Passover Survival Guide

By Rabbi Dov Wagner

Help! It's almost Passover!

While Passover is about freedom, and therefore probably shouldn't elicit the same type of panic as a natural disaster, the most common reaction seems to be one of dread.
What do I need to do? How to do it? Where am I going to get all the things I need?

Well we're here to help. Just follow these simple steps, and you're good to go.
(You can learn a lot more about the holiday, how to, practical guidelines and much more at www.virtualpassover.com)

1) Clean your room!
First step is to get rid of your chametz -- leavened food, their derivatives, and utensils. Basically, you want to clean your space of any foods not Kosher for Passover. Breads, pastas, cereals, cakes, pretzels, beer... those are just some of the things you'll want to dispose of.

Spiritually, the leavened bread represents the negative character traits we may have allowed to accumulate over the course of the year. Bread is made of the same ingredients as Matzah -- it's just allowed to rise, to puff itself up with arrogance. Passover is freedom time -- time to free ourselves of all that spiritual clutter, and clean our selves just as we clean our rooms.

There are three easy ways to get rid of your chametz. Eat it, give it away, or put it in a designated closed closet and include it in the chametz sale (see below).

Also make sure to (finally!) properly clean your room and car, getting rid of any crumbs or food bits and pieces.

2) Sell that stuff!
You've cleaned out your room. But you have a good bottle of scotch, or a huge bag of pasta, that you really don't want to get rid of.
Or even if you have gotten rid of everything. There are still all those pots and pans, plates and cutlery, that were used with chametz all year that are off limits for Passover.
And on Passover, we're not just not allowed to eat chametz -- we're not even supposed to posses it!
Not to worry. For thousands of years, Jews have been utilizing a simple sale procedure -- the offending foods or utensils are sold to a non-Jew for the duration of Passover. When Passover is done, we simply purchase the items back, and we're back in business.
Caution! Don't try this at home! Seriously, though you may have a non-Jewish roommate, there's a very specific procedure to how this is done. Leave it to a trained professional. Simply fill out the form at www.chabadusc.com/chametz authorizing Rabbi Dov to sell it for you, and put the chametz away in a closed, designated area (a particular closet or drawer, etc.).

3) Got Matzah?
Make sure to load up on plenty of Matzah for the eight days, as well as other Kosher for Passover delicacies. There are always a couple of items available at the local stores nearby. And the Ralph's on Pico or La Brea have more Kosher for Passover items than you imagined existed. Not to mention the Kosher supermarkets in those neighborhoods. We'll be arranging a shopping trip for those interested.

And special for the Seders, we'll be handing out hand-baked Shmura Matzahs from Israel. These special Matzahs are made in the same way Jews have been making them for centuries, and are both delicious and meaningful. Check out our booth at the IsraelPalooza, our table on Trousdale, or contact us at chabad@usc.edu. If you're interested in purchasing a few pounds of hand-made Matzahs, we can add it to our order. Just email chabad@usc.edu with an amount at least two weeks before Passover begins.

The Matzah is called the "bread of faith" and the "bread of healing." It represents the speed with which the Jews left Egypt -- an expression of their complete faith in G-d that He would somehow provide for them in the wilderness. When we eat the Matzah today, we are part of that process of redemption. We, too, are expressing our faith -- faith in the beauty of our tradition. Faith in our ability to be truly free. Faith in the ultimate ideal of redemption. And that faith heals us from the bitterness and cynicism of our normal, day to day lives.

4) Don't starve yourself.
Most importantly, for Passover you'll need lots of food. Food you can't find in the dining halls or Commons. The good news is, it's here for you. Both Hillel and Chabad offer full Passover meal plans. We'll be offering lunch and dinner every day throughout the entire eight day holiday.
And the really great news is, you can pay for your Passover meals with your USC Meal Plan. Just sign up at Parkside, EVK, or on our websites. Our full schedule will be posted soon at www.jewsc.com

5) Seder Nights
Many of you will be going home to join your families for the Seder nights. If for whatever reason you aren't, we invite you to join ours.
Seder Nights this year are on Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20. We'll be holding both Seders at the Chabad House. Our Seders are warm, friendly, and inspirational. (Not to mention delicious!) And all explanations and most readings are in English, making it easy for anyone to follow along. RSVP soon, and bring a friend!

And for those who may be stressing over approaching finals, we offer a special option -- the 1 hour Seder within a Seder. Come by for just one hour and catch the highlights of the Haggadah, the four cups of wine, Matzah, Marror, and a great meal. Details will be posted at www.jewsc.com

The Haggadah talks of the "four sons" -- the wise, the wicked, the simple, and the one who doesn't know how to ask. But the Lubavitcher Rebbe pointed out that there is something all four of those children share; they're all at the Seder table. Today there is a fifth child, a child who may not even know that it's Passover, a child who hasn't made it to the Seder at all. Our job is to ensure that the fifth child is also engaged and inspired, that the fifth child, too, can partake of our shared heritage.

So as you make your Passover plans, think about the other Jewish students you come across. Your fraternity or sorority brothers or sisters. Your roommates, classmates, or acquaintances. And make sure to bring them to the Seder, too.
Let's make sure this is the year when there are no "fifth children," when every Jew we can reach becomes an active participant in the eternal message of Passover, the holiday of liberation and redemption.

<< New Text >>

Write a comment

0 Comments