Pesach (Passover) Cooking Tips

Pesach (Passover) Cooking Tips Level: Basic

• Focus on things you can eat, instead of what you can't • Know how to identify products that are kosher for Passover

Many people are frustrated at how difficult it is to come up with meals for Pesach and how bland and tasteless Pesach meals can be. Actually, it's not that difficult if you reorient your thinking. It's human nature to focus on the things you can't have, so many people make the mistake of trying to figure out how to make breakfast cereal, waffles, macaroni and cheese and pizza for Passover and wind up with very poor substitutes. Instead of focusing on the things you can't have, you should focus on the things you can have.
So let's focus on some foods you might want to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner and some fruits and vegetables that are permitted. I will also provide a few substitution suggestions and a few recipes. But before we get started, a few words about finding Passover food in your local grocery store.

Kosher-for-Passover Certification

Pesach foods generally require special Kosher-for-Passover certification. Regular kashrut certification is not sufficient for Pesach, and many foods that are perfectly kosher year-round are not kosher for Pesach. Look for a "P" (not the word "pareve"!) to the right of the hekhsher, like the one at top right, or the letters KFP (Kosher for Passover) or KP, or the words Kosher for Passover in English or Hebrew, seen at bottom right.
In areas with a significant Jewish population, grocery stores often gather Passover items together in a single aisle. Be aware that some supermarkets are very sloppy about what they shelve in their Passover aisles. The Acme supermarket near me routinely mixes the Kosher-for-Passover sardines (packed in olive oil) with the year-round sardines (packed in corn oil) on their Passover shelves, routinely restocks the Kosher-For-Passover soda pop display with regular soda pop and so forth. One year, they put some corn-syrup Purim lollipops in the Passover aisle. But then, what do you expect from a chain that once advertised a sale on "Challah: A Passover Tradition"? (the only Passover tradition related to challah is not eating it!)

Suggested Meals and Foods

To help you reorient your thinking, here is a list of things that you CAN eat during Pesach with minimal substitutions:

Dinner

• Good old-fashioned steak and potatoes
• Beef stew (without beans or barley if you normally use those; use potato starch for thickening)
• Pot roast (use potato starch for thickening)
• Meatballs or meatloaf (use matzah meal instead of rice or bread crumbs)
• Stuffed peppers (use matzah meal instead of rice or bread crumbs)
• Beef brisket (recipe below)
• Holishkes (stuffed cabbage) (recipe on the cooking page)
• Roasted chicken or turkey (gravy can be thickened with potato starch)
• Chicken with lemon wine sauce (use matzah meal for breading if desired)
• Matzah lasagna (OK, so this involves major substitutions, so sue me. I like it. Recipe below.)

Breakfast

• Eggs (fried, scrambled, poached, whatever)
• Omelet
• Hash brown potatoes
• Matzah brie (recipe below)

Lunch

• Leftovers from the previous night's dinner
• Tuna salad or egg salad on a tomato
• Cold cuts on matzah or Atkins-style
• Salad (homemade vinaigrette dressing is best: mix olive oil with cider vinegar and spices)

Vegetables

Most people will eat any fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables from the grocery store, as long as the vegetable itself is kosher for Passover.^*

• Artichoke (but watch out for marinated ones! the marinade may not be KFP!)
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrot
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Leek
• Lettuce
• Mushroom
• Onion
• Parsley
• Parsnip
• Peppers (e.g., bell peppers, chili peppers)
• Potatoes (regular and sweet)
• Radish
• Spinach
• Squash (eggplant, zucchini, spaghetti squash, etc.)
• Sweet potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Turnip
• ... and many more too numerous to list!

^* Some especially strict people will not eat fresh or frozen vegetables, because the vegetables may have been cut using non-Passover knives, or may have been exposed to chametz in transit. People who observe this level of strictness eat only canned or pre-packaged fruits and vegetables with KFP certification. These are often available in the Passover aisle of the grocery store. On the other hand, some especially strict people will not eat the canned fruits and vegetables, even with KFP certification, because they don't trust the certification! These people will eat only fruits and vegetables with removable skins, such as potatoes, carrots, apples and bananas, and will eat them only after removing the skins.

Fruits

• All fruits are Kosher for Passover!

Pesach Options for Vegetarians and Vegans

All fruits and most vegetables are kosher for Passover, but they aren't a very good source of protein. Many popular vegetarian sources of protein are not kosher for Passover: beans, grains, pasta, soy products (tofu, tempeh, etc.) and many seeds, among other things, are all forbidden. What is a good vegetarian to do?
Vegetarians who eat eggs and dairy products are in luck: eggs and milk are kosher for Passover and do not require special certification if they are purchased before the holiday begins. Cottage cheese, yogurt, cream cheese and sour cream require certification, but several leading national brands routinely carry such certification. Hard cheeses (cheddar, mozzerella, etc.) are more difficult to find, but only because kosher hard cheese itself is difficult to find -- rennet that is used to harden cheese is a complicated kashrut issue. Kosher brands of cheese, such as Miller's, are commonly kosher for Passover.
For vegans, who refrain from eggs and dairy, there are still a few options. Most nuts are kosher for Passover, though you must make sure they are kosher certified: processed nuts are made with preservatives BHA and BHT, which is suspended in corn oil, not kosher for Passover. You can find a nice selection of kosher for Passover nuts at Oh Nuts. Important Note: Peanuts are not nuts, they're legumes, and they are not kosher for Passover.
Another exciting Passover protein option for vegetarians and vegans is quinoa, the new world grain-that's-not-a-grain. Quinoa is one of the best, most complete vegetarian sources of protein available. Some rabbis have held that quinoa is kitniyot and is forbidden, but many widely-respected kosher certification organizations have held that quinoa is kosher for Passover. See for example Star-K. At one time, the CRC organization held that Ancient Harvest brand whole grain quinoa (not flour or flakes) was kosher for Passover without special certification, though at this time (4 Mar 2010) they have not yet made that determination for 2010. Several have said that whole grain quinoa can be used but must be sifted carefully to make sure no forbidden grains have slipped in. See for example OU.
Two of the recipes on this page are vegetarian (though not vegan): matzah brie and matzah lasagna. I have posted a number of vegetarian and vegan Passover recipes on my blog.

Substitutions

As I said above, you should generally avoid substitutions and focus on foods that are naturally kosher for Pesach. That being said, there are a few simple substitutions that can give you more options for your Pesach cooking without compromising flavor.

Potato Starch

Potato starch can be used instead of corn starch or flour to thicken sauces, stews or gravies.

Matzah Meal

Matzah meal is ground up matzah in pieces about the size of bread crumbs. It is an effective substitute for bread crumbs to make breading for things like fried chicken or eggplant parmesan. In fact, I use it that way year round. It is also an effective substitute for bread crumbs or rice in recipes where they are used to hold ground beef together, such as stuffed peppers, meatloaf or meatball recipes.

Matzah Farfel

Matzah farfel is chunks of matzah about the size of a dime. It is a useful substitute for noodles, rice or pasta as a side dish. Serve your main course over matzah farfel and it will soak up the sauces nicely. It can also be used much like croutons on a salad, or can be used as the basis for a Kosher-for-Passover stuffing.

Recipes

The ingredients specified for these recipes are all available with Kosher-for-Passover certification in the supermarkets near me; your mileage may vary. Make sure the ingredients you use are certified, as many of these things contain grain products when they are not KFP-certified.

