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The Haggadah teaches us that we should see ourselves "k'ilu hu yatzah mimitzrayim," as if we ourselves had left Egypt. While we could try to put ourselves back in the shoes of the Hebrews, we prefer to bring Egypt to us. The Hebrew name for Egypt, "Mitzrayim," shares the root of "metzarim," the narrow straights, suggesting that Egypt for our ancestors was a narrow place of constriction. As Psalm 118 suggests, when we call out in our narrowness, God answers us with the expansiveness of Divine presence. We encourage you to ask in these days of preparation or at your Seder the following: "What are the narrow places I find myself in this year? How might I call out for support? And how might I find my way out of that narrow place towards expansiveness?" Chag Kasher v'Sameach—May it be a redemptive Passover for you personally, for our people, and for the whole world.
Erev Passover and Ta’anit Bechorim (Fast of the Firstborn)—Wednesday, April 5 | |||
7:15–9:00 a.m. | Morning Minyan and Siyum Breakfast | In-Person: Ellman Chapel/Cohen Pavilion | |
7:43 .pm. | Candle Lighting | ||
Sell chametz by 9:00 a.m. | |||
Passover Day 1—Thursday, April 6 | |||
9:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | Passover Service Kiddush to follow | In-Person: Ellman Chapel | |
12:45 p.m. | Mincha Service | In-Person: Ellman Chapel Virtual: Zoom | |
8:27 p.m. | Havdallah and Second Seder Counting of the Omer begins | ||
Passover Day 2—Friday, April 7 | |||
9:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | Passover Service | In-Person: Ellman Chapel Virtual: Zoom | |
6:00 p.m. | Shabbat Evening Service | Virtual: Zoom | |
7:44 p.m. | Candle Lighting | ||
Monday, April 10 | |||
6:00 p.m. | Hunger Seder | In-Person: The Atlanta Jewish Federation | |
7:00 p.m. | Out of Hand Theater Presents — Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed and Unbowed | In-Person: Srochi Auditorium | |
Passover Day 6—Tuesday, April 11 | |||
6:00 p.m. | Passover Service | Virtual: Zoom | |
7:47 p.m. | Candle Lighting | ||
Passover Day 7—Wednesday, April 12 | |||
9:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | Passover Service Kiddush to follow | In-Person: Ellman Chapel Virtual: Zoom | |
6:00 p.m. | Passover Service | Virtual: Zoom | |
8:31 p.m. | Candle Lighting | ||
Passover Day 8—Thursday, April 13 | |||
9:30 a.m. | Passover Service | In-Person: Ellman Chapel Virtual: Zoom | |
11:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | Yizkor Service Kiddush to follow | In-Person: Ellman Chapel Virtual: Zoom | |
8:00 p.m. | Mincha/Ma’riv/Havdallah Service | Virtual: Zoom | |
8:32 p.m. | Conclusion of Passover |
The Torah commands us that chametz shall not be found in your dwelling places during the Festival of Passover. The literal meaning is that all chametz food and utensils must be cast away. This poses a great financial hardship. Hence, we “sell” the chametz to a non-Jew who would then own the chametz for the duration of the holiday. It is customary to appoint an agent, usually a rabbi, to sell the chametz and then repurchase it.
It is also customary to include a contribution to our community’s Maot Chitim (wheat money). Maot Chitim is an ancient custom in which Jews provide funds to other Jews in need for the purchase of Passover food. Inspired by the passage from the Haggadah, “All who are hungry, let them enter and eat; all who are in need, let them come celebrate Pesach,” Jewish Family and Career Services (JF&CS) supports a group of dedicated volunteers who have taken on the responsibility of Maot Chitim in Atlanta. They coordinate the distribution of food and financial assistance for Jewish families. To appoint a rabbi, please complete the online form linked below. Sale of chametz will not be accepted after 8 am on Tuesday, April 4.
If wheat, barley, oats, rye or spelt come in contact with water after being cut off from the ground, it becomes fermented or chametz. The term chametz also applies to dishes and utensils that have been in contact with chametz food during the year.
Matzah is made from the same five grains listed above as chametz. But, unlike chametz, matzah is one of these same flours mixed with water and baked in less than 18 minutes. Matzah is both the bread of affliction and the bread of freedom.
The rule against chametz during Pesach applies not only to eating but also to enjoyment (hana’ah), and so involves removing all the chametz from one’s home. No chametz is even allowed to be in the possession of a Jew during Pesach. To facilitate this cleaning, the following rituals are part of Pesach preparations (the text for the ceremonies can be found in a Haggadah).
Bedikat Chametz: Search for Chametz
We search for chametz using a candle, feather, and disposable spoon. We renounce ownership of any chametz that we may have inadvertently missed.
