your family, while learning about our history and identity?

The 'secret' for the Pesach Seder could be summarize with these three words: "Preparation. Preparation. Preparation."

Let me explain.
1. Write an email today to each member of your family. Assign to each one of them to be in charge of one part of the Hagada. Ask the little ones to read, sing, explain 'Ma Nishtana'. Ask the young ones, for example, to search online about Gilad Shalit and make all aware that there are still Jews in captivity (and what should we do about it?) Ask every member of the family to read and/or explain at least one short text of the Hagada in Hebrew, Enlgish, Farsi, etc... . Encourage them to search in: www.torah.org, aish.com, ou.org, etc, for material related to the idea they read.

2. Make it fun: Ask the funniest guys of the family to play some parts of the Hagada. You must have a play for the Ten Plagues: Somebody (serious) explains briefly each plague and the actors play the play. You must have at least one person playing Moshe (his head covered with a Talit) and somebody starring as Par'o... Make it visual. Buy plastic frogs, animal masks for 'arob and ping pong balls for hail. Another group should play the four sons. Encourage the 4 sons to briefly debate among themselves about one past/present subject: for example, Although they were only a small minority, the Egyptians feared that the Jews were "too powerful for us." Although Jews make us less than 3% of the American population Atlantic Magazine's "50 Most Influential Commentators in America" included 26 Jews. Are Jews too powerful? Not powerful enough? Should we keep it all to ourselves?

3. Educate with fun: Have a game, a Pesach treasure hunt or Pesach trivia. YOU MUST SEE THIS!!! http://www.simchatyechiel.org/english/pesach.html Have 20 questions ready and most importantly 20 (or more) small prizes. So anytime it gets out of control, or boring or you want everybody's attention you can shoot one of your questions (show the prize first!). Guaranteed to work... or your money back!

Candle lighting NYC: 7:16

SHABBAT SHALOM

VERY IMPORTANT PESACH LINKS!!!!

NEW ALTERNATIVE MEKHIRAT CHAMETZ and CHAMETZ FOOD DRIVE

http://www.mashadi.info/pdf/ymjcchametz.pdf

NEW UPDATED FORM FOR SELLING YOUR CHAMETZ, WITH FAX INFORMATION:
http://www.mashadi.info/pdf/sellingofchametzform.pdf

TIMETABLE FOR SUNDAY APRIL 17 and MONDAY APRIL 18
http://www.mashadi.info/pdf/timetableforpesach.pdf

COMPLETE PRINTABLE PESACH GUIDE w/INSTRUCTIONS FOR SEDER, FAST OF FIRSTBORN, PESACH OUT OF TOWN, MASHADI CUSTOMS, etc.
http://www.hachodesh.com/Sephardic_Guide_for_Pesach_2011.pdf

LIST OF AUTHORIZED FOR PESACH NON-CHAMETZ PRODUCTS
http://www.hachodesh.com/Pesach_Non-Chametz_Products_2011.pdf

OMER LINKS

BBM REMINDER OF SEFIRAT HAOMER (Thanks to Shlomo Nouriely!)
http://www.mashadi.info/pdf/bbomer.pdf

EMAIL REMINDER SERVICE FOR OMER (Thanks to Farshad Kalaty)
www.mashadi.org/omer

OMER SHEET FROM HACHODESH (Thanks to Mehran Etessami)

http://www.mashadi.info/pdf/omersheet.pdf

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024

Pesach out of town and 8 VERY IMPORTANT links

Today is the 10th day of Nisan, 5771

When a family will spend Pesach out of town, the cleaning and the last Chametz inspection (bedika) of the main house should be done the night before leaving home, without saying any berakha. The Chametz found should be eliminated, giving to a non Jewish charity or sold .

The night of the bedika, Sunday April 17, 2011, one should search for Chametz again in the house or in the Hotel room where the family will stay for Pesach.

