Passover

This guide to the holiday of Passover invites us into a meaningful experience of placing ourselves back in Egypt, as we prepare for, and experience, our redemption. 

For more information, please take a look at the Rabbinical Assembly’s Guide to Passover.

Click here for a step by step guide to Counting the Omer.

Ahead of the Festival

Preparation for Pesach: Getting Rid of hametz

We prepare for Pesach by eliminating hametz from our homes, cars, offices, and anywhere we might spend time over the holiday. We render our surroundings completely hametz-free, sealing off and selling any items that remain in our dwellings. 
You may sell your hametz online here until Sunday, April 21st at noon.

Bedikat hametz (Searching for hametz) - Sunday, April 21st, after Maariv or 8pm.

Biur hametz - 11:34am on Monday, April 22nd

Last time to eat hametz is 10:26am Monday, April 22nd

Hametz reverts possession at 8:45pm 23rd of Nisan, corresponding to Tuesday evening, April 30th

After cleaning out and selling our hametz, we do bedikat hametz (the ritual search for small pieces of leavened food) at home at nightfall.  Place 10 pieces of hametz around a room. Search for and collect them using a candle, a wooden spoon, and a feather.  Before beginning the search, recite the blessing al biyur hametz. After the search is completed – with the sack of hametz carefully set aside for burning in the morning – recite a declaration nullifying any remaining traces of hametz of which we may not be aware. You can find these blessings and declarations at the beginning of many Haggadot or downloadable here. 

Fast of the Firstborn and Siyyum Monday morning, April 22nd

Shacharit services - Chapel & on Zoom, 6:45am.

Siyyum - Chapel & on Zoom, 7:30am.

Biyur chametz at TI - kitchen loading dock, 8:25am. The biyur hametz must be completed by 11:34am.

Leyl Pesach, Monday, April 22nd

Mincha - 5:30pm

Candle Lighting - 7:17pm

It is customary to also light a long-burning candle to transfer fire and for lighting candles on Tuesday at 8:20pm.

Pesach Day 1, Tuesday, April 23rd

• Festival Shacharit services - Sanctuary, 9:30am - PLEASE NOTE THE LATER START TIME
  Tal (Prayer for Dew): During Musaf services, the leader will don a kittel and chant tal. We begin to include the prayer for dew in our daily tefillot, leaving aside our prayers for winter rain.

• Mincha will take place at 1:17 pm in the Chapel & on Zoom. 

Second Night of Pesach, Tuesday, April 23rd

• Light festival candles (from an existing flame) at home with two blessings (ner shel yom tov and Shehecheyanu), 8:18pm.  

• Temple Israel is NOT holding ma’ariv services this evening. If you are looking for a minyan, please let Rabbi Fineberg know so he can help you find one. 

• Be sure to include sefirat ha-omer, counting the omer, which appears in the Haggadah. The counting of the omer should be done after dark, at least 20 minutes following sunset.

Pesach Day 2, Wednesday, April 24th

• Festival Shacharit services - Sanctuary at 9:30am - PLEASE NOTE THE LATER START TIME

• Mincha/Maariv - 7:20pm

• Havdalah - 8:22pm

• Candles should be lit using fire transferred from a preexisting flame.

Hol HaMoed Pesach (Intermediate Days of the Festival)
Thursday, April 25th-Sunday, April 28th

• Thursday Shacharit - 6:45am
• Thursday Mincha/Maariv - 7:15pm
• Friday Shacharit - 6:45am
• Friday Mincha/Abbreviated Kabbalat Shabbat/Maariv - 6:15pm
• Saturday Morning - 9am
• Saturday Mincha/Maariv - 7:11pm
• Sunday Shacharit - 9am

Seventh Day of Pesach, Sunday, April 28th-Monday, April 29th

• Light festival candles at 7:23pm
• Mincha/Maariv - 7:15pm
• Shacharit - 9am

Eighth Day of Pesach, Monday, April 29th-Tuesday, April 30th

• Maariv at 7:15pm
• Light candles at 8:24pm
• Early Shacharit/Yizkor: 6:30am
• Shacharit - 9am
• Mincha/maariv - 7:15pm
• Havdalah - 8:30pm

Rabbi Fineberg will purchase back the hametz he sold on your behalf by 8:45pm, after which we may resume eating hametz.

Temple Israel wishes you and your family a sweet, healthy, and joyous Pesach 5784.