Biur Chametz: Burning of Chametz
After the burning of chametz, we recite the Be’ur Chametz declaration. From this moment on, the entire house should be Pesachdik. No chametz dishes, utensils or pots may be utilized.
Mechirat Chametz: Selling of Chametz
We are not always able to destroy or get rid of all the chametz. It may be economically disastrous. So the rabbis ordained a symbolic sale and later buy-back of chametz.
Matzah, noodles, candies, cakes, beverages, canned and processed foods, butter, jam, cheese, jelly, relishes, wines, liquors, salad oils, canned vegetables, gelatin, shortening and vinegar. The Kosher L’Pesach label or tag without rabbinic signature is of no value. This applies to products made in America, Europe, or Israel.
All these foods are considered chametz and can not be used during Pesach: leavened bread, cakes, biscuits, crackers, cereals, wheat, barley, oats, rye, spelt, rice, peas, dried beans and liquids which contain ingredients made from grain alcohol.
Pure, natural coffee-instant or ground, sugar (not confectioners or powdered brown sugar), saccharin, tea, salt, pepper, vegetables (dried beans and peas are forbidden, string beans are permitted), pure garlic, onion powder, dried fruit, honey, Hershey’s cocoa, pure unadulterated safflower or soy bean oil, nuts (except legumes), dish detergents and scouring powders. These items should be bought before Pesach and remain unopened until Pesach. Fruits and vegetables are permitted for Pesach when packaged in water or their own juices. Avoid cans or packages containing added ingredients.
In the fall of 2015, the Rabbinical Assembly’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards passed two responsa which permit the consumption of legumes (kitnyot) by Ashkenazim. For specific guidance, please consult the rabbis.
Oil packaging introduces an uncertain element possibly containing additional ingredients. Therefore, use the packed in ‘spring water’ variety and purchase it before Pesach. Tuna with vegetable broth is not permitted.
With modern production, there is little chance for milk to contain any chametz. Milk produced before Pesach is permitted, so buy milk beforehand. Milk may be frozen.
Since chametz binders are used in many pills, the following guide lines are followed: if the medicine is required for life-sustaining therapy, it may be used for Pesach. In all cases, caplets are preferable.
The process of kashering utensils depends on how the utensils are used. According to halacha, leaven can be purged from a utensil by the same process in which it was adsorbed in the utensil. Therefore, utensils used in cooking are kashered by boiling. Those used only for cold foods are kashered by rinsing.
Earthenware/China
China, pottery, etc., can not be kashered. However, fine translucent china which has not been used for over a year may be used if scoured and cleaned in hot water.
Silverware
Silverware made entirely of metal may be kashered by scouring thoroughly and then immersing in boiling water. They are then “Pesachdik” and parve.
Glassware
All table glassware is permitted after thorough scouring. There is also a practice of soaking glassware for 72 hours before Pesach.
Detergents
If permitted during the year, powdered and liquid detergents do not require a “Kosher L’Pesach” label.
Pots and Pans
Pots and pans wholly made of metal and used for cooking purposes only (not for baking) must first be scrubbed thoroughly, cleaned and completely immersed in boiling water. Pots should have water boiled in them which will overflow the rim. Utensils should not be used for a period of at least 24 hours between the cleaning and immersion in boiling water. Tie a string around the utensil and immerse it completely in boiling water. For small items, a cord-netting can be used to dip several at once.
Microwave Ovens
These present a special case since the inside surfaces do not become hot. We recommend a thorough cleaning and then placing a dish of water in the oven and allowing it to boil.
Dishwasher
Thoroughly scour with boiling water and then run it empty for two cycles, one with soap and one without.
Ovens
Every part that comes in contact with food must be scrubbed and cleaned thoroughly. Then the oven should be heated as hot as possible for half an hour. If there is a broil setting, use it. If it has a self-cleaning cycle, use it, too. Continuous cleaning ovens must be kashered in the same manner as regular ovens.
Electrical Appliances
If the parts that come in contact with chametz are removable, they can be kashered in the appropriate way. If metal, follow the rules for metal utensils. If the parts are not removable, the appliance cannot be koshered. All exposed parts should be cleaned thoroughly.
Refrigerator
Remove all chametz food and opened packages. Clean thoroughly with boiling water and scour the racks. Frozen chametz foods should be put in a special closed-off section and should be sold with chametz.
Tables, Closets, Counters
If used with chametz, they should be thoroughly cleaned and covered. They may then be used.
Kitchen Sink
If used with chametz, thoroughly clean and cover. Then it may be used. If, however, dishes are to be soaked in a porcelain sink, then a dish basin must be used.
Chametz and Non-Passover Utensils
Non-Passover dishes, pots and chametz (whose ownership has been transferred) should be separated, locked up, covered and marked to prevent accidental use.