Matzah Brie (Fried Matzah)

There are many different ways to make matzah brie (usually rhymes with "rye," although some pronounce it like the cheese), and I will undoubtedly be branded a heretic for my particular technique, but this is the way I learned to make it and this is the way I like it. This recipe is really just French toast with matzah instead of bread!
Prepare the same kind of soaking batter you would make for French toast: beat a couple of eggs with some milk or water and some cinnamon. Break up some matzah into pieces about the size of your palm (precision is not required) and soak them in the batter until they are a little soggy but not falling apart. Fry them in butter in a frying pan until they are crispy. If you need to use up the last of the egg mixture, you can pour that into the pan with the last of the matzah.
Serve with honey (because it's hard to find syrup that is kosher for Passover -- most syrup these days is corn syrup). It's good hot or cold, so you can put your leftovers in the refrigerator and have them for lunch!

Beef Brisket

Once again, I will probably be branded a heretic for this simplistic brisket recipe, but it works well for me. I'm not sure of the quantities, because I don't make this very often and I go by feel:

• London broil beef (yeah, I know, it's supposed to be brisket beef, but I prefer the taste and the leanness of London broil)
• A bottle of ketchup (make sure it's Kosher for Passover! Most ketchup uses grain-based vinegar)
• A packet of powdered onion soup mix (Goodmans makes a nice one that is Kosher for Passover)
• Some water

Mix the ketchup and soup mix with enough water to get a smooth consistency (not a soupy one; about the consistency the ketchup originally was). Pour it over the London broil in a roasting pan. Cook at 325 degrees until it's done (depends on the size and shape of the meat). For more tender brisket, you may want to marinate it for a while before cooking.

Matzah Lasagna

This is the ultimate expression of a substitution mentality, which is exactly what I tell you to avoid throughout this page... and yet, I really like the way it tastes. It is my Pesach guilty pleasure. Basically, this is a typical lasagna with matzah substituted for the noodles and cottage cheese for the ricotta (because ricotta cheese is usually made with grain vinegar, though it's not called that on the ingredients list -- it's called catalyzer or something goofy like that).

• 2 pieces of matzah
• Tomato or spaghetti sauce (make sure it's kosher for Passover!)
• Cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• Parmesan cheese
• Optional: chopped vegetables, such as chopped broccoli or zucchini
• Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Beat the egg. Mix it with about 8 oz. cottage cheese and the parmesan cheese. If using vegetables, mix those in as well. In an 8x8 inch cake pan (conveniently the same size as a piece of matzah), put down a thin layer of tomato sauce. Put a piece of matzah on top of that. Put a thin layer of tomato sauce on top of the matzah. Spread the cottage cheese mix over the matzah. Put a thin layer of sauce over the cottage cheese mix. Cover with the second piece of matzah. Cover with sauce and shredded mozzarella. Bake at 350 degrees until the mozzarella turns dark brown.

Links to Other Recipes

Elsewhere in this site, I have provided recipes for the following dishes which are (or can be made) Kosher for Passover:

• Latkes, potato pancakes traditionally served during Chanukkah. Makes a nice Sunday breakfast.
• Matzah Ball Soup, traditionally served at Pesach seder.
• Holishkes: sweet and sour stuffed cabbage.

Pesach Seder: How is This Night Different

Pesach Seder: How is This Night Different Level: Intermediate

• Seder is designed to contrast with traditional daily and holiday practices • It is best understood in the context of those practices

The best-known quote from the Pesach Haggadah is, "why is this night different from all other nights?" This line is usually recited by the youngest person at the table (or at least, the youngest person capable of reciting it). It is meant to express the child's confusion at the difference between a typical every-day or holiday meal and the unusual features of the seder.
The Haggadah was written by Jews for Jews at a time when most Jews observed (or at least were familiar with) Jewish law and custom. It was written with the assumption that even the youngest child the seder would know the daily rituals followed by observant Jews and would notice how this night is different from other nights. The Haggadah deliberately contradicts those expectations in order to provoke the child to ask questions about the proceedings.
Times have changed. Today, more than 80% of Jews have attended a Pesach seder, but barely half of all Jews have had any Jewish education whatsoever. In addition, many gentiles attend seders; in fact, it has become so common for churches to conduct seders that a young Catholic co-worker of mine was surprised to hear that Passover was a Jewish holiday! To much of the modern audience, the seder is a confusing mix of unfamiliar, meaningless practices. Everything is different from what they know, so they don't understand how this night is different from typical Jewish practice.
This page will provide a context for the rituals observed in the Pesach seder. If you're looking for deep spiritual insights, then you're probably in the wrong place. But if you want to understand the similarities and differences between the seder and other Jewish holidays and observances, then this is the page for you.
First, we will look at a regular Jewish weekday meal at the time the Haggadah was written (practices still followed by observant Jews today). Next, we will see how the everyday practices change for an ordinary Shabbat and holiday dinner. Finally, we will look at how the seder is different by following the outline of the Haggadah. You may find it useful to have a Haggadah handy for that section. See my discussion of buying a haggadah if you don't already have one.

A Weekday Meal

Before eating, an observant Jew recites a blessing acknowledging G-d as the creator of the food. There are different blessings for different classes of food: one for "bread" (including pizza, matzah, and many other foods made from dough derived from one of five grains), one for other grain foods, one for fruits, one for vegetables, one for wine and one for miscellaneous foods.
At the time that the Haggadah was written, bread was at the heart of every meal, and anything else eaten at the meal was considered secondary to the bread. Whenever bread is a significant component of a meal, the blessing over bread is recited first and covers all of the food and beverages at the meal (except wine). The blessing over bread is called motzi (pronounced "MOH-tzee"). See the text of this blessing under Shabbat Home Ritual.
Before eating bread, we must also "wash" our hands. This washing is a ritual purification, not a soap-and-water washing, and is followed by a blessing called netilat yadayim ("lifting up the hands"). Immediately after this washing and blessing, without interruption, we recite motzi and begin the meal. See the procedure and the text of this blessing under Shabbat Home Ritual.
Observant Jews also recite a blessing after we eat. Like the blessing before eating, the blessing after eating varies depending on what we have eaten. Also like the blessing before eating, if bread was a significant component of the meal, there is a blessing that takes precedence and covers everything else. This blessing after a bread meal is called Birkat ha-Mazon (usually translated as "Grace After Meals," although it literally means "blessing of the food"). Reciting this blessing is referred to as bentsching (Yiddish for "blessing"). Birkat ha-Mazon is a lengthy blessing; in fact, it is so long that some observant Jews, when pressed for time, will go out of their way to avoid eating bread at a meal to avoid triggering the need to bentsch!
So to sum up a typical daily meal for an observant Jew:

1. wash the hands
2. recite netilat yadayim
3. recite motzi
4. eat
5. bentsch

A Shabbat or Holiday Meal

On Shabbat or a holiday, a meal is more festive and more elaborate, and so are the prayers that go along with it.
The Shabbat or festival meal begins with a special blessing over wine called kiddush, which recognizes the holiness of the day and the reason that the day is special. This blessing includes within it the normal blessing over wine as a beverage (called ha-gafen). At the end of the blessing, we drink the wine. See the Shabbat Kiddush or theSukkot Kiddush.
Motzi is also somewhat more elaborate on Shabbat and holidays. On an ordinary day, motzi would simply be recited over the bread we're about to eat, but on Shabbat or a holiday, we have special loaves of fancy bread set aside for this blessing. We say motzi over the bread, then tear apart one of the fancy loaves and give a piece to everyone at the table to begin the meal.
In addition, bentsching is more elaborate. On an ordinary weekday, birkat ha-mazon might be recited quickly in an undertone, or with only the first and last paragraphs read aloud as a group. On Shabbat or a holiday, birkat ha-mazon is sung by the group to festive tunes.
So to sum up a Shabbat or festival meal:

