Passover FAQs for 2020

Will WJC be offering any guidance for this Passover?

Can I have a meaningful seder with just the people who live in my house?

Yes! Let’s not forget that the first seder took place in each home, with “every head of household and their family.” (Exodus 12:3) Each home’s occupants huddled inside while the Malach HaMavet (Angel of Death) went about its nasty business with the firstborn males of Egypt. People have made seder under worse circumstances. Here are a couple of links we found useful in thinking about a different style for seder:

A Different Pesach: Ideas for the Solo Seder 

The minimalist’s guide for Passover 2020

Seder ideas, resources, and lesson plans from Sefaria.org

If I am going to make my own seder, don’t I need a Haggadah (special siddur for the seder)? We don’t have any!

Good point—it is not too late to order physical haggadot from the site Tami and I use: Haggadahs-R-Us. But time is running out for guaranteed shipping so order asap!

Another option is a plethora of free online seders. For a nifty list of these, click here.

Can I share seder with my relatives through Google Hangouts, Zoom or some other digital platform?

That’s a complicated question from the perspective of Jewish law, but there is certainly room to be lenient under these extraordinary circumstances. Tami and I have made the personal decision to create a Zoom link so some of our family can join us for our sedarim. I am happy to discuss how we came to that decision with you but to read the official opinion from Conservative Judaism’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, click here.

Enough about seder – how am I supposed to clean for Passover and get rid of all my hametz – I’ve been stockpiling it for weeks now! And how can I have the rabbi sell it if I can’t go to the synagogue?

There are all kinds of reasons to be lenient on these points this year. You certainly do not have to burn or throw out all of your hametz, though you should seal it away and not touch it for all of Passover. Once the hametz is stored away, you can appoint me your agent to “sell” it to a non-Jewish person. We are doing this virtually this year. Click here for WJC’s virtual Hametz Sale form.  

Also, the Conservative Movement’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards has published a special guide for this Pesach with special exceptions and advice for just this year. Click here to check it out.

I am a firstborn male. Can I attend a siyyum virtually or do I have to fast on April 8 until seder?

I will be hosting a siyyum on April 8 at the end of our regular daily virtual minyan (minyan starts at 8:00am at https://zoom.us/j/725228994. By then I will be completing the entirety of Talmud Tractate Yoma. I will complete the learning, say the special prayer and in celebration anyone watching can join me in a special meal. This will cancel out the obligation for firstborn males to fast all day.

Didn’t see your question answered here? Contact Rabbi Arnowitz, Rabbi Segelman or Cantor Goldberg directly anytime!

Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz: RJA@wjcenter.org

Rabbi Jeffrey T. Segelman: ravjeff@wjcenter.org

Cantor Ethan Goldberg: cantorecg@wjcenter.org