Helpful Hints for "Rookie" Passover Hosts

With the arrival of Coronavirus, most of us will be having our sederim alone at home. For more than a few of you, my readers, your will be planning and conducting your very first seder. Congratulations! Seriously, I want you to think of this as an important milestone in your Jewish growth and development.

No doubt it is a challenging task. Given that probably most of us are under "Stay at Home" orders, it may seem overwhelming. There are a lot of things to remember and many preparations to make before the day arrives. Here are a few suggestions from someone who has done quite a few seders (and made his share of mistakes!).

Preparing for a seder involves basically two major responsibilities: (1) Leading the seder ceremony and discussion and (2) Planning the menu, buying necessities for the rituals, etc. First suggestion do not try to do it all alone! I usually handled Part 1 - what I call "the service." My wife took care of the other arrangements - which she referred to as "the meal." Let's look  at the preparations for each part separately.

Getting comfortable with the Haggadah

First get acquainted with your Haggadah. Start by reviewing the table of contents. In this way you will learn how the service "flows:" what comes first, what comes next, etc. Quickly read through the text of the service. Practice the rituals (kiddush,hand washing, karpas, matza, korech). Look carefully at the text of the magid (story). The story itself if very brief - only about two paragraphs. The rest of the text is commentary. While the commentary is very useful and enlightening, resist the temptation just to read the book out loud. write down whatever questions come to your mind as you read through the Haggadah. Use these to generate discussion as you go through the magid.

Most important of all, make it enjoyable! Learn and sing the familiar Passover songs, especially Dayenu. I you have any recorded Passover music, use that to help learn the tunes. If you have young children at your seder, think of ways to make the experience fun for them. Games, pictures, and other "tools" can make the night more meaningful for them and help things go more smoothly.

Let's eat!

The meal should be festive but not stressful. Chose your favorite dishes that are kosher for Passover. Make enough so that everyone can eat as much as they want but not enough to feed the whole neighborhood! For the seder plate you will need a roasted egg, a green vegetable, horseradish, charoset, and a roasted bone. You will also need wine and/or grape juice (enough for four cups for everyone present). There are many recipes for Passover dishes, some of which a rather simple. Try to keep the menu tasty and interesting.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes

Our first family seder was not exactly done according to the book. We had a festive meal, drank wine, ate matzah and read the book of Exodus from our family Bible. That's it! It couldn't have been less traditional. A rabbi who we knew well told us that since we had done the best that we knew how to do the seder was kosher. He then advised us, "Go forth and Learn." That was very sage advice. Don't be afraid of mistakes, but learn from them. Check out the links below for more ideas.

I wish all of you, my readers, a happy, safe and healthy Passover. Chag sameach!

 Related links:
Passover and Corona
Making Passover Fun
Passover Basics
Passover Recipes