Pesach information:
For information about where to direct shailos, please check announcements in Shul and e-mail updates

The Stove, Oven and Broiler
Every part of the oven or stove which may have been reached by food during the year must be thoroughly cleansed and scraped with a chemical oven cleaner. The oven and range must then be heated to a glow. Do this either with a blow torch 7 minutes on each area, or set the oven at the maximum temperature (broil) and let it burn with the door closed for one hour. (The latter is not suitable for the broiler.) During Pesach, special metal sheets are placed over the top of the range to prevent contact of any part of the stove with Pesach utensils. It is preferable to use a liner inside the oven as well.
Stove tops and ranges should be covered and then turned on high for at least 15 minutes for a gas stove, 5 minutes for electric. The area between burners should be cleaned and remain covered with aluminum foil. Self-cleaning ovens may be used after the self-cleaning cycle has been completed.
To kasher a microwave oven, clean it thoroughly, and do not use it for 24 hours. Fill a paper cup with water, place on a paper plate in the microwave. Turn on the microwave to the highest setting for 20 minutes, so that the interior is filled with steam. There are other considerations when kashering a microwave oven, e.g., what material is the interior, how is the food placed in the oven. Therefore, before kashering, one should consult with the Rabbi.
To kasher the broiler, clean it thoroughly with a chemical cleaner, and then apply a blow torch for 7 minutes to each area. Because of the difficulty in kashering a broiler, it is recommended that one does not use a broiler over Pesach.

The Refrigerator
After thoroughly cleaning the refrigerator, the floor of the freezer should be covered with cardboard or some other material before the Pesach foods are put inside. (One should perforate the shelving covers for proper air circulation.)
According to some opinions, one need not line the refrigerator since food is never placed directly on the shelves without some form of interposition (i.e., wrapper, utensil, etc.). One may rely on the more lenient view, providing that the appliance is thoroughly cleaned as above.

Dishes and Utensils
The laws of purging of utensils may be complex; the following serves as a rough guideline. Please consult the Rabbi for the specific procedure for each type of utensil.
Not every material is suitable for purging the chometz from within them. The basic principle which facilitates the kashering process is the method required to kasher a utensil is similar to the manner in which the forbidden substance was absorbed. Certain materials do not expel the absorbed substance as readily as others; for example, utensils made from china and earthenware cannot be purged from chometz. Similarly, utensils made from or coated with porcelain are considered like china and cannot be kashered. Corningware, Correle, Pyrex and Duralex should not be kashered for Pesach. Enamel surfaces, such as sinks and the like are considered similar to china and earthenware and cannot be kashered. Teflon and Silverstone utensils should also not be kashered for Pesach.
Generally speaking, utensils made from wood, stone and metal may be kashered. There are also materials which may be suitable for kashering throughout the year (e.g., that inadvertently became treif), however, on Pesach we conduct ourselves more stringently and consider them invalid for the purging process. Utensils made from rubber, plastic, melmac and nylon fall under this category.
The basic process of purging requires that the utensils be cleaned thoroughly, removing all dirt, rust and debris from cracks and crevices. The utensils must then be left idle and not used with hot chometz for 24 hours. The pot which will be used to kasher the above utensils should also be cleaned in the same manner and not be used for 24 hours. This pot should now be filled to the top with water and be brought to a boil; that is, until large bubbles appear. Preferably, this water should now be spilled out and new, fresh water should be brought to the same boil. This pot is now ready to kasher other utensils which have been used with hot chometz liquids.
The utensils such as silverware and the like should be individually immersed in the continuously boiling water and be removed after a few seconds. The custom is then to immediately rinse off the utensil in cold water after removal from the boiling water. After the conclusion of this process, the utensils are now fit for Pesach use. However, the pot which was used for the immersion is not considered ready for Pesach use and requires its own separate purging. (Consult the Rabbi for details on how to accomplish this.)
Utensils which came into contact with chometz over a fire or over an electric element and did not contain water (such as a grill, baking pan, or frying pan) can be kashered only by heating the object until it is red-hot and glowing.
Glass utensils in which cold chometz was used can be kashered; however, it is preferable that glassware exclusively for Pesach be bought, the cost being so minimal. If, for some reason, one insists on kashering glasses, it can be accomplished by placing them in water for three consecutive days and changing the water every 24 hours. The Rabbi should be consulted.
There are a variety of factors to consider before attempting to kasher utensils, especially for Pesach use. It is therefore strongly recommended that you consult with the Rabbi before beginning the kashering process.

