Your annual guide to observing the Jewish Festival of Freedom

Passover FAQ’s: Four Questions on How to Observe Passover

1. What is Passover?

Passover or Pesach is a week-long biblical Festival of Freedom held every spring (8 days in Conservative/Orthodox diaspora practice). It begins with one or two Seders, meals with symbolic foods in which we retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt.

The Seder text is found in the Haggadah (plural: Haggadot), of which there are countless versions, some downloadable! Many Jewish households have a Seder at home or with friends the first night (April 3 this year) and participate in the community Seder on the second night (April 4 his year).

2. Which foods are passed up during Passover?

On Passover, we abstain from eating chametz or leavened foods. (“Ch” as in “Bach” or

“Challah”) Chametz is simply defined as one of five grains: wheat, rye, barley, oats or spelt,

once moistened and beginning to ferment. That means no regular bread, cakes, crackers, cereals,

pasta, cookies, or even grain-based alcoholic drinks or vinegars during Passover. Traditional

cooks came up with many ingenious substitutes to provide plenty of holiday delicacies. Many

from Ashkenazic (Northern and Eastern European) background also abstain from “kitniyot”

(legumes) and rice during Passover, although these are not expressly forbidden, and there is

something of a movement to include them in the menu.

3. How does one prepare for Passover?

Chametz should be removed from the home during the holiday. A thorough “spring cleaning”

is the first step to removing stray crumbs. Traditional Jews “kasher” the kitchen and usually have

special dishes and pots just for this holiday. It is a memorable ritual to search for crumbs of

chametz on the eve of the holiday and burn them in the morning. Instructions can be found in

most Haggadot and here: http://bit.ly/1HWE40j

Since we should not own chametz foods over Passover and may not be able to give them all

away, it is also an old tradition to symbolically “sell” any remaining chametz for the duration of

the festival. To sell your chametz through CBI, contact Rabbi Danan, rabbi@cbichico.org, and

she will include you in the sale. The food should be placed in a closed area during the holiday.

4. Why is Matzah different from all other breads?

Matzah is made of flour mixed with water and cooked at a very high temperature within 18

minutes, before it can become leavened. It can be regular or whole wheat (higher fiber). Make

sure that Matzah purchased says, “Kosher for Passover,” because some varieties are made

for year round use and not for following holiday laws. Locally, you can find Passover matzah

and some other holiday foods at Raleys and Safeway, and individual boxes of mitzvah at Trader Joe’s.

Go and Learn!

For everything you would like to know about Passover, including the Seder, food, laws, and

deeper meanings, visit: http://bit.ly/1xsClvQ

Or check out books on Jewish holidays in the CBI library.