It's That Time of Year Again! Pesach Prep

The first time I made Pesach I was literally up the entire night before. I had not accurately calculated just how long it actually took to make all those traditional foods. I learned my lesson. Whether you are hosting your first Seder or your tenth, it is never easy. As the holiday looms a tiny panic tends to set in leading to feelings alternating between trepidation and anticipation. In spite of those thoughts, I love Pesach and even look forward to the preparations. I try to see my efforts as hands-on kind of Divine service. This does not mean however that you must kill yourself in the process. We Jews believe in life!

The second habit of Highly Effective People, according to Stephen Covey is;
Begin with the End In Mind
This chapter is about setting long-term goals based on "true north" principles. Covey recommends formulating a "Personal Mission Statement" to document one's perception of one's own vision in life. He sees visualization as an important tool to develop this. He also deals with organizational vision statements, which he claims to be more effective if developed and supported by all members of an organization rather than prescribed.

Great advice. Here is what works for me. I visualize my two goals; first, a beautiful, meaningful and enjoyable Seder experience and second, a positive Jewish memory for family and friends. Both of these cannot be realized if you are harried and exhausted as you sit own to the table. Therefore, you need to be deliberate in your planning.

Begin by creating lists and a thorough timeline. Consider this question as you construct your plan; what is it going to take to get you to the table that night relaxed and ready?

Picture the day of the Seder; what will you need to do the days before so that you are not last minutely rushing to get prepared? Plan accordingly and do not be shy about eliciting help from all other participants. Do these three things:

1. Buy a book. There some really terrific books that help you think not just about getting your home ready for the holiday and the menus but also about the Jewish learning that you want to happen at your Seder.
2. Divide up the parts of the Seder. People who come ready to participate will feel connected involved and less likely to keep asking about when the meal going to be served.
3. Get help. Whatever you can afford. Someone to help in the kitchen the day of, someone to wash up the next day or even consider getting some food items catered.

You will be duly rewarded for all your efforts because nothing is as wonderful as laying your head on your pillow the night after the Seder with a deep feeling of satisfaction that you have created a warm significant Jewish experience that will live on in to the future in the minds and souls of all who sat at your table. Good luck!

Pesach Prep

First, remain calm; second, get out your notebook, organization is essential. But before you launch into any of the nitty gritty, you must get your head into the right place. The key to the entire production is joy. Be thrilled to be able to place before your family a meaningful experience; the gift of love as reflected in the food, the table and the deep devotion to our people and tradition. Keep in mind; this is not just a meal, this is not just a holiday. You are facilitating perhaps the most essential ritual in Judaism. Your home will be transformed and your table elevated, as you lead your loved ones into the enchanted transcendent mysterium that is Seder night.

Now for the planning - enlist the help of your family; their being a part of the effort is indispensable. Make sure that each member feels a part of the process and that they each have roles that match their age and inclinations. Keep in mind that the meaning of the word Seder is order; embrace this “Big Idea” as of right now. With order and deliberation you will make this happen! Begin with the goal in mind. For me it is sitting serenely at Seder table. Now, work your way backwards, list what will need to be done the day of the Seder, the day before the Seder, and the week before the Seder and even the month before the Seder.

Think through not only your menu but the ritual foods as well. Now is the time to call relatives and get those heirloom recipes. Get a folder and start placing the Pesach recipes in it; you will use this rest of your life. Start perusing Passover cookbooks with post-a-notes in hand. Do not get carried away. Plan familiar recipes and introduce only one or two new ones. The brisket you made on Rosh Hashanah is not much different than the one you will make on Pesach. List each food that you will need to prepare and begin to generate a shopping list of the ingredients you will need. Set up a cooking and shopping time table. I put up a huge piece of butcher paper on the wall of the kitchen and list each food in big letters. This helps me keep track of what needs to get done. Crossing them each off you will find is deeply satisfying.

Part of preparing for the Seder involves doing some spring cleaning. With the inner sanctum of the home being the kitchen, work your way through the house. Plan to leave a week for the kitchen. Set aside the cabinets where you can begin putting away your Passover foods. Mark the Passover ones clearly.

The cleansing of the home from Chametz, leavening, has a symbolic significance. It represents the refining of our souls. As we search our pockets and drawers for crumbs, we must similarly search the deep recesses of our beings as well. Now we work at letting go of notions that have puffed us up. It is time to reign in our very human tendencies to exaggerate out of proportion our own selves.

The great scholar Rabbi Saadia Gaon understood it this way; “after the deeds follows the heart,” sometimes the actions lead and the thoughts comes along. As we inspect and cleanse our outer dwelling we scrutinize and search out our most inner of abodes. The cleaning of a closet can be deeply satisfying on many levels; it mirrors the inner work of the soul. Let go, give it away, divest your self. We need not posses all of the stuff filling our closets, nor our mental space. The closets are an easy start to get the practice going. My rule; if it has not been worn in the last year and half, someone else could be wearing it and if the ruminations of your mind continue to lead you no where positive, stop going there!


Set time aside to plan the Seder. Together with your family determine who the leader will be. Take a trip to the Jewish book store and consider all the different Haggadahs. Do you want everyone to read from the same book or would your prefer sprinkling different ones around? What Haggadah are the children going to use? While acquiring Haggadahs purchase some engaging Passover story books for your children. This is the time to build up their excitement.
Depending who your guests are you might divide up pieces of the Haggadah or simply rely on their participation on the night of the Seder.

The Haggadah has become a palate upon which many thinkers have drawn their story. We are no different. We each have a Pesach story to tell. Perhaps it is your family’s narrative of coming to America. It might be your own individual struggle with your own personal slavery. By studying the Haggadah ahead of time you will find the appropriate place to add your own original thoughts. Seder means order, yes, the order of the rituals that we perform Seder night, but there is more. Seder must also be the ordering of the world, the grappling with life and all its messy phenomena. What message of the Exodus speaks to you most? What questions yet remain? This should all be part of a meaningful Seder experience.

Though the task seems daunting, be assured; you will make it to Seder Night. As the demanding weeks of Seder planning and commotion unfold before us, let the joy in. Remember past generations whose monumental efforts have segued into ours. Let us appreciate the breezy way we load those groceries into our shopping cart and pack them into our car. The ease with which we switch on the stove, twist the oven dial and turn the faucet for hot water. Enjoy your preparations; the journey may turn out to be as rewarding as the destination.