1. recite kiddush
2. wash the hands
3. recite netilat yadayim
4. recite motzi over loaves of bread
5. break the bread
6. eat
7. bentsch with elaborate songs

Pesach: How This Night Is Different

A traditional child raised in an observant household would know that Pesach is a holiday, and would expect the sabbath or festival procedure laid out above, but Pesach has a distinctly different set of observances. The seder is broken into 15 parts: Kaddesh, Urechatz, Karpas, Yachatz, Maggid, Rachtzah, Motzi, Matzah, Maror,Korekh, Shulchan Orekh, Tzafun, Barekh, Hallel, Nirtzah.

Kaddesh

Recite a blessing over wine in honor of the holiday.
The seder begins normally enough with kiddush. In fact, the kiddush that is recited for Pesach is almost identical to the one recited on several other festivals, with only one line different: the one identifying the holiday and its significance as "this day of the Festival of Matzahs, the time of our liberation."

Urechatz

Wash the hands without saying a blessing.
Things seem to be continuing as usual with the washing of hands, but after washing, we don't recite netilat yadayim. This is the first difference that would catch a child's attention. Indeed most traditional commentaries say that the reason we don't say the blessing after the washing is so the children will ask!

Karpas

Dip a vegetable (usually parsley) in salt water, say a blessing and eat it.
We didn't have to say netilat yadayim after washing because we're not going to eat bread for a while. That's the second difference that is supposed to catch a child's attention: instead of proceeding from wine to bread, we're eating a vegetable first. Vegetables shouldn't be eaten before bread and bread should be right after kiddush. We also dip the vegetable in salt water, which is not forbidden, but it's not a traditional practice at any time other than Pesach. Then we recite the blessing for vegetables (the same blessing we would recite any time we eat vegetables without bread), and we eat the vegetable.

Yachatz

One of the three matzahs on the table is broken. Part is returned to the pile, the other part is set aside.
The third difference comes with the breaking of the matzah. "Breaking" bread before eating it is not unusual on Shabbat or a holiday, but normally we would say a motzi before the breaking and eat the bread afterwards. On Pesach, we break the bread without saying motzi, and instead of eating it we hide a piece and put back the other half.

Maggid

A retelling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt and the first Pesach. This begins with the youngest person asking The Four Questions, a set of questions about the proceedings designed to encourage participation in the seder.
At this point, the Haggadah assumes, the child is overwhelmed with curiosity about the proceedings, and is encouraged to ask the "Four Questions," noting four differences between this night and other nights: 1) we eat matzah instead of bread, 2) we eat bitter vegetables, 3) we dip our vegetables twice, and 4) we recline instead of sitting up straight. Obviously, this child has been to the seder before, because we haven't eaten bitter vegetables yet (although they are on the table), and we've only dipped once!

 

The family then joins together to tell the story of Pesach as it is laid out in the Haggadah. The Haggadah collects together a variety of materials from the Talmud talking about the meaning of Pesach. It also explains the significance of the various items found on the seder plate at the table.

 

Telling a story at the table before eating is not a typical Jewish practice; we normally don't delay eating!

Rachtzah

A second washing of the hands, this time with a blessing, in preparation for eating the matzah.
After the Maggid section of the Haggadah, things settle down to a more normal Shabbat or holiday pattern. We wash the hands and recite netilat yadayim, as on any day of the week before eating bread.

Motzi and Matzah

Recite two blessings over the matzah, break it, and give a piece to everyone to eat.
Two blessings are recited over the matzah. This is unusual: normally only one blessing is recited over bread. The first blessing is the same motzi blessing recited over bread before any bread meal. This is followed by a special blessing regarding the commandment to eat matzah, which is recited only at Pesach. The matzah is then broken and eaten by everyone at the table.

Maror

A blessing is recited over a bitter vegetable (usually horseradish) and it is eaten.
Normally, once the bread is broken, we dig into the meal, but there are two more rituals to observe before eating at Pesach.

 

First, we recite a blessing regarding the commandment to eat maror (bitter herbs, usually horseradish) during Pesach, we dip the maror in charoset (a sweet apple-nut-cinnamon mixture) and eat it. This is the second dipping that is mentioned in the Four Questions near the beginning of the Maggid section of the Haggadah.

Korekh

A bitter vegetable (usually romaine lettuce) and charoset (a sweet apple-wine-nut mixture) are placed on a piece of matzah and eaten together.
Korekh is sandwich made from matzah, bitter herbs and charoset. It is not eaten at any other time of the year. The custom of eating korekh at the Pesach seder derives from a question regarding the precise meaning of a phrase in Num. 9:11, which instructs people to eat the pesach offering "al matzot u'marorim." Although this phrase is usually translated as "with matzahs and bitter herbs," the word "al" literally means "on top of," so the great Rabbi Hillel thought that the pesach offering should be eaten as a sort of open-faced sandwich, with the meat and bitter herbs stacked on top of matzah. Out of respect for Rabbi Hillel, we eat matzah and bitter herbs together this way. We don't have a pesach offering any more, so we can't include that, but we do include some of the charoset. The bitter herb we use for this is a different one than the one used for maror. Romaine lettuce is usually used for this second bitter herb.

Shulchan Orekh

A festive meal is eaten.
Finally! It's time to eat. A large, festive meal is eaten at a leisurely pace. But don't eat too much! It will make you sleepy, and there is plenty more to come after dinner.

Tzafun

The piece of matzah that was set aside is located and/or ransomed back, and eaten as the last part of the meal, a sort of dessert.
The last thing that is eaten at the meal should be the afikomen, the second half of the matzah that was broken and hidden during the Yachatz portion near the beginning of the seder. This may be eaten after more typical dessert items, such as kosher-for-Pesach cake and cookies, but the afikomen must be the last thing eaten. There are different traditions about what to do with the afikomen: either the children hide it and the parents find it or vice versa. Either way, it usually winds up with the children being rewarded. This custom is clearly intended to keep the children's attention going until after dinner. It is often a child's fondest memory of the seder!

 

This custom is unique to Pesach; Jews don't normally play hide-and-seek with dessert, and we usually end a festive meal with something sweeter than matzah.

Barekh

Grace after meals.
As on any other day, after a meal with bread (and matzah counts as bread), we recite Birkat Ha-Mazon (grace after meals), a lengthy series of prayers. The Barekh portion of the seder is almost identical to the Birkat Ha-Mazon recited on major holidays and on the first of every Jewish month.

 

Barekh is followed by the blessing over and drinking of the third cup of wine, which is unique to Pesach. We do not normally drink wine after bentsching.

 

At this point, the seder shifts from discussions of past redemption to hopes for future redemption. We pour an extra cup of wine and open the door to welcome the return of the prophet Elijah, who will be the herald of the Messiah. We pray for G-d to express his anger and wrath at those who oppress us today as he did against Pharaoh when Pharaoh oppressed us in ancient times. This discussion is also unique to Pesach.

