Pesach Snap Shot

I love Passover, yes even the cleaning and the prep! It makes the week so much more satisfying when it arrives. We had a small seder just my parents and Grandparents this year, we had invited a couple others besides but unfortunately they were unable to come. So in the end Elijah had more room at the table :). 

The funny thing about our seder's is they are never quite the same. Yes of course we do the same things every year but it always looks a little different, it keeps things interesting :)

So here is a snap shot of our Seder this year!

I made bookmarks for each place setting, not only did it serve the practical purpose of seating but everyone was able to use them as haggadot markers as well.

I made them ahead so I went for a neutral coloured paper and used strips of scrap fabric for the fringe.

Do to our table being significantly decreased in size since last year I no longer had table room to put extra matzot on my silver plates as I have in the past so I improvised really quick the night of the seder and took a spare linen towel and covered the matzah box with it, tied blue and white cotton crochet thread around it and finished it with a white flower hair clip. I think this wins thrifty award for the year if I do say so myself!



For our seder plate I used our glass pedestal cake plate and three small square dishes we had in the cupboard in which I placed the charoset, maror, and karpas.

 In the middle I put parfait type dish in the centre with the salt water for dipping. The empty spaces I filled up with the remaining items: sheep wool, a stone, and a few springs of thyme(which I consider a bitter herb). We used the sheepskin wool in lieu of the traditional shank bone this year. We choose to leave the egg off the plate and have instead a stone to remind us of three things: Pharaoh's hard heart, G-d's promise to remove our stony hearts and give us hearts of flesh, and lastly that the stones of the Temple will once again be raised up when Mashiach returns!

The Echad

Aerial view of the table

 

After polishing the candle sticks I discovered I had used the last of our shabbat candles....hmmm well no problem I pulled out our trusty crown mason jars and a couple of the half burned votives from my sisters wedding last year (wow yes that was exactly a year ago!) and viola.


Menu for this year consisted of honey chicken, garlic-horseradish mashed potatoes, and Thai cucumber salad.

Homemade lemon ice cream and lemony coconut macaroons for dessert.

Chametz chamtez everywhere but not a crumb to eat

Pesach is rushing to arrive and we are once again hit with that question: "So what is chametz again and what do I need to take out?" 

Chametz is the Hebrew word almost universally translated "leaven" in our English bibles and most often is attributed to risen baked products or just bread that has been baked with yeast. While it's true that both these fall into the category of chametz it may not totally answer the question?".

Our ancestors in Egypt did not have "yeast" as we have today, instead they had to wait for their dough to "become leavened". So how does dough become leavened then? 

Naturally leavened breads rise over time as they draw in wild yeast spores from the air. As the unique and complex family of friendly bacteria thrive on the nutrient rich whole grain flour they produce carbon dioxide gas, this is was causes air bubbles in your dough and ultimately gives a finer texture to your bread. But while it takes some time to make a full fledged risen sourdough bread it doesn't take long for leavening to begin. Our sages of blessed memory observed this process closely noting that when rye, wheat, spelt, oat, or barely flour are mixed with water they naturally begin the leavening process in as little as 18min*. Therefore if dough was not rolled and cooked within that time frame it would not be matzah("unleavened bread") but it would in fact be chametz dough.

This is also why all chametz isn't necessarily full out risen bread. Yes all breads are chametz but all chametz isn't “risen” bread. Pasta, cookies, crackers, breaded fish, pitas, grain based alcohols, etc. are just a few other things that are chametz because they have all been allowed to become at least partially leavened. Which dawned on me this year that I can't stop at the obvious, I can't assume I know the appearance of sin or arrogance, it could very well be hiding behind the appearance of good. I need to be diligent to search it out because just because it doesn't possess the obvious appearance of leaven doesn't mean it isn't...a little bit of leavening still leavens the whole lump...hmm that sounds familiar..... :]

For more a more in depth article about chametz I recommend the below article written by Tim Hegg.

http://torahresource.com/EnglishArticles/Chameitz&Pesach.pdf

The following is a list taken from the above article and what we personally go by when it comes to removing the chametz from our dwellings:

