I’m already seeing questions being asked over when we should clean our homes of chometz? And how to complete all our three Sabbath meals in a chometz-free home?
The good news is that we won’t face this problem again until 2045.
Bear in mind that while some answers (like when to stop eating your chometz) are firm, others may vary between different religious movements, and opinions may vary even from rabbi to rabbi. As always, it’s always a good idea to consult your rabbi:
(Photo: Getty Images)
Q: When should I clean my house of chometz?
A: You’ll need to clean your house by Thursday April 10 and complete your final search for chometz by that evening. But you may want to retain enough bread to make hamotzi over Shabbat. See below for more on this.
Q: Should I save some bread for Shabbat?
A: There is more than one answer to this which will vary according to your personal preference and advice from your rabbi. And choices vary between Ashkenazim and Sephardim as well as between religious movements.
Some rabbis advise that you should retain enough bread to make hamotzi. This is because (although you can make your blessing over unleavened bread) matzah is not generally eaten during the 30 days before Pesach. If you have disposed of all your bread and cannot use matzah there will be nothing to make hamotzi with.
Don't be tempted to overdo the challah Photo: Getty ImagesGetty Images
The advice is to keep enough pita for one sitting as it makes fewer crumbs. Or baby challah rolls — also smaller — should mean fewer/no disposal issues when Pesach comes in. (Try to resist the urge to buy that family-sized, shiny brown challah.)
If you do this, you’ll want to keep it contained by allocating a spot where everyone will eat their bread. It could be over a napkin, outside the main dining space or you might take things outside. Wherever you break your bread, make sure to sweep up the crumbs and rinse the area immediately afterwards.
Other rabbis like Masorti Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffatt prefers to clear his home completely of all chometz and not retain any. His worry is that some might be left behind if he keeps any bread for Shabbat which outweighs his “overlapping worry” as to whether to eat hamotzi for his second Shabbat meal.
He acknowledges that there are different approaches, sharing that one United Synagogue rabbi he had spoken to had told him that he plans on holding an earlier than normal Shacharit service — at about 8am. They’ll go to shul as early as possible, with congregants sent home to eat a very early ‘lunch’ to get the last chometz in just before the cut-off. They’ll then return to finish the service sated with the last taste of bread — and having disposed of any leftovers.
Q: When should I cook my Seder meal and prepare the components of my Seder plate?
A: Cooking will need to be done during the day on Friday April 11 or at least before Shabbat comes in at, which (in London) will be at 7.36pm on April 11.
This is also when you should prepare as much of your Seder plate as you can — making your charoset, grating the horseradish and checking your lettuce for bugs etc.
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Q: When do I need to stop eating chometz?
A: Another clear deadline here — if you are in London (or the same time zone), you’ll need to stop eating chometz by 10.45am. So, your morning meal must finish by then — and don’t forget to take the same care over crumb containment.
By 11.54am all remaining chometz should be disposed of — which could either mean flushing it down the toilet; throwing it in a public bin or even feeding it to your dog, provided that any of these are completed before that deadline.
Q: What should I cook for the Shabbat leading into Pesach?
A: Even if you choose to make hamotzi on Shabbat with your remaining bread supply, all other food for your meals will need to be Pesach-friendly. While this effectively means a ninth day of Passover menus, but with the silver lining of a bonus day of rest ahead of Pesach minus the usual frantic last-minute prep.
If you need inspiration for your Pesach-friendly Shabbat meal, you’ll find some delicious ideas in the JC’s recipe section.
The usual rules you follow for Shabbat will apply in terms of reheating your Pesach-friendly meal.
Q: When will we start our Seder and what do we need to do when Shabbat goes out?
A: Shabbat ends (in London) at 8.41pm on April 12. At this point you will use an existing flame to light your Yom Tov candles; you can set up your Seder plate and finish the table arrangements. Havdalah is incorporated into the kiddush at the Seder using the sequence: wine; kiddush; lighting the candles; Havdalah and reciting Shehecheyanu.
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Q: What cooking can I do once Shabbat has gone out?
A: The rules for your Seder meal are based around the rules for Yom Tov cooking. So, you may transfer a flame and but not light one nor extinguish it. Many will light a three-day candle so you can take the flame from it to light your gas hob.
If you have an electric hob that you can put on a timer, set to go on and off for the times you need to cook over Yom Tov.
One rebbetzen says that she will be using a small camping-style hob to use for small cooking/reheating jobs. It can be set to come on for a couple of hours when Shabbat goes out allowing you to reheat or even cook.
As above, all utensils including hot plate or blech that you use from the start of Shabbat over this time should have been made kosher for Pesach. Shabbat restrictions on heating food in a sauce that some Ashkenazim follow will not apply, so stews and dishes like brisket in gravy are fine.
It’s worth remembering that your preparation time will be limited, so any food you’re planning on eating for Saturday night’s Seder meal will need to have been prepared prior to Shabbat. You will only have the length of the Seder to warm anything up.
Another factor to bear in mind is that you are likely to be eating at about 10pm, late for a full meal for some, so you may want to keep things light.
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Q: Any recipe tips for my post-Shabbat Seder dinner?
A: Fully loaded chicken soup with chicken, veggies and matzah balls. It’s enough to sustain everyone and not too much late at night; Pesach schnitzels with mashed potatoes for the children; baked salmon either with a herbed yoghurt or tomato-based sauce which you can serve at room temperature; cold fried fish with hot vegetables; matzah lasagne with salads; a range of vegetable-based salads.
NOTES:
Times are for London.
If you have any concerns over the above you should consult your own rabbi.