Cosmetics & Pharmaceuticals
Solid cosmetic lotions, creams, and ointments need no special Pesach preparation. However, it is preferable to purchase "Passover approved" products for oral hygiene or for application to the lips. Consult the Rabbi for questions about specific items.
Often drugs and vitamins contain chometz. Consult the Rabbi before taking medications during Pesach. Do not tamper with any medications prior to consulting the Rabbi and pharmacist.

Food Products
In today's fast-paced food industry, changes and innovations
are continually being introduced. It is well beyond the scope of this brief overview to cover the litany of Passover products. Suffice it to say that only Passover products with reliable rabbinic supervision should be used.
Regarding infant formulae some contain grain. Most commercially available formulae use corn or soy beans as a starting ingredient. If necessary, rabbinic approval may be requested for using such formulae on Pesach with adequate caution not to mix the utensils used by the infant with those used by the rest of the family.
Milk without special supervision may be used on Pesach only if it is bought before Pesach. Hopefully, Pesachdik milk will be available and should be patronized.
Only Passover products with reliable rabbinic supervision should be used. One should not use products with labels placed by the local grocer or supermarket.
The Passover Products Directory from the OU is available for members at the Shul.

Matzah
One should try to obtain, at least for the first two nights of Pesach, matzah which has been under constant supervision from the time of the cutting of the grain until baking (Shmurah Matzah). If you would like to order Shmurah Matzah, contact Rabbi William Goldberg at the Breslov Centre immediately (614-231-8671).
Egg matzah may not be eaten all Pesach. The exception to this rule is in the case of an aged or sick person who is not capable of eating any regular matzahs.

Going Away for Pesach
If you are planning to spend Pesach in a hotel, do not rely on such slogans as "Kosher for Passover" or "Dietary Laws Observed." A reputable Orthodox rabbi must attest to the reliability of the hotel's Passover kashrus observance.
Clean your house before leaving and make arrangements with the Rabbi for the sale of your chometz. Search for chometz the night before you leave without a brocha but with the "Kol Chamira" declaration. When possible, an agent should be appointed to search on the night of the 13th of Nissan.

Siyum Bechorim
The customary Siyum of the Firstborn is conducted after the morning prayers. Those firstborn (or father of a firstborn male minor) who can not attend should fast. The siyum, G-d willing, will be held after services on Mon., April 2.

Search for Chometz
The search for chometz is performed on Sunday night April 1 (13th of Nissan) in the usual manner, without delay immediately after dusk, at 8:38pm. The blessing, "Al Biur Chometz" is recited before the search and the pronouncement of the declaration of "Kol Chamira" is made instantly after the completion of the search. It is very important that the declaration of "Kol Chamira" be understood fully. If one is unfamiliar with the Aramaic, the declaration should be at least repeated in a language in which the reciter is fluent. The chometz found and collected is set aside carefully, not to be lost or displaced, but carefully retained, to be burned the following morning. Chometz may be eaten until 11:05am, Monday, April 2.

Burning of the Chometz
The Chometz gathered in the previous night's search and any additional chometz to be disposed of is burned no later than 12:20pm, Monday, April 2. The second recital of "Kol Chamira," the nullifying of the chometz, is then said.

Maos Chittim Campaign
We would like to remind all of our members and friends that only once a year do we make a special drive for institutions and destitute families both here and in Israel. On our list are yeshivas, orphanages, hospitals, help for new Russian/American immigrants, and especially needy individuals. If you have not yet sent in your contribution to this cause, please do so at once so that we can all enjoy our Pesach that much more by knowing that we helped and showed our concern. On the checks, please write: Maos Chittim.