1.Any of the five grains or flour made from them, to which water has been added and allowed to sit long enough to begin the fermentation process (18 minutes is the accepted time according to the Sages). If fermentation occurs, they have become leavening agents. They are not to be used during the festival.
2. All prepared foods that contain any of the five grains (sandwich breads, even pita bread, since it may have been allowed to sit too long before being baked; cereals, cookies, crackers, etc.) are prohibited. Prepared foods made from kitniyot do not need to be removed (unless one wants to adhere to the additional Ashkenazic rabbinic fences). So, for instance, corn tortillas are okay, as are foods made from rice.
3. Noodles purchased from the store, made from one of the five grains are prohibited, unless they are marked as Kosher for Pesach. (You can make your own noodles as long as they are cooked right away after water is added to the flour, if you are using flour ground from one of the five grains).
34. Beer, whiskey and the like, which are made from fermented grains, are prohibited. (Not all alcoholic beverages are prohibited. For instance, some vodka is made from potatoes and does not therefore contain chameitz).
5. Substances containing leaven or leavening agents but which are never eaten do not need to be removed, since the primary commandment is that one is not to eat leavened foods nor have leavening agents that would be added to foods. Thus, cleaning agents, pet food, etc. that contain one of the five grains do not need to be removed. 
6. Medicines containing leaven are not prohibited during the festival, on the principle (pikuach nefesh) that those things necessary to sustain life generally take precedents over other commandments.
7. Wine and vinegar (other than grain vinegar) are not considered chameitz because they are not made from grain products, and are therefore useable during the festival
                         -excerpt from "What Foods are Prohibited During Chag HaMatzot?" by Tim Hegg

* note that the 18min is calculated using cold water only. If one uses hot water the fermentation begins much faster! When making matzah coldest is best!

What do Pesach, socks, and Mashiach have in common?...

Yes I'll admit it has been pretty dead on this sliver of the internet lately but getting ready for a wedding and Pesach in the same month demands some serious prioritization....that and kissing your regular sleep patterns goodbye.

All in all we survived the chaos and actually managed to pull off a pretty good wedding I think. My neat freakness is settling down a little more now that we have *most* of the boxes organized again and put away. It was touch and go last Monday as we began to wade through the worst of the post wedding array that got hastily shoved into this or that box in the frenzy to clear out of the hall at a semi decent hour, get the last bit of Pesach cleaning done, and table laid. Baruch HaShem I am not sure how we managed it but we we're sitting down at evening with time to spare!

As crazy as Pesach is at times though I think it's one of my favourite times of the year. Maybe becasue all the cleaning and preparations build the expectation more or maybe because my simplicity is naturally attracted to the practical elements of the cleaning and the getting rid of the chametz. Or maybe just because I genuinely like cleaning....though I try not to be too obsessive ;).

I don't know if your mum made you do this or not but we were always made to clean our drawers on a regular basis growing up. It always amazed me how much room I had after I was done neatly folding and organizing them....it really was great!...for all of about a week until you lazily fell back into the old way of shoving things in, pushing them down and quickly pushing the drawer closed like you were trying to keep the jack in the box that lived in there from popping out at an inopportune time.

It just seems to be that over time things can pile up or get put in the wrong place. We even begin to collect things we shouldn't or hide things that we ought not to be holding on to. Pesach is the chance to get that fresh start. Reorganizing and prioritizing...tossing those socks that don't have a match, mending the things that need repaired and getting rid of the things that for *whatever* reason crept in over the year. Maybe what I believe on this or that is valid but I've allowed it to dominate my focus too much and draw me away from the weighty matters. Maybe I am holding on to ideas that have no basis and need to be thrown out. Maybe I need to evaluate the company I keep, the way I spend my time etc.

Everything needs a little freshening up now and then whether it be a good cleaning or the odd calibration we need the times to reorient ourselves on the narrow way and make sure that we keep Messiah at the centre of that walk. Remembering our redemption, the cost, and the fact that the most Holy One of Israel cares so much about having a personal relationship with us that He would humble Himself to such a state! The require-er of the penalty took the penalty Himself. Whoa if that is not mind bending I am not sure what is!...Just a little cleaning tip - if you only put one thing back in the drawer make sure it's that one right there!