The next day, Monday morning, one should proceed to do the elimination of any left overs of Chametz and the Chametz found the day before (biur) ,and then pronounce the formula of disowning Chametz (bitul) for any overlooked Chametz,as explained in the Guide for Pesach 2011. See link.

When one does the bitul and declares the Chametz ownerless, he has to include in his thoughts not only the Chametz eventually overlooked in his present location, but also, and especially the Chametz that could have remained inadvertently at home or in any of his properties.

VERY IMPORTANT PESACH and OMER LINKS!!!!

NEW ALTERNATIVE MEKHIRAT CHAMETZ and CHAMETZ CHARITY http://www.mashadi.info/pdf/ymjcchametz.pdf

NEW UPDATED FORM FOR SELLING YOUR CHAMETZ, WITH FAX INFORMATION:
http://www.mashadi.info/pdf/sellingofchametzform.pdf

TIMETABLE FOR SUNDAY APRIL 17 and MONDAY APRIL 18
http://www.mashadi.info/pdf/timetableforpesach.pdf

COMPLETE PRINTABLE PESACH GUIDE w/INSTRUCTIONS FOR SEDER, etc.
http://www.hachodesh.com/Sephardic_Guide_for_Pesach_2011.pdf

LIST OF AUTHORIZED FOR PESACH NON-CHAMETZ PRODUCTS
http://www.hachodesh.com/Pesach_Non-Chametz_Products_2011.pdf

BBM REMINDER OF SEFIRAT HAOMER
http://www.mashadi.info/pdf/bbomer.pdf

OMER SHEET FROM HACHODESH
http://www.mashadi.info/pdf/omersheet.pdf

EMAIL REMINDER SERVICE FOR OMER
www.mashadi.org/omer

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024

PESACH: The Seder of Pesach

Today is the 9th day of Nisan, 5771


The Seder, Step by Step

Kadesh

We start the Seder with the Holyday consecration and its official inauguration: the Kiddush. Upon concluding the Kiddush and the blessing shehecheyanu everyone shall drink his or her first cup of wine, while reclining on the left side. Each cup should be of at least 3 ounces and each time we should drink at least half a cup. Throughout the Seder we drink four cups of wine. Each cup symbolizes a celebration for the four expressions that the Torah for our freedom. If one cannot drink wine, it could be substituted by grape juice.

Urchatz

We wash our hands without saying any Berakha. In our community it is customary that the children help with the Netilat Yadaim, bringing a bowl of water and a towel. This is in order to eat the Karpas, dipped in vinegar. In ancient times it was common for affluent people to have an aperitif (celery or another vegetable) before the meal to induce the appetite. Our sages instituted that the night of the Seder we should dip the Karpas not once but twice, to awake the curiosity of the children and stimulate their questions. These questions are already integrated into the famous text: Ma Nishtana. One of the questions refers to the double dipping of the Karpas.

Karpas

We take a small piece of Karpas, (celery) and we dip it in vinegar (or salted water) to remind us of the tears we shed in captivity. Before eating it we recite the blessing
Bore Peri haAdama. As we have explained all these deviations from the ordinary dinning
habits are meant toward one single goal: to motivate the children to ask questions
in order to ensure their active participation during the entire Seder.

VERY IMPORTANT PESACH LINKS !!!!

NEW UPDATED FORM FOR SELLING YOUR CHAMETZ, WITH FAX INFORMATION:
http://www.mashadi.info/pdf/sellingofchametzform.pdf

What to do with your extra Chametz and an Experimental new Selling of Chametz
http://www.mashadi.info/pdf/ymjcchametz.pdf

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024

PESACH: Mekhirat Chametz (seeling your Chametz)

Today is the 8th day of Nisan, 5771

In some communities, mainly Ashkenazi, it is customary to sell the Chametz, through the local rabbinate, to a non-Jew . In Sephardic communities it was not customary to sell the Chametz, unless it was an exceptional case, like when someone owned a food store. Traditionally, Sephardic Jews got rid of all their Chametz, and if some Chametz had not being detected, the bitul --by renouncing to our ownership of Chametz-- would take care of it.