Mechiras Chometz
Rabbi Steven Abrams will be available for Mechiras Chometz, the selling of chometz. Details of location and times to be announced. Sending by mail the Power of Attorney is insufficient, as a formal kinyan must be transacted.

The Seder
The Kiddush may not be recited until after nightfall.
All four cups of wine must be drunk while reclining on the left side. Women need not recline, however. Only the second cup of wine must be drunk again, without a blessing, if one forgets to recline. The cup should contain at least 3.3 fluid ounces of wine and most of the wine in the cup must be drunk. If the Seder occurs on Friday night, the first cup for Kiddush should contain at least 4.4 oz. of wine. (For those who have difficulty with the wine or the amounts, consult the Rabbi.)
One should eat less than an olive size of the vegetable (karpas). When reciting the blessing, one should intend to include the maror that will be eaten later. It is preferable to also recline when eating the karpas.

Maggid
The narrative of the Exodus from Egypt is told, either in Hebrew as found in the Haggadah, or in any language if Hebrew is not understood. This constitutes the fulfillment of the biblical obligation to tell, on the first two nights of Pesach, the story of the Exodus from Egypt. At the very least, all men and women must hear and understand the entire section of the Haggadah which begins, "Rabban Gamliel use to say, 'Anyone who has not explained these three things on Pesach has not fulfilled his duty...'"

Motzi Matzah
Two whole matzos are required for lechem mishneh, but the mitzvah of eating matzah should preferably be performed with a broken matzah, since the Torah refers to it as "the bread of affliction." The following procedure should therefore be followed:
The two whole matzos and the remaining piece of the middle matzah are taken in hand and the hamotzi blessing is recited. The bottom matzah is set down and the blessing "Al Achilas Matzah" is recited. Then one should simultaneously break off a piece from the whole matzah and another piece from the broken matzah and eat an olive size of matzah from each one, preferably simultaneously. Approximately half of a hand matzah should be eaten to fulfill the mitzvah. Note, there are various opinions concerning the olive size. For more details, please contact the Rabbi. If one cannot eat both pieces simultaneously, he should first eat an olive size piece of the whole matzah, then an olive size piece of the broken matzah. At the very least, however, one olive size piece must be eaten by each participant in order to fulfill the biblical obligation. It should be completely consumed within two minutes (if possible, but not longer than nine minutes).

Maror
One may use romaine lettuce (thoroughly inspected for leaf borers or other insects) or freshly ground horseradish for maror (the bitter herb).
One dips an olive size of maror into the charoses, recites the blessing "Al Achilas Maror," and eats the olive size of maror without reclining. The charoses should preferably be prepared before Yom Tov begins. An olive size amount of maror is 1.1 fluid ounces of pure grated horseradish, or 8x10 inches of romaine lettuce leaves, or 3x5 inches of romaine lettuce stalks.

Korech
An olive size of matzah is taken from the bottom matzah and broken into two pieces and an olive size of maror is placed between them. Some have the custom of dipping the sandwich in charoses. In any case, the sandwich should be eaten in a reclining position.

Shulchan Orech
It is preferable to eat the entire meal reclining on the left side. At the seder meals, no barbecued or roasted meat or poultry may be eaten. Meat should be cooked in water so as to avoid any possibility of mistaking it for the roasted meat for the Pesach sacrifice eaten during the time of the Temple.

Tzafun
The piece of matzah that was hidden for the afikomen is brought to the table and distributed. Preferable one eats two olive sizes, or at least one olive size while reclining.
The afikomen should be eaten before 1:35am.
Nothing further may be eaten that night after the afikomen. Nothing may be drunk after the fourth cup other than water or tea.

Nirtzah
The songs in the Haggadah are completed. It is proper that the story of the Exodus and the laws of Pesach then be elaborated upon in depth until the company is overcome with sleepiness.