Chag sameach and lila tov

From Me To You

I stayed up rather late last night writing the previous blog post...finally I was like "I need to go to bed!" crawled in under my cozy blankets...but I couldn't sleep...G-d had other plans...a rhyming novel apparently ;)

From Me To You

© K.Taylor Written December 21, 2012

I looked for Christ in Christmas

I looked in the stockings stuffed to the brim

I dug to the bottom but I didn't see him

I looked on the tree so shiny and bright

but got distracted by the cookies and twinkly lights

Then I looked for him in the presents a bit

but saw only the cards labelled "From ol Saint Nick"

I looked for Christ in Christmas

but didn't have much luck this year

then came Easter, surely I could find him here!

I looked in the Easter aisle here than there

lots of chocolate, but I didn't see Jesus anywhere!

I went to church had a stale square wafer,

two teaspoons of juice in a tiny cup made of paper

but I can count to 3 and things just didn't add up

Finally I looked in the bible,

that's where we should've start,

and as I dug deeper

 it cut straight to the heart

I learnt Shabbat is a sign

of seasons and cycles of time

 All through G-d's word there's this recurring theme

G-d has something call "moedim"!

For pete's sake why didn't I know!?

HaShem appointed His times long ago!

We begin with Pesach

celebrating G-d's great redemption

Our chains were broken and we were set free 

from Egypt's bitter bitter slavery

We eat matzah for seven whole days

cause chametz represents arrogancy

and there's just no room for that

 in what Yeshua did for me 

Shavuot we stood under a cloud

heard the words spoken clear and loud

and three times we repeated our vows

Yeshua is the bridegroom! 

Yes yes I see it all now!

Rosh Hashanah the trumpet will sound

and you better be ready

it just might be Him who's comin to town

Ten more days to get things straight

then it's time to pass through the judgement gate

We know we have sinned 

we know we have done wrong

so we fast on This Day all the day long

"We have erred and have caused a great breach

because your commandments we didn't keep"

The righteous he covers they'll never be lost

the wicked however are strained out like dross

Then out comes the lumber for a seven day feast!

We live in a sukkah...some might call it the least

but it's not about what we make with our hands 

it's about the provision G-d gave us in the desert sands

The cloud and the fire that guided our way

The Rock that followed

giving us water each day

The tag on the end is the last of the assembly 

"Shemini Atzeret" which represents eternity

Oh how awesome the Olam Haba shall be!

When the Mashiach shall forever dwell with me

No it doesn't stop there!

Chanukkah we commemorate His strength and might

remembering the Maccabees and their holy fight

and rededicate ourselves to Him when the menorah we light

as we kindle a new flame each consecutive night

And lets not forget Purim!

The spiel, the mask and disguise

all to remember how G-d used Hadassah

through ways that seemed quite normal or hidden

to save us from those who from the world wished us ridden

She became Queen Esther

but you see she had a hidden identity

which brought us salvation in our time of great need

proving that even when we don't see

HaShem is always here for you and me

Yes where ever I opened and looked 

It wasn't hard to find Mashiach at work

Christmas and Easter on the other hand?

G-d never said "use it to worship Me"

Nope! Open the book, go look and see!

I also learned the things that HaShem had to say

about people who changed His feasts and His ways.

Combining holy with polluted things

Then calling it "kosher" 

forgetting the curses the mix brings

That's when it hit me and I couldn't ignore it

He has an order and I've gotta stop messing it up

after all it's the least I can do - after He drank my cup

poured out His blood and saved me from sin's power too

So now I am wondering..what about you?

Maybe it's time for you to search too?

Cause it hardly seems right 

these things that we do,

when we let the light of His Torah shine through

No I am not condemning

Heck! I was there too!

But G-d kept me up late last night

to write this little note entitled "From Me To You"

 and I'm just wondering what you'll do

cause this time G-d's having the party

....and He's invited YOU!

My family has been on the awesome journey of Torah for over ten years now. Sometimes it's hard to express it all to people...especially at this time of year. Please feel free to share with your friends! This was HaShem's doing so if it can be of use in sharing why you do what you do....DO IT! Then let me know how it went!!! :o) Shabbat blessings to all!

Out of Egypt: Counting the Omer

Well Pesach has come to a close, and we are counting down the days of the omer to Shavuot (tonight we will count 9 days, which is 1 week and 2 days of the omer). By now we are out of Egypt, and the taste of freedom is sweet but we are not at all away from danger. Sometimes after leaving behind what we have always wished we could break free from we begin to doubt if it was truly the right thing to do or not. We become apathetic, our resolve begins to weaken, and doubt begins to attack.