Nowadays, however, many community members might keep too many valuable Chametz products like whiskey or liquors like vodka made from grain alcohol. When this is the case, in order to avoid transgressing the prohibition of owning Chametz during Pesach, the UMJCA Religious Council organizes a Chametz selling. Community members fill out a special authorization empowering the rabbi to act on their behalf, and before Pesach begins, the rabbi sells the Chametz to a non-Jew. The buyer gives a down payment for the Chametz, and commits to pay the balance up to a few minutes after Pesach is over. During Pesach, then, the buyer is the legal owner of the Chametz, even if the Chametz remains in the property of the Jewish seller. If the buyer fails to pay the balance, after Pesach the Chametz belongs back to the seller.

Click here to download the Selling of the Chametz form

http://www.mashadi.info/pdf/sellingofchametzform.pdf

Again, whenever possible, the best and the traditional Sephardic way to proceed is to physically get rid of the liquors, whiskey, etc, along with all the other Chametz products before Pesach.

DOING SOME GOOD WITH YOUR EXTRA CHAMETZ
Click here to read: "Israelis to send Chametz to Japan":

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4054349,00.html

Printable Sephardic Guide for Pesach 2011
http://www.hachodesh.com/Sephardic_Guide_for_Pesach_2011.pdf

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024

PESACH: Bitul Chametz and Printable Sephardic Guide for Pesach 2011

Today is the 7th day of Nisan, 5771

Bitul Chametz (dispossessing of our Chametz)

After searching for any left overs of Chametz (bedika) Sunday April 17, 2011 at night we pronounce the first declaration of Bitul Chametz:

"Kal Chamira Deika Birshuti Dela Chaziteh Udela Biarteh Libtil Veleheve (Hefker) Keafra Deara"

The translation is:

"All kind of Chametz or fermenting agent that belongs to me, that I haven't seen or that I haven't eliminated, should be considered ownerless, as the dust of the earth."

The reason for the Bitul is the following: as we've already said, during Pesach the possession of Chametz is forbidden, even if our Chametz is hidden or even if it is not in our house. During Pesach there cannot be any Chametz that belong to us. Therefore, through this statement (bitul) we renounce our ownership of any Chametz that belong to us and that we might not have found or remove. Technically speaking, the Chametz will become subsequently ownerless, like the dust of the earth. Therefore, even if any Chametz is still found in our property, is not ours anymore.
For this declaration to be valid, it is necessary to understand every word we are uttering. Thus, one should say it in a language he or she understands. In order to better become conscious of this declaration, our Sages recommended repeating it three times.

Biur Chametz (Getting Rid of Chametz)

The following day, Monday April 18, in the morning, after we finish eating Chametz (10.00 AM), we take the Chametz found last night together with all the leftover of the Chametz that remained from our last meal and we proceed to its physical elimination (bi'ur). This is usually done by burning the Chametz in a safe place, but it can also be done by disposing it, or throwing it in a lake or a river to the fish or by feeding it to the birds. Then, we do once again the Bitul. This time the declaration is more comprehensive. It includes not just the Chametz that we have not seen or that we do not know about, but also the Chametz that we have seen and found and
just finished to eat.

"Kal Chamira Deika Birshuti Dechaziteh Udela Chaziteh Debiarteh Udela Biarteh Libtil
Veleheve (Hefker) Keafra Deara"

The translation is:

"All kind of Chametz or fermenting agent that belongs to me, that I have or have not seen and that I have or have not eliminated, should be considered ownerless, as the dust of the earth."

The last Bitul must be done until Monday April 18, before 11.00 A.M. (the fifth hour of the day). Once this Bitul is done no more contact with Chametz is allowed until Pesach is over.

Printable Sephardic Guide for Pesach 2011

http://www.hachodesh.com/Sephardic_Guide_for_Pesach_2011.pdf

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024