Selichot – Saturday, September 17 | ||
7:15 p.m | Mincha/Ma’ariv/Havdallah Service | Hybrid: Ellman Chapel and Virtual (Zoom) |
8:10 p.m. | Selichot Service | |
Erev Rosh Hashanah – Sunday, September 25 | ||
9–10:30 a.m. | Morning Minyan | Virtual (Zoom) |
6:00 p.m. | Mincha/Ma’ariv Service | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom) |
7:12 p.m. | Candle Lighting | |
Rosh Hashanah Day 1 – Monday, September 26 | ||
8–9:00 a.m. | Coffee and Schmooze Co-sponsored by Sisterhood | In-Person: Garden |
8:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Rosh Hashanah Service | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
9–10:00 a.m. | Family Service | In-Person: Outdoor Tent |
9:30–10:30 a.m. | Torah Study Led by Dr. Andrew Zangwill “Happy Birthday World!”: After each Rosh Hashanah shofar blast, we chant a short poem which begins “hayom harat olam,” a phrase often translated as “today the world was born.” This session examines this (and other) translations of ”hayom harat olam” and teases out their meaning for us today. Andy Zangwill is a native of Pittsburgh and is somehow related to the British Zionist Israel Zangwill. He has taught physics at Georgia Tech since 1985 and has helped administer the AA Torah Study since 2000. | Hybrid: Cavalier Room and Virtual (Zoom) |
10:00 a.m.–End of RH Service | Children’s Programming (0–5th Grade) | In-Person: Check-In at Ahava ELC |
12:30–1:00 p.m. | Oneg and Light Kiddush | In-Person: Garden |
6–7:00 p.m. | Mincha/Ma’ariv Service | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
7:54 p.m. | Candle Lighting | |
Rosh Hashanah Day 2 – Tuesday, September 27 | ||
8–9:00 a.m. | Coffee and Schmooze | In-Person: Garden |
8:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Rosh Hashanah Service | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
9:00 a.m.–End of RH Service | Children’s Programming (0–5th Grade) | In-Person: Check-In at Ahava ELC |
9:30 a.m. | Torah Study Led by Dr. Paul Feldman “From Yom Teruah to Rosh Hashanah – A Rabbinic Journey”: The torah instructs us that, on the first day of the seventh month, there should be “teruah.” From that, it becomes a New Year where, hopefully, our Father, our King, inscribes us in the book of life. Let’s explore the rabbinic mindset that defines us as Jews. Paul Feldman has attended AA’s Shabbat Torah Study religiously for over 20 years. His interests include the historical aspects of Tanakh and the intellectual history of b’nai Yisrael through the ages. | Hybrid: Paradies Hall and Virtual (Zoom) |
12:30 p.m. | Tashlich | In-Person: Outdoor Tent |
7:30 p.m. | Mincha/Ma’ariv/Havdallah Service | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
Aseret Y’mei Teshuva (Ten Days of Repentance) – Sunday, October 2 | ||
9–10:30 a.m. | Morning Minyan | Virtual (Zoom) |
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Family Taslich and Picnic with Shofar Blowing | In-Person: Morgan Falls Overlook Park |
2–4:00 p.m. | Reverse Tashlich | In-Person: Peachtree Creek Greenway |
6–7:00 p.m. | Evening Minyan | Virtual (Zoom) |
Kol Nidre – Tuesday, October 4 | ||
5–5:30 pm | Family Service | Hybrid: Breezeway and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
5:30–6:15 p.m. | Vegan Kapparot Yom Kippur challenges us to cleanse our souls from missteps over the past year. Our tradition seeks to imbue the ethereal nature of our good and evil, right a wrong into an object that can be consumed, cast out, or flung away. Kapparot seeks to take that which is weighing us down and swing it over our heads, casting it far away from us. We have reclaimed this medieval ritual for our modern spiritual life, replacing the killing of a chicken with the righteous act of tzedakah. Join Rabbi Rosenthal in the garden as we will recite our prayers, imbue a bag of money with our regrets for the past year, and swing it over our heads, thereby turning our shortcomings into acts of loving kindness to help others. Farmer Joe and his chicken will be on site… for petting only. | In-Person: Garden |
6:10 p.m. | Mincha Service | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
6:30 p.m. | Kol Nidre Service | |
7:00 p.m. | Ma’ariv Service | |
Yom Kippur – Wednesday, October 5 | ||
8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Yom Kippur and Yizkor Services | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
9–10:00 a.m. | Family Service | In-Person: Outdoor Tent |
9:30–10:30 a.m. | Torah Study Led by Judy Marx “Everything Old is New Again”: This session explores how understanding our history through Yom Kippur’s Torah reading and liturgy lead us to repentance and forgiveness. Judy Marx is a long-time Jewish community professional. She was the Atlanta Director of the American Jewish Committee for twelve years and is currently with the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta. In her free time she consults with interfaith organizations and prepares for Torah Study at AA. | Hybrid: Cavalier Room and Virtual (Zoom) |