After leaving Egypt our ancestors chided and complained saying specifically that it would have been better to serve(or die) under the hand of Pharaoh in Egypt than to die in the wilderness. 

1st when they faced the Red Sea (Shemot 14:11, 12)
2nd when they were hungry in the wilderness (Shemot 16:2, 3)
3rd when they had no water to drink while camped in Rephidim (Shemot 17:1-7)

The pattern of doubt is set by the 3rd time. They have lost hope and doubt HaShem's provision. It is after this this 3rd act of doubt Amalek attacks us.

We are commanded in Devarim 25:17-19 to never forget, to remember to blot out his name so we won't forget!

"Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt;  

How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. 

Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

The attack of Amalek did not come upon us right away, it did not come when we were singing praise to HaShem on the other side of the sea, it came after we had lost our hope and given ourselves up to our irrational doubt. So in guarding ourselves from the attack of Amalek we must guard against those small choices that lead to the ultimate place of doubt (is G-d among us?). It came after 3 times saying "it would be better if we had never left Mitzrayim".

Let this counting of the omer be a time and opportunity to constantly remind us to acknowledge and praise the Holy One for not only bring us out of Mitzrayim(the "narrow place or straits") but for His constant day to day provision as He leads us through the wilderness. If this is the place of our heart, when faced with His Torah we will not refuse it, but embrace it whole-heartedly because He is a nourishing and sustaining G-d.

Blessing for the Counting of the Omer

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

Charoset

Traditional Charoset

Ingredients
-apples
-cinnamon
-grape juice
-almonds

Some people pulverize everything is a food processor, but I prefer to make "Chopped Charoset"

I also never measure anything for charoset I just start chopping apples until I am happy with the amount and add the other ingredients as I go.

I use whole almonds, and find that the roasted almonds break easier than the raw ones plus it give a nice roasty flavour to the charoset.

The easiest way to crush the almonds is to put them in a strong zip-loc bag and roll them with a rolling pin. You can roll them basically to powder if you so desire.

This batch I think I used about 8-10 medium apples, 1tsp of cinnamon, about a cup of almonds, and 1/4-1/2cup of grape juice.

If you want to get really fancy with your charoset you could add rasins, chopped dried apricots or any other dried fruit, add a little honey to sweeten it up, or try including a little ginger or other sweet spice to it.

Chag Sameach!

Matzah Makin'!

 
Wow 18min goes by in a hurry when you are making Matzah!
 

To get a batch of matzah mixed, rolled, and then cooked in 18 min means that it needs to be cooked fast and hot! To do this it definitely helpful to use fire-brick, quarry-tile, or a baking stone in your oven so that it will absorb and hold the heat so that cooking isn't slowed up by the constant opening and closing of your oven. 

I used 6 fire-bricks laid on

the middle rack (another time I may try putting them on my bottom rack to give me more "flipping room" but I wasn't sure about putting them so close to the heat element) of the oven. Don't heat the oven to fast, it is advisable to use an hour to bring the bricks up to temperature. I started at 150F and gradually increased (about 100 every 10-15min) until I was up to 500F. DO NOT USE WET BRICKS apparently they can explode so make sure they are dry, or turn your oven as low as you can to slowly dry them out. *if you are using something other than fire-brick get directions accordingly*

Wash your work space thoroughly as well as any utensils you will be using

- stainless steel bowl

- sharp knife to cut pieces of matzah to roll

- 2 one cup measuring cups (one for flour, one for water)

- cold water

- flour (I used spelt because it is not tempered)

- salt

- spoon

- rolling pin

- parchment paper

- fork, a new hair comb, or a round bristle hairbrush for piercing matzah (the hair brush works really well!! I know it sounds funny but don't knock it til you try it!! But please for the health of those who will be consuming your matzah...splurge and buy a new one for matzah making!)

 
I used spelt flour and mixed it 1cup of cold water to 3cups flour, with 1 heaping tsp of salt. With two people rolling and one person piercing and baking, we got one batch this size completely mixed rolled and baked within 18min but just in time! I could only put 4 matzah in at a time so that's about the limit if you are using a conventional sized oven.

