Passover is coming!!
Tradition holds that one is supposed to begin to prepare for Passover at least thirty days in advance. Purim is over, there is Matzah in the stores and I have begun to study a tractate of Talmud to prepare for the Siyyum Bechorot* that will take place Friday morning April 19th after morning minyan. We are all in Passover readiness mode.
Every year I like to bring to your attention several resources to make for an easy and successful Passover. The first is the annual Passover Guide from the Rabbinical Assembly that you can access here:
It details some of the requirements for cleaning and kashering. It also has some of the latest rulings on different types of foods that are permitted or prohibited on Passover.
Second, I want to direct you to a treasure trove of material for your seder. It can be found at:
Third, you can find two separate sets of Passover song parodies to liven up your seder:
Fourth, our local Winco, located near Stephanie and the 215 will have over 200 Passover items out including meat. They plan on having it out by Friday March 29th.
Lastly don’t forget about our yearly tzedakah project for Maot Chittin (the Passover time tzedakah), and your opportunity to sell your Chametz. You can take care of both here.
*Siyyum Bechorot – The Feast of the First Born. To commemorate that the Israelite first-born children survived the tenth plague there is a tradition that first-borns are supposed to fast on the day before Passover. In order not to have to fast the whole day, one is allowed to participate in a Siyyum or feast, which celebrates the completion of the study of a tractate of Talmud. Even if you didn’t study the tractate, you can participate in the feast.
Shabbat Shalom and have a happy, healthy, and kosher Passover.
Rabbi Bradley Tecktiel has been Midbar Kodesh Temple's spiritual leader since August 2008. Rabbi Tecktiel was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in May of 1996. He holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees, one from List College and one from Columbia University. He also holds a Masters of Arts from the Jewish Theological Seminary.
You can follow him on Twitter @RabbiMKT.