Hallel

Psalms of praise.
Next we recite Hallel, which consists of Psalms 113 to 118 praising G-d. Hallel is routinely recited as part of the morning synagogue service on most holidays as well as on the first day of every Jewish month. We recited Psalms 113 and 114 earlier, toward the end of the Maggid section of the Haggadah. Now we pick up the rest of Hallel: Psalms 115 through 118, followed by the usual prayer that concludes Hallel during a morning service (They shall praise You, L-rd our G-d, for all your works…for from eternity to eternity You are G-d). Although Hallel is a common part of morning prayer services, it is normally not recited at night. Pesach seder is the only time that we recite Hallel at night. Of course, if your seder runs as long as the seder of the sages, described at the beginning of the Maggid section, then perhaps you will be reading this in the morning!

 

The Hallel psalms are followed by Psalm 136, a psalm praising G-d that specifically mentions the Exodus, and a series of prayers. Both of these are part of the Shabbat Pesukei d'Zimra (verses of song), the early "warm-up" part of weekly sabbath services. Again, these are things that are normally recited in morning services rather than at night.

 

At the end of this section, we bless and drink the fourth and final cup of wine.

Nirtzah

A statement that the seder is complete, with a wish that next year the seder might be observed in Jerusalem.
Nirtzah simply announces the end of the seder. There are many songs and stories that follow this that people often linger and recite or sing, to express their joy with the seder and their unwillingness to leave, but the seder is complete with the declaration, "Next Year in Jerusalem!" This declaration of our messianic hopes (that the messiah will come soon, allowing us to celebrate next year in Jerusalem rebuilt) is part of liturgy on several Jewish holidays.

Thus is concluded the explanation of the seder!

Pesach: Passover

Pesach: Passover Level: Basic

Significance: Remembers the Exodus from Egypt Observances: Avoiding all leavened grain products and related foods; Family or communal retelling of the Exodus story Length: 8 days (Some: 7 days)

And this day shall become a memorial for you, and you shall observe it as a festival for the L-RD, for your generations, as an eternal decree shall you observe it. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove the leaven from your homes ... you shall guard the unleavened bread, because on this very day I will take you out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day for your generations as an eternal decree. - Exodus 12:14-17

Seder Plate

Pesach, known in English as Passover, is one of the most commonly observed Jewish holidays, even by otherwise non-observant Jews. According to the 2000-01 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS), 67% of Jews routinely hold or attend a Pesach seder, while only 46% belong to a synagogue.

Pesach begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two are Shavu'ot and Sukkot). Agriculturally, it represents the beginning of the harvest season inIsrael, but little attention is paid to this aspect of the holiday. The primary observances of Pesach are related to the Exodus from Egypt after generations of slavery. This story is told in Exodus, Ch. 1-15. Many of the Pesach observances are instituted in Chs. 12-15.

The name "Pesach" (PAY-sahch, with a "ch" as in the Scottish "loch") comes from the Hebrew root Pei-Samekh-Cheit , meaning to pass through, to pass over, to exempt or to spare. It refers to the fact that G-d "passed over" the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt. In English, the holiday is known as Passover. "Pesach" is also the name of thesacrificial offering (a lamb) that was made in the Temple on this holiday. The holiday is also referred to as Chag he-Aviv , (the Spring Festival), Chag ha-Matzot , (the Festival of Matzahs), and Z'man Cheiruteinu , (the Time of Our Freedom) (again, all with those Scottish "ch"s).

Pesach Laws and Customs

Probably the most significant observance related to Pesach involves avoiding chametz (leaven; sounds like "hum it's" with that Scottish "ch") throughout the holiday. This commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way of removing the "puffiness" (arrogance, pride) from our souls.

Chametz includes anything made from the five major grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt) that has not been completely cooked within 18 minutes after first coming into contact with water. Orthodox Jews of Ashkenazic background also avoid rice, corn, peanuts, legumes (beans) and some other foods as if they were chametz. All of these items are commonly used to make bread, or are grown and processed near chametz, thus use of them was prohibited to avoid any confusion or cross-contamination. Such additional items are referred to as "kitniyot." (usually pronounced as in Yiddish, KIT-nee-yohs).

We may not eat chametz during Pesach; we may not even own it or derive benefit from it. We may not even feed it to our pets or cattle. All chametz, including utensils used to cook chametz, must either be disposed of or sold to a non-Jew (they can be repurchased after the holiday). Pets' diets must be changed for the holiday, or the pets must be sold to a non-Jew (like the food and utensils, the pets can be repurchased after the holiday ends). You can sell your chametz online throughChabad-Lubavitch. I have noticed that many non-Jews and non-observant Jews mock this practice of selling chametz as an artificial technicality. I assure you that this sale is very real and legally binding, and would not be valid under Jewish law if it were not. From the gentile's perspective, the purchase functions much like the buying and selling of futures on the stock market: even though he does not take physical possession of the goods, his temporary legal ownership of those goods is very real and potentially profitable.

The process of cleaning the home of all chametz in preparation for Pesach is an enormous task. To do it right, you must prepare for several weeks and spend several days scrubbing everything down, going over the edges of your stove and fridge with a toothpick and a Q-Tip, covering all surfaces that come in contact with food with foil or shelf-liner, etc., etc., etc. After the cleaning is completed, the morning before the seder, a formal search of the house for chametz is undertaken, and any remaining chametz is burned.

The grain product we eat during Pesach is called matzah. Matzah is unleavened bread, made simply from flour and water and cooked very quickly. This is the bread that the Jews made for their flight from Egypt. We have come up with many inventive ways to use matzah; it is available in a variety of textures for cooking: matzah flour (finely ground for cakes and cookies), matzah meal (coarsely ground, used as a bread crumb substitute), matzah farfel (little chunks, a noodle or crouton substitute), and full-sized matzah (sheets about 8 inch square, a bread substitute).

Some people observe an additional strictness during Pesach known as gebrochts, from a Yiddish word meaning "broken," although I'm not sure what brokenness has to do with this restriction. Those who observe gebrochts (or more accurately, "no gebrochts") will avoid any matzah product that has come into contact with liquid after being baked. The rule arises from a concern that matzah may contain bits of flour that were not completely cooked and that would become leavened upon contact with liquid. People who observe this strictness cannot eat many common traditional Pesach dishes, such as matzah ball soup, and cannot even eat charoset on matzah at seder. They are careful not to spill seder wine on their matzah, and promptly remove the wine spilled as part of the seder. Observance of this additional restriction is not common, but many people become exposed to it because it is followed by the Chabad-Lubavitch, who are active in Jewish education. Some have criticized gebrochts for unnecessarily complicating Pesach and taking some of the joy out of this celebration of freedom for no good reason, noting that the premise of this rule contradicts codes of Jewish law that explicitly say it is impossible for matzah to become chametz once it is baked. Nevertheless, this effort to more fully observe G-d's law is worthy of respect, even if you are not inclined to add this restriction to your own Pesach experience.

The day before Pesach is the Fast of the Firstborn, a minor fast for all firstborn males, commemorating the fact that the firstborn Jewish males in Egypt were not killed during the final plague.

On the first night of Pesach (first two nights for traditional Jews outside Israel), we have a special family meal filled with ritual to remind us of the significance of the holiday. This meal is called a seder , from a Hebrew root word meaning "order," because there is a specific set of information that must be discussed in a specific order. It is the same root from which we derive the word "siddur" , (prayer book). An overview of a traditional seder is included below.