Quick tip for putting matzah in the oven! 
Cut a piece of parchment paper to cover the bricks. Place it on a cooking sheet and put unbaked matzot on the paper, pick up the pan. open the oven door and quickly slide the parchment with the matzot on to the brick surface. ** make sure to wear an oven mit!

Once one batch was completed we washed the work surfaces and utensils again before starting the next one. All those left over pieced of dough are becoming chametz and we don't want to mix them into out new batch of matzah right!? Once everything is clean you start all over again. Remember the clock starts as soon as the water hits the flour. 

Happy matzah making and Chag Sameach!

What is Chametz?

Chametz is almost always referred to as "leaven", "yeast" or bread that has been baked with yeast. This is partially true but it's not the whole picture. Chametz is anything made from the 5 grains (rye, wheat, spelt, oats, and barely) that has come into contact with water and begun to ferment. Our sages of blessed memory observed this process closely and concluded that this fermentation process occurs within as little as 18min after the grain has come into contact with the water*. Therefore if dough was not rolled and cooked within that time frame it would not be matzah("unleavened bread") but it would in fact be chametz dough.

This is also why all chametz isn't risen bread. Yes all breads are chametz but all chametz isn't “risen” bread. Pasta, cookies, crackers, breaded fish, pitas, grain based alcohols, etc. are just a few other things that are chametz because they have all been allowed to ferment. Pasta is fine if it is rice pasta or homemade and made within the 18min time frame....however if you have ever made pasta you'll know that could be quite challenging.

Processed and packaged foods are your "sticky wicket". Everyone needs to decide as a family or community where to place the fence line for what goes out and what can stay in.

No matter how far you go with it I believe it's a good exercise to go through and read your labels, most of us don't even know what is in half of our products, let alone whether or not they contain chametz. But this is the time to find out! You'd be surprised how many things contain these grain products or a by-product of the 5 grains. So whether you choose to remove absolutely everything or take a simpler approach remember this is a mitzvah, it's purpose is to bring us closer to HaShem! Searching both our dwelling and His(us!) for chametz is a HaShem's designed way to build our relationship with Him. Lets do it with joy and enthusiasm.

For more a more in depth article about chametz I recommend the below article written by Tim Hegg.

http://torahresource.com/EnglishArticles/Chameitz&Pesach.pdf

For me personally I first had to gain a understanding of the strictest halacha(practice), and weigh it all with Torah before coming to conclusions for my own halacha. This year that means taking anything out that has been made with one of the 5 grains(1st level meaning: in it's recognizable form, like if it says wheat flour in the ingredients) that we didn't make ourselves to insure it was not allowed to sit after water was added and become chametz. Our matzah we will make ourselves but make sure it is not able to become chametz by getting it made and baked within 18min. and washing in between batches. HaShem is gracious and gives us a little more responsibility every year! I am so thankful that He has entrusted us with guarding His Torah it is a true blessing! Shalom.

another couple I found helpful as well.

http://jerusalemcouncil.org/halacha/kashrut/chametz-not-yeast

http://www.oukosher.org/index.php/passover/article/4879/ 

http://www.oukosher.org/index.php/common/article/1380174

* note that the 18min is calculated using cold water only. If one uses hot water the fermentation begins much faster! When making matzah coldest is best!

Getting Ready

Well Purim is over and we are now looking forwards to Pesach!

The weather was so nice today we thought we'd seize the opportunity to go through our freezers and sort out all the chametz so we can start using it up before Pesach. It seemed like a daunting task at first but it really didn't take long. And now both freezers are tidy and organized....and I found some good stuff in there too!

Just after Purim is a good marker to start preparations for Pesach. Here's just a few ideas to get us all started:

-Stop purchasing chametz products

-Take stock of your supply of chametz and make some meal plans so you get most of it used up before the holiday

- Make a cleaning checklist for the next month. Focus most of your energy on the areas where you have the most chametz in your house...for most of us that is the kitchen. Other rooms can be done weeks ahead and declared off limits to food to keep them chametz free.

- Order Shmurah Matzah or bake your own making sure that it is not sitting longer than 18min. (if allowed to sit for longer than 18min the dough begins to ferment and it is chametz)

- Check labels on processed food to be sure ahead of time what contains chametz, keep some brightly coloured stickers handy and sticker what will need to come out when the time comes up. If you are not sure contact the company...and if all else fails you can probably do with out it a week.