As Israel celebrates its 60th birthday, the touchiest subject in the relationship between the Jewish State and Diaspora Jewry remains aliyah, the encouragement of American Jews to emigrate to Israel. Indeed, the attitude of the American rabbinate toward aliyah has, for the most part, vacillated over the years. On the one hand, we are aware of the indispensability of an ample quantity of Jews making their home in Israel in order to insure the viability of a Jewish State. On the other hand, if all or most of American Jewry heeded the call to go on aliyah, we would have no one to whom we could speak or with whom we could work.

In truth, we have little cause to worry that the bulk of American Jewry will go to Israel. (They may move to Florida or Arizona; but that’s another story!) What’s more, there is no reason to bemoan the fact that most of our co-religionists prefer to remain in this country. The Jews of America have evolved a vital, vibrant, and creative life here. They have erected a most impressive array of institutions which minister, outstandingly and effectively, to the religious, educational, social and health needs of the Jewish community. Over 300 of the finest colleges and universities in the United States have chairs of Jewish studies. To be sure, we have our difficulties, most especially intermarriage and assimilation; but none of the negatives can gainsay the reality that one can most certainly live an authentic and genuine Jewish life in America.

To be sure, as good as things are in America, our Jewishness will always be a secondary element of our lives; since the dominant American way must, of necessity, constitute the principal priority of our thoughts and actions. Only in Israel will it ever be possible for Jewishness to be completely natural, without having to compete with conflicting ideologies and orientations towards life. Aliyah is the sole option available to those who desire to live totally integrated Jewish lives, free of intrusive and alien elements.

The most potent force that will galvanize the interest of American Jews to make aliyah is the desire to be part of the incomparably exciting and exhilarating drama of a people returning to its home after two thousand years of wandering all over the globe. Jewish history possesses a grandeur and nobility which cannot be adequately grasped by the powers of the human intellect. These qualities can, nevertheless, be most fully experienced in the land of Israel. Although the Middle East is currently the focal point of so much enmity and violence, it continues to arouse the imagination, concern, and involvement of the greatest nations and religions of the Western world, and to constitute a source of inspiration and encouragement to countless millions everywhere. To play a role in establishing amity and harmony in that spot of the globe which is the crossroads of the human race is the kind of challenging aspiration that can fire the idealism of some of our finest young people.

Such elevated and noble objectives will probably never motivate more than a minority of our co-religionists in this country. But we American Jews, rabbis and laity alike, have a duty to encourage and support that minority. While most American Jews will elect to stay here, that special and blessed group which makes aliyah will prove that American Jews are not hopeless captives of the fleshpots of wealth and security. These noble and sanctified Jews, finally, have the best chance to succeed in the all-important task of building a living bridge between us and the people of Israel which alone can assure the survival of the Jewish people and the Jewish way of life everywhere.

Bedikat Hametz - The Search For Leaven

After the house has been thoroughly cleaned, it is the traditional practice to make a final ceremonial search for whatever hametz may remain. The search, called Bedikat Hametz, is usually conducted on the evening of the day preceding Passover, and the hametz is burned on the following morning. This year, Bedikat Hametz is conducted on Thursday evening, April 17th, and the hametz is burned on Friday morning, April 18th. Before the search, it is customary to deposit small pieces of bread in strategic places, so that the inspection has a purpose. Traditionally, the search is carried out by the light of a candle, with a feather and a wooden spoon to collect the hametz.

Siyum for the First-Born

The day before Passover is observed as a fast day for the first-born males in each family. The object of this fast is to remind them that the first-born of the Israelites escaped the doom visited upon the first-born of the Egyptians on the midnight of the first Passover.

However, if the first-born participates in a mitzvah, he may take part in the feast which accompanies it, and need no longer fast. Such a mitzvah is a siyum, or conclusion of a portion of Talmudic literature. This year, the special service for the first-born will take place on Thursday, April 17th, following the morning service.

All first-born males and their fathers are invited to attend. The services and siyum are meaningful for all parents and children, first-born or not.

