Passover

Passover begins this year on Monday night, 22 April 2024 at 7:51pm and ends on Tuesday, 30 April 2024 at 9:05pm.

This page will let you know everything you need to prepare for celebrating at home and at the Belsize.

• Services
• Community Seder
• Shabbat HaGadol Q&A
• Preparing for Passover
• Selling Your Hametz
• Ma’ot Chitin
• Other Resources

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Passover at Belsize

Services

Community Seder

We will be holding our annual 2nd Night Community Seder on Tuesday, 23 April. Unfortunately, the event is already at capacity, but there is a waiting list, if you’d like to be kept informed.

Shabbat HaGadol

The Shabbat before Passover is called “Shabbat HaGadol” (the Big Sabbath), as on that day, community rabbis traditionally give long lectures on preparing for the holiday. Rabbi Botnick won’t be giving any lengthy talks that day, but he will be addressing any questions you might have – whether they be about preparing your home for the holiday, making your seder more engaging, or anything else you’ve been wondering. If you can’t make it in person to services either Friday or Saturday, you can still get your questions answered. Just fill out the field below and watch Shabbat HaGadol services on Belsize LIVE either Friday, 19 April at 6:45pm or Saturday, 20 April at 10:00am.

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Preparing for Passover at Home

Passover is all about eating matzah and staying away from hametz.  Hametz refers to anything that is made from grain without first being made into matzah, such as bread, cereal, cookies, vinegar, and vodka – all of which are prohibited during Passover, unless made through a special process and labeled “Kosher for Passover.”

There are four main mitzvot regarding hametz during Passover: (1) not to eat it, (2) not to see it, (3) not to own it, and (4) to destroy it. You can fulfill these four mitzvot by taking a few simple steps…

Step 1 – Cleaning Your Home

Thoroughly clean out your home (especially your kitchen) and even your office and car in order to remove all traces of hametz.  Set aside any hametz you wish to keep for after the holiday.  You may even consider donating any new and unopened hametz to a local food pantry.  This needs to be done BY 20:00 GMT on Sunday, 21 April 2024.

**Check out the Rabbinical Assembly’s Pesach Guide for detailed tips on cleaning your home, buying groceries, and other ways to prepare for Passover. The website Is It Kosher? is another helpful resource if you aren’t sure something is permissible for Passover.

Step 2 – Selling Your Hametz (Mekhirat Hametz)

There can be a number of reasons why you wouldn’t want to get rid of all your hametz (like expensive whisky).  To address this concern, the rabbis developed a ceremony for selling hametz for the duration of the holiday to someone who is not Jewish.  If you do this, it is important to store any hametz you wish to keep in a sealed-off and clearly labeled location where you won’t accidentally see or eat it during Passover.  Even if you will be away from your home for the duration of the holiday, you should still sell your hametz.  This step must be completed by 20:00 GMT on Sunday, 21 April 2024.

**Use the quick and easy form below to authorise Rabbi Botnick to sell your hametz for you.

Step 3 – Searching for (Bedikah), Burning (Bi’ur), and Nullifying (Bitul) Your Hametz

It is customary to search your house the night before Passover for any remaining traces of hametz that you may have missed in your cleaning.  Gather anything you find into a paper bag or piece of foil.  Then, in the morning, take this remaining hametz outside, and burn it before reciting a blessing to nullify any other traces you might have missed.  This year, the search for hametz should be conducted on the evening of Sunday, 21 April 2024 at 20:00 GMT, and the burning and nullifying of hametz must be done BY 11:45 GMT on Monday, 22 April 2024.

**Click here for easy-to-follow instructions on performing these mitzvot.

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Mekhirat Hametz – Selling Your Hametz

I hereby designate Rabbi Gabriel Botnick as my agent to sell all kinds of hametz, including but not limited to any leavened food, as well as dishes, pots, pans, and utensils affected by hametz, that may be in my possession – whether at home, at a place of business, or elsewhere – in accordance with the requirements of Jewish law. All hametz in my possession, that will not be consumed by 10:30 GMT on Monday, 22 April 2024 will be stored and sealed by 20:00 GMT on Sunday, 21 April 2024 and will remain stored away for the duration of Pesach.  I understand that the sale will go into effect at 11:45 GMT on Monday, 22 April 2024 and will end at 21:30 GMT on Tuesday, 30 April 2024 unless I am informed otherwise before then.

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Ma’ot Chitin

As it’s a Mitzvah for all Jews to celebrate Passover, it is up to all of us to ensure everyone has the ability to do so. And if you’ve done your Pesach shopping already this year, then you know how expensive it can be to celebrate the holiday. Therefore, it’s a tradition to give Ma’ot Chitin (literally, spare change for flour). While there are specifically Jewish organisations you can support, many people simply donate to organisations that support anyone who is food insecure. Here are a few groups you might want to consider supporting in order to fulfill this holy tradition.

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Other Resources

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