Help with Pesach

Hi Elizabeth! I will try to answer your questions as best I can. I have used an online site/catalog to buy a lot of items, and have found them to be high quality and excellent customer support. The name of the catalog is "Source of Everything Jewish". They have some beautiful Sedar plates and have a large selection of Hagaddahs. We use the Goldberg Haggadah and find it to be simple and easy, with excellent explanations. We are not a very religious family though (reform) and many may prefer a more religious Haggadah. I see no problem playing a CD for the songs. We always enjoy the singing part of the Sedar! As for the menu, we always have brisket or baked chicken, tsimmis, farfel stuffing and the usual matzah ball soup and gifilte fish. I think that it is wonderful that you want to start creating your own traditions with Xiomara and I hope you find some special way to make this holiday your own!!

If you want me to send you a link to the website, just let me know. Also, if there is anything I missed, or if you have any other questions, feel free to contact me anytime!

Thanks, Rena! I just finished shopping - what a blast. I had the matzah plate and they actually had the matching seder plate and other items. I ordered a hagaddah by Shoshana Silberman - it's a family hagaddah with a cued cassette. One of my colleagues lives in the larger city and we're going to meet and go shopping for groceries. If I start cleaning now, and cooking next week, I might be able to do this. Thank you again...

Glad I could help and hope you have a wonderful Passover!!!

Elizabeth, I would have recommended the same site--glad you found stuff. And as far as Haggadahs go, if you don't like the one you ordered Maxwell House coffee gives them away free if you buy coffee. That's the one we use. I think Haggadah means order so a user friendly one can be a big help. Also, today is the last day to order from kosher dot com, which has an excellent selection of k for p items. Kosher Market dot com will let you order until April 7 -- that site's not as user friendly but I've ordered from both. Of course everyone does a seder differently, which is why I've always liked to do my own so it mirrors the ones I grew up with. We go to our Temple for the second seder, which is a lot funkier (vegetarian, egalitarian) so DD is being exposed to different kinds of seders. Hey, if you want, I can tape our seder so you can have a recording to go off of next year! Of course none of us sing very well and my father has his own variation on the tunes! Whatevery you do, I'm sure it will be lovely.

Hi Spay: I would love to have a recording of your seder! I can't wait to receive my supplies via the mail. I decided not to order anything from k dot com as I believe I can buy them in the large city next weekend. The decision to celebrate this holiday in my home is so exciting and I am looking forward to it. I have to admit, it is challenging me on many different levels Ahem, cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning, coooking (I'm adept at two course toddler meals), menu planning... Oy. Oh, I did look at Judaica on Ebay but found it overwhelming. Someone was selling the Maxwell House Haggadah's. Where can I order them for free? Thanks for the help and support. I really need to find another Temple (I lost my first one -- very long and unhappy story, and I miss it dreadfully). I guess it comes down to making the commitment to visit the six or so that are within a 3 hour round trip commute and then making the commitment to attend.

You should be able to get the Maxwell House ones at any large grocery store. How many do you need? I have to hunt down a tape recorder --got to warn you, none of us can sing!

Spay, if there is no matzah in my town, I KNOW there are none of these! I need six. I got the order yesterday - very quick! They did a terrific job packing but still Elijah's cup was broken. The cassette for the Silberman Haggadah was not included & I learned they don't have it in stock. So yes, I would really like the Maxwell House ones. This one is really for young children and Xiomara's a bit too young -- I don't want the adults to be bored. A couple of questions -- Each person needs salt water, right? What do you put it in. Are just 3 matzahs placed on the table? Are extra available too? Thanks!

In my family, just the leader (my dad) has the salt water and he does the dipping. It's just water and enough salt so it tastes salty. Yes, just 3 matzahs on the the table (the middle one gets broken for the Afikomen). I pm'd you.

Here's a good site for what you need on the table (although most families just have on plate to take care of #5). [url]http://www.ehow.com/how_12297_set-passover-seder.html[/url]

Hi everyone, Happy Passover planning! I just wanted to clarify that "seder" means order (i.e. the order of events, etc.) and "haggadah" meants the "telling" (i.e. the telling of the Passover story- the Jews' exodus from slavery in Egypt). Elizabeth, you are starting a beautiful tradition for Xiomara. Here are a few other Pesach (Hebrew for "Passover") traditions: After the house (or just the kitchen; depending on yoru level of observance) is cleaned, on the night before Passover, we do "Bedikat Chametz"- the search for leavened foods- crumbs, etc. that may remain. There is a special blessing and one searches by candlelight and uses a feather to sweep up the crumbs- Xio might be a bit young for this now, but my kids love this "treasure hunt"- I usually hide a few bread pieces for them to find. In many families, it is customary to buy new clothes for the seders. During the seder, the "afikoman" (center matzah) is hidden and the children at the table must look for it. Whoever finds it, must "sell" it back to the seder leader for money or a small gift. So that the kids get to take part in the "4 cups of wine" that must be consumed, we buy red grape juice for them. There are too many "steps" of a seder for me to type out her, but for a great step-by-step explanation, a great book is "To be a Jew" by Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have! Chag Sameach! (Happy holiday!) Kelly :flower:

I'll check out that website, Spay, thanks! Hi Kelly -- I will clean and more than usual, but certainly less than some. I'm planning to have the chametz search -- I think Xiomara will catch on quickly. Haven't figured out how to burn it yet (I'm afraid to light a barbecue!). Xiomara already has a new outfit (mama has new shoes!) I own the book you mentioned but neglected to look in it - thanks for the info. Kelly, do you have one vessel of salt walter for dipping or one for each person? Does the seder leader pass the vessel around for each person to use when they dip? Can you also say Gut Yontif? Thanks much! I really AM excited, a bit scared, but in a good way. Oh, does anyone actually make homemde gifelte fish?

In our family it was the kids who hid the Afikoman (we held it for ransom). We also hunt for Chametz and then burn it the next morning. In our family, the seder leader dips the herbs and then hands them around. Although, some years, I have had a small bowl of salt water at each place (but usually there's not enough room on the table).

Hi Elizabeth, We do it the same way as Spaypets- the seder leader dips enough pieces for everyone, puts them on a plate, then passes the plate around. Same for when they do the maror (bitter herbs) on matzah and the maror with Charosset (apple, cinnamon and nut mixture that is meant to remind us of the mortar of the bricks that the slaves were forced to make for Pharoah). But, there is no reason that you cannot give each person a tiny bowl of salt water of their own. About the gefilte fish. My grandmothers (all from Eastern Europe) used to make their own. Personally, I would never attempt it and actually prefer the store- bought kind. I have yet to taste any decent gefilte fish made by anyone of a younger generation! LOL You can say "Gut Yontif" (good Yom Tov- because Psasover is one of the festivals) or Chag Kasher v'Sameach. Rabbi Donin's book is a great resource- I refer to it often! Enjoy! Kelly