Kashering of Utensils

1. Earthenware (china, pottery, etc.) may not be kashered. Fine translucent china which has not been used for a year may be used if scoured and cleaned in hot water.
2. Metal (i.e., wholly of metal) utensils used in fire (spit, broiler) must first be thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned and completely immersed in boiling water. Pots should have water boil in them which will overflow the rim. The utensils may not be used for 24 hours between cleaning and the immersion in boiling water. Metal baking utensils cannot be kashered.
3. Ovens and Ranges: Every part that comes in contact with food must be thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned. The oven and range should be heated as hot as possible for 30 minutes. If there is a broil setting, use that. Self-cleaning ovens should be scrubbed and cleaned and then put through the self-cleaning cycle. Continuous cleaning ovens must be kashered in the same manner as regular ovens. Microwave ovens that do not cook the food by means of heat (convection) should be cleaned, a cup of water placed inside, and the oven turned on until the water evaporates. A microwave that has a browning element (convection) cannot be kashered for Passover.
4. Glassware: One way to kasher drinking utensils is to soak them in water for 3 days, changing the water every 24 hours. Another method is to thoroughly scrub before Passover, or put them through a dishwasher cycle.
5. Dishwasher: After not using the machine for 24 hours, a full cycle with detergent should be run.
6. Electrical Appliances: If the parts that come in contact with hametz are detachable, they can be kashered (e.g., if metal, follow the rules for metal utensils). If the parts are not detachable, the appliance cannot be kashered. All exposed parts should be thoroughly cleaned.
7. Tables, Closets, and Counters: If used with hametz they should be thoroughly cleaned and covered.
8. Kitchen Sink: A metal sink can be kashered by thoroughly cleaning and then pouring boiling water over it. A porcelain sink should be cleaned and a sink rack used. If dishes are to be soaked in a porcelain sink, a basin must be used.
9. Hametz and non-Passover Utensils: Non-Passover dishes, pots, and hametz whose ownership has been transferred, should be separated, locked up or covered, and marked in order to prevent accidental use.

Prohibited Foods

Prohibited foods include the following: leavened bread, cakes, biscuits, crackers, cereal, coffees containing cereal derivatives, wheat, barley, oats, spelt, rye, and all liquids containing ingredients made from grain alcohol. Most Ashkenazic authorities have added the following foods (kitniyot): rice, corn, millet, and legumes (beans and peas; string beans, however, are permitted). Peanuts and peanut oil are permitted. Some Ashkenazic authorities forbid the use of legumes in a form other than their natural state, corn sweeteners, corn oil or soy oil. Sephardic authorities permit the use of all of the above.

Permitted Foods

1. The following foods require no Kosher for Passover labels if purchased prior to Passover: unopened packages or containers of coffee without cereal derivatives, sugar, pure tea, salt (not iodized), pepper, natural spices, frozen fruit juices with no additives, frozen (uncooked) vegetables, milk, butter, cottage cheese, cream cheese, ripened cheeses such as cheddar, muenster, and Camembert, frozen (uncooked) fruit containing no additives, and baking soda.
2. The following foods require no kosher for Passover labels if purchased prior to or during Passover: fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, fresh fish and fresh meats.
3. The following foods must have a kosher for Passover label if purchased prior to or during Passover: All baked products (matzoh, cakes, matzoh flour, farfel, matzoh meal) and any products containing matzoh, canned or bottled fruit juices, canned tuna (only if it is known that the tuna is packed exclusively in water, without any additional additives or ingredients, may it be purchased without a kosher for Passover label), wine, vinegar, liquor, oils, dried fruits, candy, chocolate flavored milk, ice cream, yogurt and soda.
4. The following canned, bottled or frozen (processed) foods must have a kosher for Passover label if purchased during Passover: milk, butter, juices, vegetables, fruit, milk products, spices, coffee, tea, fish, as well as all those products in paragraph III.

Detergents

If permitted during the year, powdered and liquid detergents do not require a kosher for Passover label.

Medicine

Since hametz binders are used in many pills, the following guidelines should be followed: If the medicine is for life sustaining therapy, it may be used during Passover. Capsules are preferable.