Pesach Details

Dear Friends,

I hope you are finding your Pesach preparations to be as stress-free as possible. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have. I hope this email is informative and will address many of your questions leading up to Pesach.

Sale of Chametz

Next week I will be available Sunday night March 14th and Tuesday night March 16th at approx 7:25 PM (after MIncha/Maariv) at the shul, to facilitate the sale of your chametz. We will meet in the main sanctuary to ensure proper space for social distancing. I will also be available in the shul each night throughout the following week at approx 7:35 PM. If you need to coordinate a different time to meet, please contact me and I will be happy to make arrangements with you. Attached please find a document for you to fill out when we meet. I will have copies with me, so there is no need for you to print it out, but please do read it ahead of time so you have an understanding of what you are committing to sell.

Mechiras Chametz Form also available here

Resources

Here is a great resource for Pesach information. It includes a very detailed product directory and lots of pertinent information on kashering and all other aspects of Pesach. The cost is only $8.95 (plus shipping):

https://www.judaica.com/star-k-passover-directory-medicine-guide-19255.html

Maos Chittim

I also want to encourage everyone to participate in the minhag of Maos Chitim – tzedaka to be distributed to families in need for Pesach in our community. You can go online and donate at https://www.biozshul.org/donate/online-donation-form/ and select “Matanos L’Evyonim/Maos Chittim” from the dropdown menu. Or, you can give me a check made out to the shul with the words “Maos Chittim” in the memo. Thank you!

Unique Halachos with Erev Pesach falling out on Shabbos

The fast of the firstborn is on Thursday March 25th. A siyum will be made following Shacharis.

Bedikas Chametz should be done Thursday night. Like in other years, any chametz you wish to eat following the bedikah should be eaten carefully and in a designated spot of the house.

On Friday March 26th, chametz is burned in the same way as other years. However, the “Kol Chamirah,” the “bittul” of the chametz, is not recited.

Unlike in other years, chametz can still be eaten following the burning. However, other than the bread needed for the shabbos meals, all other chametz should be properly disposed of before Shabbos. Ideally, one should get rid of the last garbage bag of chametz before shabbos.

Shabbos Erev Pesach:

Food cooked for Shabbos should be kosher for Pesach and cooked in Pesach pots.

Other than having bread for hamotzi, the meals should all be kosher for Pesach using Pesach or disposable utensils.

The procedure for Hamotzi for all Shabbos meals is as follows:

Option 1 –

Make hamotzi and eat the challah outside your home, with intent to finish the meal inside.
After eating at least the size of two olives’ worth of challah, sweep away the crumbs, and finish the kosher for Pesach meal indoors.
Ideally, benching should take place outdoors where you made hamotzi.

For those with young children at home, this may be the preferable option to best ensure no small pieces of challah are inadvertently left in the house after hamotzi .

Option 2 –

Make hamotzi and eat the two olives’ worth of bread indoors over a plate or napkin.
No Kosher for Pesach utensils should be on the table with the bread.
It is advisable to use small fresh rolls or pita bread which cause less crumbs than regular challah.
Any remaining bread should be flushed, or crushed into pieces all less than the size of a cheerio and thrown outside.
Discard all disposable items (e.g., plastic tablecloth, plates) used with the chometz into a trash can.
Serve the rest of the Kosher for Pesach meal on Pesach or disposable dishes.

On Shabbos Erev Pesach, regular matzah may not be eaten by anyone except children under six.

Shabbos morning:

Shacharis on Shabbos morning will start early (at 7:00 AM), because one must recite Hamotzi and finish all bread before the last time to each chametz, which is 10:34 AM. Like every shabbos meal, the meal shouldn’t be rushed, but should be enjoyed, fulfilling the mitzvah of oneg shabbos.

After one has finished eating chametz, one should dispose of any remaining chametz as described above, and recite the “Kol Chamira,” (the “bittul”) that is usually said when burning the chometz. This should be recited by 11:49 AM. One may then continue his Kosher for Pesach meal.

Shalosh Seudos:

Option 1 –

As one can’t eat challah or matzah in the afternoon, One should eat other foods for shalosh seudos, such as fish, fruits or Shehakol cakes (cakes made only from potato starch).

Option 2 (preferable according to some poskim) –

Eat shalosh seudos in the morning. Make hamotzi over challah, eat the challah before 10:34 AM, and then eat your kosher for Pesach shalosh seudos. As the two meals on shabbos day can’t be combined into one, after benching from the morning meal, one should take a 15 minute break and engage in some other activity before washing for shalosh seudos.

Whichever option you choose, care should be taken not to eat too much late in the afternoon, so that you have a good appetite at the seder.

As always, feel free to be in touch with any questions or concerns.

Warmly,

Rabbi Yeamans

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