Pesach lasts for eight days (seven days in Israel). The first two days and last two days of the holiday (first and last in Israel) are days on which no work is permitted. SeeExtra Day of Holidays for more information. Work is permitted on the intermediate days. These intermediate days on which work is permitted are referred to as Chol Ha-Mo'ed, as are the intermediate days of Sukkot.

When Pesach Begins on a Saturday Night

Occasionally, Pesach begins on a motzaei Shabbat, that is, on Saturday night after the sabbath has concluded. This last occurred in 5768 (2008), and will not occur again until 5781 (2021). This complicates the process of preparing for Pesach, because many of the preparations normally undertaken on the day before Pesach cannot be performed on Shabbat.

The Fast of the Firstborn, normally observed on the day before Pesach, is observed on Thursday instead. The search for chametz, normally performed on the night before Pesach, is performed on Thursday night. The seder should be prepared for as much as possible before Shabbat begins, because time should not be taken away from Shabbat to prepare for Pesach. In addition, there are severe complications dealing with the conflict between the requirement of removing chametz no later than mid-morning on Saturday, the prohibition against eating matzah on the day before the seder, and the requirement of eating three meals with bread during Shabbat! For further details, see an excellent summary from the Orthodox Union, the world's largest, oldest and perhaps most respected kosher certification agency.

The Pesach Seder

And if your son asks you in the future, saying, What are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, that the L-RD our G-d commanded you? You will say to your son, We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt; and the L-RD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. The L-RD gave signs and wonders, great and harmful, against Egypt, against Pharaoh, and against all his household, before our eyes: And he brought us out of there to bring us in, to give us the land that he promised our fathers. -Deuteronomy 6:20-23

The text of the Pesach seder is written in a book called the haggadah. The haggadah tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt and explains some of the practices and symbols of the holiday. Suggestions for buying a haggadah are included below. The content of the seder can be summed up by the following Hebrew rhyme:

Kaddesh, Urechatz,

Karpas, Yachatz,

Maggid, Rachtzah,

Motzi, Matzah,

Maror, Korekh,

Shulchan Orekh,

Tzafun, Barekh,

Hallel, Nirtzah

Now, what does that mean?

1. Kaddesh: Sanctification

A blessing over wine in honor of the holiday. The wine is drunk, and a second cup is poured.

 

2. Urechatz: Washing

A washing of the hands without a blessing, in preparation for eating the Karpas.

 

3. Karpas: Vegetable

A vegetable (usually parsley) is dipped in salt water and eaten. The vegetable symbolizes the lowly origins of the Jewish people; the salt water symbolizes the tears shed as a result of our slavery. Parsley is a good vegetable to use for this purpose, because when you shake off the salt water, it looks like tears.

 

4. Yachatz: Breaking

One of the three matzahs on the table is broken. Part is returned to the pile, the other part is set aside for the afikomen (see below).

 

5. Maggid: The Story

A retelling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt and the first Pesach. This begins with the youngest person asking The Four Questions, a set of questions about the proceedings designed to encourage participation in the seder. The Four Questions are also known as Mah Nishtanah (Why is it different?), which are the first words of the Four Questions. This is often sung. See below.

 

The maggid is designed to satisfy the needs of four different types of people: the wise one, who wants to know the technical details; the wicked one, who excludes himself (and learns the penalty for doing so); the simple one, who needs to know the basics; and the one who is unable to ask, who doesn't even know enough to know what he needs to know.

 

At the end of the maggid, a blessing is recited over the second cup of wine and it is drunk.

 

6. Rachtzah: Washing

A second washing of the hands, this time with a blessing, in preparation for eating the matzah

 

7. Motzi: Blessing over Grain Products

The ha-motzi blessing, a generic blessing for bread or grain products used as a meal, is recited over the matzah.

 

8. Matzah: Blessing over Matzah

A blessing specific to matzah is recited, and a bit of matzah is eaten.

 

9. Maror: Bitter Herbs

A blessing is recited over a bitter vegetable (usually raw horseradish; sometimes romaine lettuce), and it is eaten. This symbolizes the bitterness of slavery. The maror is dipped in charoset, a mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon and wine, which symbolizes the mortar used by the Jews in building during their slavery. (I highly recommend it -- it's the best tasting thing on the holiday, and goes surprisingly well with horseradish! My recipe is included below.)

 

Note that there are two bitter herbs on the seder plate: one labeled Maror and one labeled Chazeret. The one labeled Maror should be used for Maror and the one labeled Chazeret should be used in the Korekh, below.

 

10. Korekh: The Sandwich

Rabbi Hillel was of the opinion that the maror should be eaten together with matzah and the paschal offering in a sandwich. In his honor, we eat some maror on a piece of matzah, with some charoset (we don't do animal sacrifice anymore, so there is no paschal offering to eat).

 

11. Shulchan Orekh: Dinner

A festive meal is eaten. There is no particular requirement regarding what to eat at this meal (except, of course, that chametz cannot be eaten). Among Ashkenazic Jews, gefilte fish and matzah ball soup are traditionally eaten at the beginning of the meal. Roast chicken or turkey are common as a main course, as is beef brisket.

 

12. Tzafun: The Afikomen

The piece of matzah set aside earlier is eaten as "dessert," the last food of the meal. Different families have different traditions relating to the afikomen. Some have the children hide it, while the parents have to either find it or ransom it back. Others have the parents hide it. The idea is to keep the children awake and attentive throughout the pre-meal proceedings, waiting for this part.

 

13. Barekh: Grace after Meals

The third cup of wine is poured, and birkat ha-mazon (grace after meals) is recited. This is similar to the grace that would be said on any Shabbat. At the end, a blessing is said over the third cup and it is drunk. The fourth cup is poured, including a cup set aside for the prophet Elijah, who is supposed to herald theMessiah, and is supposed to come on Pesach to do this. The door is opened for a while at this point (supposedly for Elijah, but historically because Jews were accused of nonsense like putting the blood of Christian babies in matzah, and we wanted to show our Christian neighbors that we weren't doing anything unseemly).

 

14. Hallel: Praises

Several psalms are recited. A blessing is recited over the last cup of wine and it is drunk.

 

15. Nirtzah: Closing

A simple statement that the seder has been completed, with a wish that next year, we may celebrate Pesach in Jerusalem (i.e., that the Messiah will come within the next year). This is followed by various hymns and stories.

 

For more information about how the Pesach seder compares to a traditional Jewish weekday, Shabbat or holiday meal, see Pesach Seder: How is This Night Different.

Pesach Music

Many people think of Pesach as a time of deprivation: a time when we cannot eat bread or other leavened foods. This is not the traditional way of viewing the holiday. Pesach is Z'man Cheiruteinu, the Time of Our Freedom, and the joy of that time is evident in the music of the season. There are many joyous songs sung during the seder.

