Jewish Community Center Congregation Ahavat Achim

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Thursday, April 17, make a formal search of the home for chometz while holding a lit candle. It is customary to distribute ten small, individually, wrapped pieces of chometz throughout the home before the search.

Blessing – Recite the following:

Baw-ruch Ahtoh Ahdonoi Ehloheinu Melech Hoholom

Ahsher Kihdihshahnu Bihmitzvotov

Vihtzivahnu Awl Beor Chamatz

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments, and has commanded us to remove the leaven.

The Search

Afterwards, hold the lit candle and search for chometz in every room, as well as other areas of the home that may have chometz, such as basement, attic, garage or car.

When the search is completed, recite the following:

All leaven or anything leavened which is in my possession, which I have neither seen nor removed, and about which I am unaware, shall be considered naught and ownerless as the dust of the earth.

Then take all the chometz that was found in the search, cover it securely and place it in a conspicuous spot, to be burned in the morning. Food intended to be sold or eaten later should similarly be carefully put aside. The search should also be conducted at one’s place of business.

Burning the Chometz

In the afternoon before Shabbat begins, Friday, April 18, burn the chometz that was found during the search or that was left over from breakfast and not stored with the chometz, which will be sold to the non-Jew. After the chometz has been thrown into the fire, recite the following:

All leaven or anything leavened which is in my possession, whether I have seen it or not, whether I have

observed it or not, whether I have removed it or not, shall be completely considered naught and ownerless as the dust of the earth.

Howell Jewish Community Center

Congregation Ahavat Achim

CERTIFICATE OF SALE

I ________________________________________________ who reside at

______________________________________________ do hereby declare

that I transfer and do surrender ownership of all leaven in my possession

located in the following rooms or locations: __________________________

__________________________________________________________, to

Rabbi Michael Klein of Congregation Ahavat Achim, 106 Windeler Rd.,

Howell, NJ 07731, for the period of April 18, 2008, through and including

April 27, 2008.

Any chometz (leaven) not included in this sale, which I may unwittingly omit, is

declared null and void.

Signature _____________________________________________________

Signature in Hebrew Letters (if known) _____________________________

As a token of this bill of sale, I enclose $ _____________________ in check payable to Congregation Ahavat Achim, (memo-Maot Hittim Fund). This fund will help purchase matzot for the needy Jews here and abroad.

Please return this form with your check by Friday, April 11, to:

Howell Jewish Community Center

PO Box 344

Howell, NJ 07731

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Passover (Pesach), a harvest festival, begins on the night of April 19, the 15th of Nisan and lasts for eight days. This holiday commemorates the departure of the Children of Israel from bondage in Egypt over 3000 years ago under the leadership of Moses. Considered one of the most celebrated of Jewish holidays, Passover is observed with a Seder on the first two evenings. At the Seder, we use a Hagaddah to explain why we eat different foods, like matzah, we tell the story of our departure from Egypt, we sing songs, and say special prayers. The counting of the Omer (an ancient measure) starts on the second night of Passover. The Omer was an offering made from the first harvest after the Israelites settled in the Promised Land. The counting continues for seven weeks, or forty-nine days. The fiftieth day is Shavuot, when the Torah is welcomed. The intermediate days of Passover, when work is permitted, are referred to as Chol

Ha-Mo'ed.

Passover Vocabulary

Chametz (sour): That which has leavening properties, such as the five major grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt), that has had time to rise and become fermented.

Haggadah (telling): The guidebook for the seder containing the rituals, prayers, and songs which help to retell the story of Jewish slavery and redemption from Egypt. The

answering of the Four Questions.

Seder (order): How the Passover meal is conducted.

Moror: Bitter herbs, usually horseradish or lettuce, symbolic of the suffering and

bitterness of slavery.

Karpas: A vegetable, usually parsley or potatoes, symbolizing Spring and renewal. Dipped in salt water, denoting the tears of bondage.

