Firstborns and Non-Firstborns, Fathers and Mothers: Bring your sons and daughters

Please join me in a Siyum Bechorim celebrating the conclusion of my study coinciding with the Fast of the Firstborn*.

Monday, March 29, 2010
7:00 a.m. Minyan (bring Talit/Tefillin if you have them)
7:30 a.m. Siyum/Study
7:45 a.m. a light chametz breakfast will be served
8:00 a.m. adjournment

Rabbi Eliezer Havivi

                * The fast of the firstborn, on the morning preceding the first Seder, commemorates God's saving of the Israelite firstborn in Egypt, when the Egyptian firstborn was slain. It is customary for the Rabbi to conclude his/her study of a tractate (volume) of the Talmud on that day, and make a siyum - a "concluding" party, so the firstborn of the community can share in the joyous occasion, and be released from their obligation to fast on that day.

Memorialize Your Loved Ones - Come to Yizkor

Yizkor will be recited on the Eighth Day of Passover, Tuesday, April 6.  Services will begin at 9:00 a.m. and Yizkor will be recited.

Yizkor is a brief service, held four times a year, during which individuals ask for God's blessing and formally recall the memories of their loved ones who are no longer alive. It is appropriate to quietly recite the names - Hebrew names particularly, or in English, of the loved ones we recall. It is recited for immediate family, but also for grandparents, cousins, and dear friends. You may wish to prepare a list of names to bring with you to synagogue. I will be happy to assist you in compiling such a list, or in determining Hebrew names, if you wish.

It is also customary to light a yahrzeit candle the previous evening in memory of your deceased relatives.

I hope you will join us in synagogue on Yom Tov.

Rabbi Eliezer Havivi

Bedikat Chametz The Search for Leaven

 Bedikat Chametz is an important Jewish childhood memory which you can create for your children. It is a brief, simple ceremony that can potentially form an important component of your family's Jewish consciousness and identity. You can do it! It goes like this:
              
On Sunday evening, March 28, about 8:00 PM, after you have cleaned the house and isolated and stored away your chametz, take one slice of bread, divide it into sections. (Some families wrap up each piece.) Place one piece in each room in the house. Take a candle, feather and wooden spoon (you can just use a baggie, too), light the candle and say the following blessing:
               
Baruch Ata Adonay Elohaynu Melech Ha'olam asher keedshanu b'Mitzvotav v'tzeevanu al biyur chametz.
Praised are you, Adonai, our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who sanctified us with your Mitzvot and commanded us to remove all chametz.
              
Then, with a minimum of talking, everyone goes room to room, "finding" and sweeping the chametz bread crumbs. When you have collected it all, return to the kitchen and recite the following declaration: "Kol Chamira v'Chamiya - All chametz and leaven which is in my possession, which I have not seen or removed, or of which I am unaware, is hereby nullified and ownerless as the dust of the earth."
               
Keep the chametz in a bag overnight and on Monday morning, before 11:00 AM, burn it in your backyard, or come to the Public Chametz Burning (Biyur Chametz) at the Kimberly Susan Bates Building parking lot at 9:00 am sharp and burn your chametz with other families. While the chametz is burning, recite the following formula: "Kol Chamira v'Chamiya - All chametz in my possession whether I have seen it or not, whether I have removed it or not, is hereby nullified and ownerless as the dust of the earth."

The full text and explanation of the Search for and Burning of Leaven is found in the beginning of many Haggadot. Don't forget to sell your chametz through Rabbi Havivi before 9:00 am Monday, March 29.

Symbols of the Seder

Seder - The Hebrew word “Seder” means order. Since we arrange the table in a certain order and follow a special order for the service, we refer to this ceremony as a Seder.

The Haggadah - Haggadah comes from the Hebrew word meaning “tell!” Since the book we use for the Seder “tells” the story of Passover, we call it Haggadah.
              
Three Matzot - Our ancestors left Egypt in a hurry and did not have enough time to allow their dough to leaven, to become soft and to rise. Therefore, they ate matzot, unleavened bread, and we eat matzot as a reminder of their hasty departure.
               
Three matzot represent the three kinds of Jews according to their tribal descent; the Kohanim, the priests; the Leviim, the Levites; and Yisraelim, the Israelites.
               
According to another explanation, two matzot represent the two loaves placed on every holiday or Sabbath table, and the third matzah symbolizes, the LECHEM ONI, the poor man’s bread that our forefathers ate in Egypt.
               
Elijah’s Cup - In the center of the table is a shiny goblet in honor of Elijah, the prophet, who, we are told, will announce the coming of the Messiah and bring peace and freedom to the world.
               
The Seder Plate - An important feature of the Seder table is the Seder plate on which is placed five symbols. Especially designed metal and ceramic Seder plates are often used for this occasion. The five symbols are:
                Z’roa - The shankbone which helps us to remember the Passover Sacrifice during the days of the temple.
                Charoset - A mixture of chopped apples and nuts flavored with cinnamon and wine, it is like the mortar from which our ancestors made bricks.
                Betza - The roasted egg reminds us of the pilgrim offering in the Temple and the celebration of Passover in ancient times.
                Maror - The bitter herb symbolizes the bitter times in Egypt.
                Karpas - Parsley or another green vegetable that reminds us that Passover is the holiday of Spring.
               
Four Cups - A prominent part of the Seder table is the wine cup from which each person drinks four times. There are several reasons given for drinking four cups of wine. The most popular one is that they represent the four different expressions used by God when He promised our ancestors freedom from Egyptian bondage.
               
Salt Water - Near the Seder plate, we place a dish of salt water. The salt water reminds us of the tears our forefathers shed in Egypt.
               
Afikoman - For children, a favorite part of the Seder is stealing the Afikoman. At the beginning of the Seder service, before we start to read the Haggadha, the middle matzah is broken and the larger half is put away, usually in a napkin which is placed in a hiding place. At the end of the meal, it is eaten as dessert, or the last course in the menu. The Seder cannot be ended without the Afikoman.
               
It has become custom for children to try to “steal” the Afikoman and hide it until the end of the meal. Returning the Afikoman is a happy occasion for the children who stole it because parents must pay a ransom for it to get it back.