Mah Nishtanah (Why is it Different?)  This is the tune sung during the youngest participant's recitation of the Four Questions.
Why is this night different from all other nights, from all other nights?	Mah nishtanah ha-lahylah ha-zeh mi-kol ha-layloht, mi-kol ha-layloht?
On all other nights, we may eat chametz and matzah, chametz and matzah. On this night, on this night, only matzah.	She-b'khol ha-layloht anu okhlin chameytz u-matzah, chameytz u-matzah. Ha-lahylah ha-zeh, ha-lahylah ha-zeh, kooloh matzah.
On all other nights, we eat many vegetables, many vegetables. On this night, on this night, maror.	She-b'khol ha-layloht anu okhlin sh'ar y'rakot, sh'ar y'rakot. Ha-lahylah ha-zeh, ha-lahylah ha-zeh, maror.
On all other nights, we do not dip even once. On this night, on this night, twice.	She-b'khol ha-layloht ayn anu mat'bilin afilu pa'am echat, afilu pa'am echat. Ha-lahylah ha-zeh, ha-lahylah ha-zeh, sh'tay p'amim.
On all other nights, we eat either sitting or reclining, either sitting or reclining. On this night, on this night, we all recline.	She-b'khol ha-layloht anu okhlin bayn yosh'bin u'vayn m'soobin, bayn yosh'bin u'vayn m'soobin. Ha-lahylah ha-zeh, ha-lahylah ha-zeh, koolanu m'soobin.

Dahyenu (It Would Have Been Enough For Us)  This is one of the most popular tunes of the seder, a very up-beat song about the many favors that G-d bestowed upon us when He brought us out of Egypt. The song appears in the haggadah after the telling of the story of the exodus, just before the explanation of Pesach, Matzah and Maror. I provide just two sample verses from a rather long song. The English does not include all of the repetition that is in the Hebrew.
Had He brought us out of Egypt and not judged them, it would have been enough for us.	Ilu hotzi-hotzianu hotzianu mi-Mitzrayim, v'lo asah bahem s'fateem dahyenu.
(Chorus) It would have been enough for us.	Dahy-dahyenu, dahy-dahyenu, dahy-dahyenu, dahyenu, dahyenu, dahyenu. Dahy-dahyenu, dahy-dahyenu, dahy-dahyenu, dahyenu, dahyenu!
Had He judged them and not done so to their idols, it would have been enough for us.	Ilu asah bahem s'fateem, v'lo asah beyloheyhem, v'lo asah beyloheyhem dahyenu.
Chorus, etc.

Eliyahu Ha-Navi (Elijah, the Prophet)  Many people sing this song when the Cup of Elijah is poured and the door is opened in anticipation of his return.
Elijah the Prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, Elijah, Elijah, Elijah the Gileadite	Eliyahu ha-Navi, Eliyahu ha-Tishbi, Eliyahu, Eliyahu, Eliyahu ha-Giladi.
Speedily and in our days, come to us, with the messiah, son of David, with the messiah, son of David.	Bimhayrah v'yamenu, yavo aleynu, im Mashiach ben David, im Mashiach ben David.

Adir Hu (He is Mighty)  Adir Hu is a great sing-along song, because it has a lot of repetition. You don't need to know much Hebrew to get by with this one! It's also got a catchy tune. It's sung as the seder comes to a close. It expresses our hope that the messianic age will begin soon, and the Temple will be rebuilt. Each line of praise begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, in alphabetical order, a common gimmick in Jewish hymns.
He is mighty, He is mighty	Adir hu, adir hu
Chorus: May He soon rebuild his house Speedily, speedily and in our days, soon. G-d, rebuild! G-d, rebuild! Rebuild your house soon!	Chorus: Yivneh vayto b'karov Bim'hayrah, bim'hayrah, b'yamenu b'karov E-yl b'nay! E-yl b'nay! B'nay vayt'kha b'karov
He is distinguished, He is great, He is exhalted (Chorus)	Bachur hu, gadol hu, dagul hu, (Chorus)
He is glorious, He is faithful, He is faultless, He is righteous (Chorus)	Hadur hu, vatik hu, zakay hu, chasid hu, (Chorus)
He is pure, He is unique, He is powerful, He is wise, He is King, He is awesome, He is sublime, He is all-powerful, He is the redeemer, He is all-righteous (Chorus)	Tahor hu, yachid hu, kabir hu, Lamud hu, melekh hu, nora hu, Sagiv hu, izuz hu, podeh hu, tzaddik hu (Chorus)
He is holy, He is compassionate, He is almighty, He is omnipotent (Chorus)	Kadosh hu, rachum hu, shaddai hu, takif hu (Chorus)

Recipe for Charoset

This fruit, nut and wine mix is eaten during the seder. It is meant to remind us of the mortar used by the Jews to build during the period of slavery. It should have a coarse texture. The ingredient quantities listed here are at best a rough estimate; I usually just eye-ball it. The recipe below makes a very large quantity, but we usually wind up making more before the holiday is over. Other fruits or nuts can be used.

• 4 medium apples, 2 tart and 2 sweet
• 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1/4 cup sweet wine
• 1/4 cup dry wine
• 1 Tbs. cinnamon

Shred the apples. Add all other ingredients. Allow to sit for 3-6 hours, until the wine is absorbed by the other ingredients. Serve on matzah. Goes very well with horseradish.

Buying a Haggadah

If you want to know more about Pesach, the best place to start is with the haggadah. The haggadah was written as a teaching tool, to allow people at all levels to learn the significance of Pesach and its symbols.

There are a wide variety of Haggadahs available for every political and religious point of view: traditional haggadahs, liberal haggadahs, mystical haggadahs, feminist haggadahs, and others. I have even seen what might be described as an atheist haggadah: one that does not mention the role of G-d in the Exodus.

If you're buying a haggadah for study or collection, there are many haggadahs with extensive commentary or with pictures from illuminated medieval haggadahs. However, if you're buying haggadahs for actual use at a seder, you're best off with an inexpensive paperback. Keep in mind that you'll need one for everybody, you're likely to get food and wine on these things, and you'll be using them year after year.

I'm particularly partial to the Artscroll/Mesorah series' The Family Haggadah. It has the full, Orthodox text of the haggadah in English side-by-side with Hebrew and Aramaic, with complete instructions for preparing for and performing the seder. The translations are very readable and the book includes marginal notes explaining the significance of each paragraph of the text. This book is usually only available at Jewish gift or book stores, and usually sells for about $2.50.

Another good traditional one is Nathan Goldberg's Passover Haggadah. This is the familiar "yellow and red cover" haggadah that so many of us grew up with. Believe it or not, it is frequently available in grocery stores in the Passover aisle. It usually sells for less than $5, and is often given away free with certain grocery purchases.

Watch out for Christianized versions of the haggadah. The Christian "last supper" is generally believed to have been a Pesach seder, so many Christians recreate the ritual of the seder, and the haggadahs that they use for this purpose tend to reinterpret the significance of the holiday and its symbols to fit into their Christian theology. For example, they say that the three matzahs represent the Trinity, with the broken one representing Jesus on the cross (in Judaism, the three matzahs represent the threeTemples, two of which have been destroyed, and the third of which will be built when the mashiach comes). They speak of the paschal lamb as a prophecy of Jesus, rather than a remembrance of the lamb's blood on the doorposts in Egypt. If you want to learn what Pesach means to Jews, then these "messianic" haggadahs aren't for you.

Finding a Seder

Are you looking for a place to attend a Pesach seder? Chabad-Lubavitch sponsors Pesach seders all around the country. You can search for a seder in your area using their International Seder Directory.

Key Terms

Note: Pronunciations are intended to reflect the way these terms are most commonly pronounced by Jews in the United States, and may not be strictly technically correct.