Charoset: A mixture of chopped fruit (apples, pears, dates) , nuts and wine, resembling the mortar and bricks used by the Jewish slaves in Egypt, but with a sweet flavor to

remember the joy of being released from bondage.

Afikomen (Greek for dessert): The last piece of food eaten at the seder. It is a tradition to hide the afikomen, and for the children to find and “negotiate” for its return. The

seder cannot be concluded until the afikomen is found and eaten.

PASSOVER FACTS

During the last of the Ten Plagues, G-d slew the first-born sons of Egypt, he spared the first-born sons of the Israelites. In recognition of gratitude, it has become custom for all first-born sons of Israel to fast the day before Passover. If the fourteenth of Nisan falls on Shabbat, like this year, the fast is observed on the previous Thursday, the 12th of Nisan, April 17, 2008.

This year, since Passover falls on Shabbat, the search for chametz is done on Thursday night, April 17, and the burning of chametz is done on Friday morning, April 18.

Don’t forget to leave behind challah loaves to be eaten during Friday night's and Saturday morning's Shabbat meals. It isn’t forbidden to eat chametz until the end of Saturday morning. One may not destroy chametz on Shabbat – all other chametz must be destroyed on Friday. This year, when burning the chametz, we do not recite the passage wherein we declare all chametz in our possession to be null and void, instead this passage is recited Saturday morning.

Both Shabbat meals should be completely Kosher for Passover with the exception of just enough challah for each person per meal. (It is forbidden to eat matzah on the day before Passover.) Eat the challah carefully over a paper napkin or tissue. Afterwards, the paper, together with any remaining chametz crumbs, should be flushed down the toilet. Extra care should be taken that no chametz crumbs should fall on the floor.

Make all preparations for the seder on Friday. Start setting the table for the seder after dark on Saturday night. This allows you to relax in the company of your family all day long on Shabbat.

At each seder table a cup of wine is set aside for Elijah. Elijah the Prophet is believed to arrive when there is peace throughout the world. Elijah is a welcomed guest at eachSeder as specified in the Hagaddah.

The intermediate days of Passover, when work is permitted, are referred to as Chol Ha-Mo'ed.

Passover is celebrated for seven days in Israel.

A batch of matzah must be baked within 17 minutes to remain unleavened.

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Seeking people interested in helping with the preparation of the Oneg Shabbat both Friday night and Saturday. Only one day per month required. Please call Ellen Weiss at 732-303-0198.

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Remember, you can help raise funds for Ahavat Achim

by searching the web using www.goodsearch.com.

Just select Congregation Ahavat Achim as your charity

and money from Yahoo advertisers will go directly

to Ahavat Achim without you spending a dime!

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NEWS SHORTS FROM UNITED SYNAGOGUE:

Home For the Holidays - The Conservative movement’s alumni organization, Project Reconnect, helps match people who have graduated from our movement’s youth groups and find themselves away from home during the High Holiday with tickets for services at Conservative synagogues through the program called Home for the Holidays.

Help Save Darfur - The desperate situation in Darfur slips in and out of the news; the people stuck there do not have that luxury. For updates about the situation and to learn what we can do to help, we suggest you go to section on Darfur on the American Jewish World Service’s website.

WE NEED YOUR INPUT:

The Futures Committee is hard at work planning events the congregation will enjoy. We are currently looking into the possibility of a congregational bus trip or two.

As this is a big undertaking, we would like to know of your interest. Please send your response to the synagogue office or by e-mail to editor@cong-ahavatachim.org.

Please number in order of preference (#1 = First choice) and/or write in your

suggestions. We would love to hear from you.

__ Jewish Theological Seminary, NYC

__ The Jewish Museum, NYC

__ Museum of Jewish Heritage, NYC

__ National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia

__ Holocaust Museum, Washington DC

__ Other ________________________

Name __________________________

Last Updated: April 1, 2008

106 Windeler Road • P.O. Box 344 • Howell, New Jersey 07731 • (732) 367-1677 • Fax: (732) 367-1307