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Passover A to Z
A quick overview of the Passover process
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A month before Passover:
- Begin
learning about Passover
and studying its laws.
- Begin the
house cleaning process. Methodically inspect and rid every part of your home of any traces of
chametz.
Be on the lookout for crumbs of all sorts, hidden stashes of crunchy chocolate, fermented drinks (nearly all are made with
grain), etc.
Make a list
of all the rooms in your house, and cross off each one as you complete it.
Enforce the pre-Passover house rules: No food may leave the kitchen. After eating, clothes must be brushed off and hands thoroughly washed.
- Set aside a special space or spaces to stash
the chametz you will be selling for the duration of Passover (see next item). This can be a closet, a cabinet in the kitchen, or a room in the basement, as long as it can be locked and inaccessible to you for all of Passover.
- Arrange for the
selling of your chametz.
Fill out a form and bring it to your Rabbi, delegating to him the task of selling your chametz before Passover.
(You can also
sell your chametz online.)
- Buy the Passover essentials:
purchase your Matzah
and wine
in advance, and store it in a place where it is absolutely safe from any contact with any chametz.
If you're not making a Seder at home, your local Chabad-Lubavitch center has reserved a place for you!
Click here to register for a Seder at the location of your choice.
A few days before Passover:
- Begin work on making your
kitchen
"Kosher for Passover." Put away all utensils that have been used year-round, and lock or seal those cabinets. Put away all non-kosher-for-Passover food, and seal those cabinets. Once your kitchen is completely clean, do the
special procedure to kosher your kitchen and appliances
for Passover.
(Now that your kitchen is clean and all your non-kosher-for-Passover food put away, you will only be able to prepare and eat
kosher-for-Passover foods there. If you're not ready to start eating only kosher-for-Passover food yet, you can buy ready-prepared food and eat it outside of the house, or in a place that will be "sold" for the duration of Passover.)
- Take stock of your
Passover inventory.
Take out any special-for-Passover dishes or silver from where they are stored. Polish the silver. Make sure you have Haggadahs
for the seder.
- Do your
Passover shopping.
Buy the
seder ingredients,
plus general food for Passover. Store these in your newly cleaned refrigerator and cabinets -- empty, of
course, of any non-Passover food. You can now begin
cooking for the holiday
in your Kosher-for-Passover kitchen.
- Make sure that your
holiday clothes
and shoes are ready, ironed, and polished. Treat yourself to something new -- an outfit, shoes, or even just a tie.
Sunday night (24 hours before Passover):
- Do the ritual
search for Chametz.
Take a candle, a spoon, and a feather, and search the house for any remaining or forgotten chametz.
Monday morning:
- If you are a first-born son, or the father of a first-born son under the age of Bar Mitzvah, participate in a Siyyum or other mitzvah feast, in order to be absolved of the
"fast of the firstborn."
- The
deadline for eating chametz
is approximately two hours before midday
(click here
for local times). Past this point, no chametz is eaten until after the festival.
The deadline for
getting rid of chametz
is approximately one hour before midday;
click here
for local times. (By this time, all cabinets and areas containing chametz that will be sold should be sealed.)
- Burn
any leftover Chametz that is not being sold, including anything that was found Sunday night at the Search for the Chametz.
Recite the
"nullification statement,"
renouncing all ownership of any chametz that may still remain in your possession.
Monday afternoon:
- Prepare for the Seder.
Ready the
items for the Seder plate,
set the table, and do last minute things for the Seder meal.
- Recite the "Order of the Passover Offering,"
recalling and reliving the Korban Pesach
which was offered in the Holy Temple at this time.
- Light the festival candles to usher in the holiday. (If lighting after sunset, do so from a pre-existing flame.) If you have no continuous source of fire (such as a gas pilot) light a 24 hour candle -- from which to light holiday candles tomorrow evening. Click here for a summary of the laws of Yom Tov.
Monday night:
- Go to the synagogue for the evening holiday services, which
include the special addition of the Hallel prayer.
- Hold the first Passover Seder.
Follow the
15 steps,
recite the
Haggadah,
tell and relive the
story of the Exodus,
and enjoy the
matzah,
wine,
and
bitter herbs.
Make sure to eat the
Afikoman
by
midnight.
Tuesday morning:
- Go to the synagogue for the Passover
prayer services
(which include a special
prayer for dew)
and
Torah reading.
Tuesday night:
- The Omer Count
begins tonight.
Outside the Holy Land, tonight begins a second day of Yom Tov (hallowed festival day) which is basically a repeat of the first. Light the festival candles from a pre-existing flame (as it is forbidden to create a new flame on Yom Tov) after nightfall. The entire
Seder
is repeated tonight. (This time, however, there's no midnight deadline; you can go on until morning.) The next day,
Wednesday, is the second festival day; go to the synagogue for the special Passover prayers and Torah reading. (For details, see P through S above.)
Wednesday night:
- We've now entered the four
"intermediate days" of Passover. Perform the
Havdalah ritual (sans incense and candle) marking the close of
the first days of the holiday. Celebrate the intermediate days with matzah, kosher-for-Passover cooking, family trips (in the newly cleaned car), and more retelling of the Exodus story. It's still Passover, so we don't eat, own, or derive enjoyment from Chametz, but most activities prohibited the first and last two days are permitted. We also add special passages to our prayers: Hallel, Yaaleh Veyavo, and Musaf.
Friday night:
- Before sunset, light the Shabbat candles, (click here for local times), and enjoy a relaxing Shabbat with Passover food (that means no Challah of course -- use two matzahs instead).
Sunday night:
- Tonight begin the
final two festival days
of Passover.
Light candles at the specified time, and enjoy festive meals
Sunday night, Monday afternoon and night, and Tuesday afternoon.
There is a custom to stay awake Sunday night (the night of the
Splitting of the Sea)
and
study Torah through the night.
Tuesday morning:
- Yizkor, the memorial prayer for departed parents, is recited following the reading of the Torah during the morning prayer service.
Tuesday afternoon:
- As the day wanes, spend the final hours of Passover with "Moshiach's Meal" -- a special feast in honor of the Redemption. We've spent eight days
celebrating the exodus from Egypt. Now, as we leave Passover, we pray for the exodus from our present exile and a brighter tomorrow.
Tuesday night:
- At nightfall, the Passover holiday comes to an end. Make
Havdalah over your last cup of kosher-for-Passover wine. Put away the Passover
dishes, Haggadahs, and all other Passover items, locking them away until next year. Then, ...
you can once again enjoy chametz food and drinks, and feast on pizza, bread, beer -- anything kosher. (Just make sure it's not chametz that was in the possession of a Jew during Passover.) But as you do, don't forget the eight days of freedom you've just experienced, and remember that throughout the year, as you enjoy all your leavened food, you still carry a bit of the Matzah spirit with you!
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How should a gentile wish a Jewish person a joyful / good Passover? Is this even appropriate? thanks.
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This was put together with much thought. It is light reading, but very informational and meaningful. For those of us trying to get more acquainted with the ins and outs of Pesach, it was perfect. A very happy holiday to all.
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