Term	Meaning	Pronunciation	Hebrew
Pesach	Passover	PAY-sahkh or PEH-sahkh
Matzah	Unleavened bread	MAHTZ-uh
Chametz	Leavened things	KHUH-mitz
Seder	Home ritual performed on the first two nights of Pesach	SAY-d'r
Haggadah	The book read during the seder	huh-GAH-duh

Video: The Seder Plate

I've put together a video on YouTube that explains the items on the seder table and another discussing the beginning of the seder. I hope to have more of the seder on YouTube soon.

• The Seder Plate (3:30)
• Kaddesh, Urechatz, Karpas, Yachatz (4:47)

List of Dates

Pesach will occur on the following days of the secular calendar:

• Jewish Year 5773: sunset March 25, 2013 - nightfall April 2, 2013
• Jewish Year 5774: sunset April 14, 2014 - nightfall April 22, 2014
• Jewish Year 5775: sunset April 3, 2015 - nightfall April 11, 2015
• Jewish Year 5776: sunset April 22, 2016 - nightfall April 30, 2016
• Jewish Year 5777: sunset April 10, 2017 - nightfall April 18, 2017

For additional holiday dates, see Links to Jewish Calendars.

Purim

Purim Level: Basic

Significance: Remembers the defeat of a plot to exterminate the Jews Observances: Public reading of the book of Esther while "blotting out" the villain's name Length: 1 day Customs: Costume parties; drinking; eating fruit-filled triangular cookies

In the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on its thirteenth day ... on the day that the enemies of the Jews were expected to prevail over them, it was turned about: the Jews prevailed over their adversaries. - Esther 9:1
And they gained relief on the fourteenth, making it a day of feasting and gladness. - Esther 9:17
[Mordecai instructed them] to observe them as days of feasting and gladness, and sending delicacies to one another, and gifts to the poor. - Esther 9:22

Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination.

The Book of Esther

The story of Purim is told in the Biblical book of Esther. The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem. King Ahasuerus loved Esther more than his other women and made Esther queen, but the king did not know that Esther was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her identity.

The villain of the story is Haman, an arrogant, egotistical advisor to the king. Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, so Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people. In a speech that is all too familiar to Jews, Haman told the king, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your realm. Their laws are different from those of every other people's, and they do not observe the king's laws; therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them." Esther 3:8. The king gave the fate of the Jewish people to Haman, to do as he pleased to them. Haman planned to exterminate all of the Jews.

Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. This was a dangerous thing for Esther to do, because anyone who came into the king's presence without being summoned could be put to death, and she had not been summoned. Esther fasted for three days to prepare herself, then went into the king. He welcomed her. Later, she told him of Haman's plot against her people. The Jewish people were saved, and Haman and his ten sons were hanged on the gallows that had been prepared for Mordecai.

The book of Esther is unusual in that it is the only book of the Bible that does not contain the name of G-d. In fact, it includes virtually no reference to G-d. Mordecai makes a vague reference to the fact that the Jews will be saved by someone else, if not by Esther, but that is the closest the book comes to mentioning G-d. Thus, one important message that can be gained from the story is that G-d often works in ways that are not apparent, in ways that appear to be chance, coincidence or ordinary good luck.

Modern Echoes of Purim

The Pesach (Passover) seder reminds us that in every generation, there are those who rise up to destroy us, but G-d saves us from their hand. In the time of the Book of Esther, Haman was the one who tried to destroy us. In modern times, there have been two significant figures who have threatened the Jewish people, and there are echoes of Purim in their stories.

Many have noted the echoes of Purim in the Nuremberg war crime trials. In the Book of Esther, Haman's ten sons were hanged (Esther 9:13); in 1946, ten of Hitler's top associates were put to death by hanging for their war crimes (including the crime of murdering 6 million Jews). An 11th associate of Hitler, Hermann Göring, committed suicide the night before the execution, a parallel to the suicide of Haman's daughter recorded in the Talmud (Megillah 16a). There are rumors that Göring was a transvestite, making that an even more accurate parallel. One of the men seems to have been aware of the parallel: on the way to the gallows, Julius Streicher shouted "Purim Fest 1946!" See: The Execution of Nazi War Criminals. It is also interesting that, in the traditional text of the Megillah (Book of Esther), in the list of the names of Haman's sons, the letters Tav in the first name, Shin in the seventh name and Zayin in the tenth name are written in smaller letters than the rest. The numerical value of Tav-Shin-Zayin is 707, and these ten men were hanged in the Jewish year 5707 (the thousands digit is routinely skipped when writing Jewish years; there are no numerals for thousands in Hebrew numbering). They were not hanged on Purim, though -- they were hanged on Hoshanah Rabbah.

Another echo of Purim is found in the Soviet Union a few years later. In early 1953, Stalin was planning to deport most of the Jews in the Soviet Union to Siberia, but just before his plans came to fruition, he suffered a stroke and died a few days later. He suffered that stroke on the night of March 1, 1953: the night after Purim (note: Jewish days end at sunset; you will see March 1 on the calendar as Purim). The plan to deport Jews was not carried out.

A story is told in Chabad (Lubavitcher Chasidic Judaism) of that 1953 Purim: the Lubavitcher Rebbe led a Purim gathering and was asked to give a blessing for the Jews of the Soviet Union, who were known to be in great danger. The Rebbe instead told a cryptic story about a man who was voting in the Soviet Union and heard people cheering for the candidate, "Hoorah! Hoorah!" The man did not want to cheer, but was afraid to not cheer, so he said "hoorah," but in his heart, he meant it in Hebrew: hu ra, which means, "he is evil"! The crowd at the Rebbe's 1953 gathering began chanting "hu ra!" regarding Stalin, and that night, Stalin suffered the stroke that lead to his death a few days later.

Purim Customs and Observances

Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of Adar, which is usually in March. The 13th of Adar is the day that Haman chose for the extermination of the Jews, and the day that the Jews battled their enemies for their lives. On the day afterwards, the 14th, they celebrated their survival. In cities that were walled in the time of Joshua, Purim is celebrated on the 15th of the month, because the book of Esther says that in Shushan (a walled city), deliverance from the massacre was not complete until the next day. The 15th is referred to as Shushan Purim.

In leap years, when there are two months of Adar, Purim is celebrated in the second month of Adar, so it is always one month before Passover. The 14th day of the first Adar in a leap year is celebrated as a minor holiday called Purim Katan, which means "little Purim." There are no specific observances for Purim Katan; however, a person should celebrate the holiday and should not mourn or fast. Some communities also observe a "Purim Katan" on the anniversary of any day when their community was saved from a catastrophe, destruction, evil or oppression.

The word "Purim" means "lots" and refers to the lottery that Haman used to choose the date for the massacre.

The Purim holiday is preceded by a minor fast, the Fast of Esther, which commemorates Esther's three days of fasting in preparation for her meeting with the king.

A traditional grager. Click to hear it

The primary commandment related to Purim is to hear the reading of the book of Esther. The book of Esther is commonly known as the Megillah, which means scroll. Although there are five books of Jewish scripture that are properly referred to as megillahs (Esther, Ruth, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations), this is the one people usually mean when they speak of The Megillah. It is customary to boo, hiss, stamp feet and rattle gragers (noisemakers) whenever the name of Haman is mentioned in the service. The purpose of this custom is to "blot out the name of Haman."

