Passover has a way of sneaking up on us, and it can feel like there isn’t enough time to properly prepare, let alone make that preparation feel meaningful. We’ve spoken with many of you who have “never done this before!” and “don’t know what I’m doing!” and yet, you want to participate in this ancient ritual chametz-purging and spiritual reflection before Pesach. Way to go! We want to support you. Three thousands years ago, our ancestors were commanded to prepare their homes to be free of chametz and prepare their food and even their outfits for a dinner for the night they leave (you can listen to our study for more on that). Todday, how can we prepare our heart and home for the possibility of transformation?

Before you begin, ask yourself what observing Pesach means for you this year. What does the story of our ancestors resisting empire and breaking free of oppression and exploitation, mean to you, today? Keep this focus in your mind as you go through the cleaning process!

Kick off your Passover prep by cleaning chametz (leavened products) out of all your dwelling spaces. That includes bread, pasta, cereal, yeast, flour, and anything that’s been open for so long let’s be honest, even if it didn’t start out with yeast in it, it’s probably absorbed some from the air and it’s time to dump it because, ew.  That means going through cabinets, your fridge, the creases in car seats, and cleaning out all the crusty crumbs of where chametz may be hiding. Many people will collect the unopened boxes of chametzy things they can’t bear to throw out and put them out of sight in a taped off cabinet, and sell what’s in it to someone who’s not obligated to observe Passover. Check out Rabbi Steven’s Passover prep 101 explainer “Holy Sh!t It’s Passover” for an overview. And if all this feels like a sacrifice, now you know what our ancestors might have felt when they slaughtered a lamb and painted their door frame with the blood on the night of Passover!

At our Saturday service on March 29th, 2025, Rabbi Lizzi riffed off the instructions in Exodus 12 that accompanies the turn of the new month. As you prepare your home and soul for Passover, consider these questions:

• Calendar.  What marks for you the beginning of the chapter of your life that represents your liberation? Do you observe or mark in any way, year to year? How can you bring that personal story into your experience of Passover this year?
• Slaughter a Lamb, putting the blood on the lintel. What is something active you can do that requires personal sacrifice, that may even draw attention to yourself, even attention that feels dangerous, that is in the service of stating your values, toward collective redemption?
• This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, your staff in your hand. What is a journey you are preparing for right now? How can you leverage the rituals of Passover to help you prepare for it?
• This day shall be one of memorial and celebration. What will you do to make sure this holiday doesn’t come and go unnoticed?
• No leaven shall be found in your houses. Leaven symbolizes arrogance, empty, puffed up energy with little substance, as well as lethargy. What might the cleaning of leavening symbolize for you this year? What food items (and relationships, activities, hobbies, habits) are essential for your survival and well-being? What can you experiment with living without for a week to see how it feels? What do you want to throw away and start fresh without?

Chag sameach, y’all!