Passover (Pesach) is a beloved holiday. Many families who observe few other Jewish holidays make a special effort to celebrate Passover. Preparing for the holiday is a long process but the rewards of spending eight days celebrating he Festival of Freedom make all the hard work more than worth the effort!
Here is a brief list of what you will need to do in order to be ready for the celebration.
Get the Leaven out!
The Torah forbids Jews to eat or even possess any products containing leavened grain (hametz). So the first step is to remove all leaven from your house. Bread and pasta are obvious no-nos but many other products contain leaven as well. Check with your rabbi if you are unsure what to keep and what to remove. Tossing all that food can be a financial burden. To make thing less costly, you are permitted to "sell" your hametz to a non-Jew for the duration of Pesach and "buy it back" after the holiday is over. Check with your rabbi regarding the proper procedure for selling hametz
Keep it Clean
Thought you were done when you sold your hametz? Not just yet! In order to make sure there is no hametz hiding anywhere, it is necessary to give your house a thorough cleaning. Think Spring Cleaning. As a matter of fact, this is where the tradition of Spring Housecleaning came from.
Time to Go Shopping
Feasting is an important part of the Passover Celebration! You will need purchase enough food that is certified Kosher for Passover to last eight days. If your check the Kosher Certification mark (heksher) you will see either a "P" or the words "Kosher for Passover" added to the heksher. Raw fruits and vegetables are automatically Kosher for Passover. Be sure to have plenty of both on hand to aid in digestion. If you are hosting the seder, you will also meed to make sure you have the ritual foods for the seder plate. You will want plenty of matza. Many families like to have shemura matza on hand especially for the seder. This is a special matza that has had strict supervision from the time the grain was planted until the time it is shipped from the bakery.
Passover Pots and Dishes
You're almost ready! You need to replace your regular pots, pans dishes and utensils with others that a reserved strictly for use during Passover. If this is your first Passover, you might be suffering from "sticker shock" about now. Here's another idea to save some cash: Purchase the pots, pans, and necessary cooking utensils this year. Use disposable plates and flatware for serving and eating. You might find some specially decorated paper plates with Passover designs on them that will make seder night a little more special.
There is a lot more to learn about Passover but hopefully this post will give you a good start. Now..."Go forth and Learn!" Above all enjoy the holiday. Chag Kasher v'Sameach!
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