We are also commanded to eat, drink and be merry. According to the Talmud, a person is required to drink until he cannot tell the difference between "cursed be Haman" and "blessed be Mordecai," though opinions differ as to exactly how drunk that is. A person certainly should not become so drunk that he might violate other commandments or get seriously ill. In addition, recovering alcoholics or others who might suffer serious harm from alcohol are exempt from this obligation.

In addition, we are commanded to send out gifts of food or drink, and to make gifts to charity. The sending of gifts of food and drink is referred to as shalach manos (lit. sending out portions). Among Ashkenazic Jews, a common treat at this time of year is hamentaschen (lit. Haman's pockets). These triangular fruit-filled cookies are supposed to represent Haman's three-cornered hat. My recipe is included below.

It is customary to hold carnival-like celebrations on Purim, to perform plays and parodies, and to hold beauty contests. I have heard that the usual prohibitions against cross-dressing are lifted during this holiday, but I am not certain about that. Americans sometimes refer to Purim as the Jewish Mardi Gras.

Purim is not subject to the sabbath-like restrictions on work that some other holidays are; however, some sources indicate that we should not go about our ordinary business on Purim out of respect for the holiday.

Recipe for Hamentaschen

• 2/3 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup orange juice (the smooth kind, not the pulpy)
• 1 cup white flour
• 1 cup wheat flour (DO NOT substitute white flour! The wheat flour is necessary to achieve the right texture!)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• Various preserves, fruit butters and/or pie fillings.

Blend butter and sugar thoroughly. Add the egg and blend thoroughly. Add OJ and blend thoroughly. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, alternating white and wheat, blending thoroughly between each. Add the baking powder and cinnamon with the last half cup of flour. Refrigerate batter overnight or at least a few hours. Roll as thin as you can without getting holes in the batter (roll it between two sheets of wax paper lightly dusted with flour for best results). Cut out 3 or 4 inch circles.

Put a dollop of filling in the middle of each circle. Fold up the sides to make a triangle, folding the last corner under the starting point, so that each side has corner that folds over and a corner that folds under (see picture at right). Folding in this "pinwheel" style will reduce the likelihood that the last side will fall open while cooking, spilling out the filling. It also tends to make a better triangle shape.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, until golden brown but before the filling boils over!

Traditional fillings are poppy seed and prune, but apricot is my favorite. Apple butter, pineapple preserves, and cherry pie filling all work quite well. I usually use Pathmark grocery store brand fruit preserves, and of course the traditional Simon Fischer brand prune lekvar. I have also made some with Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread); I find it a bit dry that way, but some people like it.

The number of cookies this recipe makes depends on the size of your cutting tool and the thickness you roll. I use a 4-1/4 inch cutting tool and roll to a medium thickness, and I get 20-24 cookies out of this recipe.

Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free Variation

If you are on a wheat-free diet for wheat allergies or a gluten-free diet for celiac-sprue, substitute 2 cups of buckwheat flour and 1/2 cup of milled flax seed for the white and wheat flour. Reduce the baking powder to 1 tsp. The resulting hamentaschen will have an unusual pumpernickel color, but they taste great!

Make sure the buckwheat flour you use is wheat-free/gluten-free! Sometimes buckwheat flour is mixed with white or wheat flour. The Hodgson Mill buckwheat and flax linked above are gluten-free and have reliable kosher certification.

List of Dates

Purim will occur on the following days of the secular calendar:

• Jewish Year 5773: sunset February 23, 2013 - nightfall February 24, 2013
• Jewish Year 5774: sunset March 15, 2014 - nightfall March 16, 2014
• Jewish Year 5775: sunset March 4, 2015 - nightfall March 5, 2015
• Jewish Year 5776: sunset March 23, 2016 - nightfall March 24, 2016
• Jewish Year 5777: sunset March 11, 2017 - nightfall March 12, 2017

For additional holiday dates, see Links to Jewish Calendars.

Tu B'Shevat

Tu B'Shevat Level: Basic

Significance: The "new year" for calculating the age of trees Length: 1 day Customs: eating fruit or the Seven Species; planting trees (or paying for planting them)

When you come to the land and you plant any tree, you shall treat its fruit as forbidden; for three years it will be forbidden and not eaten. In the fourth year, all of its fruit shall be sanctified to praise the L-RD. In the fifth year, you may eat its fruit. -Leviticus 19:23-25

There are four new years... the first of Shevat is the new year for trees according to the ruling of Beit Shammai; Beit Hillel, however, places it on the fifteenth of that month. -Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1

Tu B'Shevat, the 15th day of the Jewish month of Shevat, is a holiday also known as the New Year for Trees. The word "Tu" is not really a word; it is the number 15 in Hebrew, as if you were to call the Fourth of July "Iv July" (IV being 4 in Roman numerals). See Hebrew Alphabet for more information about using letters as numbers and why the number 15 is written this way.

As I mentioned in Rosh Hashanah, Judaism has several different "new years." This is not as strange a concept as it sounds at first blush; in America, we have the calendar year (January-December), the school year (September-June), and many businesses have fiscal years. It's basically the same idea with the various Jewish new years.

Tu B'Shevat is the new year for the purpose of calculating the age of trees for tithing. See Lev. 19:23-25, which states that fruit from trees may not be eaten during the first three years; the fourth year's fruit is for G-d, and after that, you can eat the fruit. Each tree is considered to have aged one year as of Tu B'Shevat, so if you planted a tree on Shevat 14, it begins its second year the next day, but if you plant a tree two days later, on Shevat 16, it does not reach its second year until the next Tu B'Shevat.

Tu B'Shevat is not mentioned in the Torah. I have found only one reference to it in the Mishnah, and the only thing said there is that it is the new year for trees, and there is a dispute as to the proper date for the holiday (Beit Shammai said the proper day was the first of Shevat; Beit Hillel said the proper day was the 15th of Shevat. As usual, we follow Beit Hillel. For more on Hillel and Shammai, see Sages and Scholars).

Customs

There are few customs or observances related to this holiday. One custom is to eat a new fruit on this day, or to eat from the Seven Species (shivat haminim) described in the Bible as being abundant in the land of Israel. The Shivat Haminim are: wheat, barley, grapes (vines), figs, pomegranates, olives and dates (honey) (Deut. 8:8). You can make a nice vegetarian pilaf from the shivat haminim: a bed of cooked bulgar wheat or wheat berries and barley, topped with figs, dates, raisins (grapes), and pomegranate seeds, served with a dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar (grapes) and pomegranate juice.

Some people plant trees on this day. In my childhood, Jewish children commonly went around collecting money to plant trees in Israel at this time of year.

In the 16th century, kabbalists, developed a seder ritual conceptually similar to the Pesach (Passover) seder, discussing the spiritual significance of fruits and of the shivat haminim. This custom spread primarily in Sephardic communities, but in recent years it has been getting more attention among Ashkenazim. Aish.com provides atraditional text for this seder. The Jewish college student organization Hillel also provides materials for a Tu B'Shevat seder.

List of Dates

Tu B'Shevat will occur on the following days of the secular calendar:

• Jewish Year 5773: sunset January 25, 2013 - nightfall January 26, 2013
• Jewish Year 5774: sunset January 15, 2014 - nightfall January 16, 2014
• Jewish Year 5775: sunset February 3, 2015 - nightfall February 4, 2015
• Jewish Year 5776: sunset January 24, 2016 - nightfall January 25, 2016
• Jewish Year 5777: sunset February 10, 2017 - nightfall February 11, 2017

For additional holiday dates, see Links to Jewish Calendars.