What is the rule about chametz in an interfaith household during Passover? Is it fair to deny them their allowed food just so I maintain Kosher?

Jews (it doesn’t matter if you are reform, conservative, orthodox, unaffiliated, intermarried) have the Torah and 613 commandments. it is your choice whether you follow the law or not. According to halakha, Jewish law, Jews may not own, eat or benefit from chametz during Passover. This law appears several times in the Torah; the punishment

Tallies from Pesach

12 kilos of matzah 30 kilos of potatoes 10 kilos of oranges 10 kilos of carrots 8 kilos of apples 10 kilos of cucumbers 6 kilos of pears 14 chickens 330 eggs  (Not counting the meat, dried fruit, nuts, coconut, tomatoes, paper cups, and the few must need to buy pans, knives and peelers and

A Cup of Naches

Years ago when my recently widow Aunt came to visit us; she had left us with a parting gift; coffee mugs. I love coffee mugs. I’m a big believer that the coffee tastes better in a mug more than anything else.  Twelve mugs; yellow ribbed with red on the inside, green with blue insides, and all other

Is it possible that when the Jewish people saw God in the desert, they were hallucinating?

Sure it was possible that the Jewish people were hallucinating.  Yes in fact maybe they were eating wild mushrooms and all had the same vision.  Problem is there are no mushrooms in the desert. You know what maybe there was an earthquake right when the Israelites wanted to cross and it caused the water to

Are there any special preparations religious Jews need for Passover beyond buying Wine & Matzoth for the Seder?

Yes, a lot.  Actually writing here is my way of stalling in getting all the work done. The major mitzvah of Passover is two fold 1. you must eat almost 2 pieces of matzah on the seder night (though you don’t have to have wine – you can have grape juice instead.) And the second

The Demonstration

Once I got a story from my sister. It is worth retelling:   A young single woman in her thirties was depressed with her life.  She hadn’t been successful in finding her life partner, nor excelled in her profession.  She didn’t have many friends, since most had gotten married and were busy with children. She

On All Other Nights (What’s Dinner?)

An old Story Revisited: The seminary’s kitchen was still opened for those girls who did not go home for Pesach. Although it put tremendous pressure on my family, taking a few hours break from cleaning to cook seemed a treat.  Actually the real extravagance came from the opportunity it provided me to visit my rebbetzin

What is included in the prohibition of eating Hametz on Passover?

Hametz is flour (defined as from wheat, oatmeal, spelt, rye or barley) mixed with water for longer than 18 minutes (from the moment the water touches the flour until it is baked). So this includes cake, crackers, noodles, including the oatmeal or flour used to thicken soup, hot cereals, beer, whiskey, alcohol from the grains