Passover Resources

Passover Videos:

• Passover Playlists on our YouTube Channel (multiple playlists with Passover songs and resources!)
• Sing Mah Nishanah (the Four Questions) with Cantor Beck-Berman (here's the handout) 
• Learn about Passover with Rabbi Nagel

Passover Resources:

• Click HERE to download Beth Ahabah's Congregational Passover Haggadah to use at your own seder!
• Click here to browse Passover books and e-books for sale at CCAR Press.
• Click here for a handy and thorough checklist of ritual items to have at your Pesach Seder, be it the First Night Seder, Second Night Seder, or both! Please note that some of the things on that checklist are optional extras.
• Click here to access the entire collection of URJ Passover online resources.
• Click here for the URJ collection of online resources for Passover Family Activities.
• Click here to browse Family-friendly Passover videos from BimBam!
• Guide to Passover Eating (includes video with Passover-friendly lunch ideas)
• 7 Ways to Have the Best Seder Ever
• Matzah Ball Soup Central
• 10 Pro Cooking Tips and Recipes for a Perfect Passover Meal
• Digital Content to Enliven This Year's Virtual Seder (from Seder suggestions and questions to Zoom backgrounds!)

Seder Basics: "What do I need to hold my own Seder?" 

• Seder means "order" in Hebrew, and refers to more than just  a meal: a series of steps done in a particular order (including food!) which lead us through rituals, blessings, and symbols which re-tell the Exodus story and make it meaningful for us right here, in our lives today. (What to Expect at a Passover Seder)
• Candles (2-3 candles in candlesticks, or you can use tea lights or similar. Some light one candle for each member of their household.)
• Kiddush cup for the Seder leader, plus a wine/grape juice cup for each participant in your household (to be refilled at least 4 times so make sure you have enough grape juice and/or wine for all those cups!)
• Cup of Elijah: This special cup should be set aside, as we will pour wine/grape juice into it in honor of Elijah the Prophet near the end of the Seder.
• Cup of Miriam: This other special cup should be set aside, as we will pour water into it in honor of Miriam the Prophetess during the Seder.
• Seder Plate (click for more info) - can be any plate big enough to hold the following six items:
  • Beitzah (roasted egg)
  • Z’roa (a roasted shank bone) - ideally lamb but anything similar will do, even a chicken neck! Non-meat options include a roasted red beet, or a “paschal yam” (roasted sweet potato).
  • Maror (bitter herbs, usually horseradish)
  • Chazeret (romaine lettuce)
  • Charoset (a sweet mixture often containing fruits, nuts, spices and wine) Click for a few charoset recipes (including 22 Nut-Free Recipes).
  • Karpas (parsley or similar green herb)
• Matzah - ideally at least 3 matzot for the central plate of matzah, plus at least one full-size piece of matzah for each participant in your household.
• Matzah Cover - place a cover over the central plate of matzah, which will be uncovered at certain times during the Seder.  
• Salt water in small bowl(s) (to dip your Karpas/parlsey into during the seder).
• Hand washing - believe it or not, hand washing is an ancient ritual part of the seder! Modern versions of this tradition include individual hand wipes, sanitizer (60% or higher ethyl alcohol content is best), or taking turns at the sink. (If you're tired of singing happy birthday, try this prayer, or this catchy tune about germs.) Traditionally, we wash our hands twice during the seder, once before we eat the greens and once before we eat the Matzah, Maror, and Seder Meal. (You can wash your hands as many times as you like, of course!)
• Seder Meal - a.k.a. your dinner! See below for some options, prep ideas, and recipes. The meal happens about three-quarters of the way through the Seder, and there are some blessings and activities (like the Third and Fourth Cups of wine/grape juice!) which happen after the meal. 

Counting the Omer

We begin counting the Omer on the second night of Pesach! For an Omer Counter for 2023, click here. For more information about the Omer and our count up to Shavuot, click here.