10:00 a.m.–End of YK Service | Children’s Programming (0–5th Grade) | In-Person: Check-In at Ahava ELC |
2:30–4:00 p.m. | Beit Midrash (Study Hall) Led by Dr. Dennis Gilbride “The Golden Calf, Consuming Fire, Atonement, and Forgiveness”: This session focuses on two relatively well known, but under-studied stories in the Torah: the Golden Calf and the death of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu. By exploring midrashim and ideas that tie these two episodes together, we will provide an interesting and provocative understanding of the Jewish approach to atonement, forgiveness, and connection to G-d. Dennis Gilbride has been a professor for 32 years, first at Syracuse University and, for the last ten years, at Georgia State University in its Department of Counseling and Psychological Services. He began his career at Drake University in Des Moines Iowa where he and his family were congregants of Neil Sandler, AA’s Rabbi Emeritus. | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom) |
4–6:30 p.m. | Chanting with SunMoonPie | Hybrid: Paradies Hall and Virtual (Zoom) |
5:30 p.m. | Mincha Service | Hybrid: Srochi Auditorium and Virtual (Zoom and Live Stream) |
6:30 p.m. | Neilah Service | |
7:41 p.m. | Ma’ariv/Havdallah and Final Shofar Blast |
Many of our committees and initiatives have agreed to host and share their beautiful sukkot around Atlanta with all of us. Everybody, whether assembling a welcome kit or not, is invited to come together for the holiday of Sukkot!
If you have pledged to assemble a welcome kit, one of these sukkot parties will function as your drop-off location. Bring your kit to the sukkah, and an AARI Committee member will ensure it makes its way to the Welcome Co-Op, our partner in caring for the newly arriving refugees. Additionally, each sukkah party will have all the supplies needed to assemble a bag so more can support and share our abundance with those in need.
Below is a list of the sukkah parties going on around Atlanta. You do not need to be a part of the host’s community (i.e. involved in Kesher, Sisterhood, mAAc, etc.) to join a particular sukkah party. If you love AA Synagogue and are a part of our spiritual family, you are welcome to any party that is convenient to you. (And just think: You might meet somebody new and make a new friend.) Join a Sukkah party, enjoy snacks and camaraderie, and assemble a welcome kit for a newly arriving refugee family. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the holiday of sukkot as a community!
mAAc Sukkah Party: Wednesday, October 12, 1–3 p.m., Ahavath Achim Synagogue (600 Peachtree Battle Ave, NW Atlanta GA 30327)
Kesher Sukkah Parties:
Sisterhood Sukkah Party: Thursday, October 13, 6:30 –8:30 p.m., Ahavath Achim Synagogue (600 Peachtree Battle Ave, NW Atlanta GA 30327)
Meshorerim (Spiritual Music) Sukkah Party: Saturday, October 15 7–9 p.m., Home of Bonnie and Michael Levine (460 Gift Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30316)
Interfaith Inclusion Committee (IIC) Sukkah Party: Sunday, October 16, 1–3 p.m., Ahavath Achim Synagogue (600 Peachtree Battle Ave, NW Atlanta, GA 30327)
Inclusion and Belonging Committee Sukkah Party: Sunday, October 16, 1–4 p.m., Home of Shelly and Allan Dollar (2192 Greencliff Drive Atlanta, GA 30345)
There are many that have been forced to flee their homelands to come to a new country, fearful, and facing uncertainty. Most of us are only two or three generations distant from those refugee experiences ourselves, grateful our families survived the life-threatening turmoil in their homelands and could receive any help their new communities could offer. During the month of Elul and through the High Holidays, the AARI is launching the Elul Campaign as a way for the AA community to make an impact. As a part of this campaign, volunteers will assemble welcome kits to be given to refugee families as they arrive in Georgia (kit contents detailed below). We often have to purchase personal items for people to place in their homes, so having these kits on hand is of tremendous help and saves families money.
Volunteers can do this activity in whichever location and on whichever timeline they’d like. All items should be placed in a container (reusable shopping bags are recommended), and label each kit so we know what/who it’s for. It’s a good idea to re-enforce products with liquid contents with tape to prevent spillage.
Welcome kits need to be dropped off during the holiday of Sukkot (October 11–16). After Yom Kippur, a full list of dates, times, and locations of the many sukkot around town will be emailed to volunteers. Volunteers will choose a convenient sukkah to which to deliver the welcome kit(s). Volunteers are asked to hold on to welcome kit(s) until they can be delivered to the sukkah of their choosing. Deliveries are meant to be social events, so volunteers should plan to drop off the kit(s) and socialize a bit before leaving.
Volunteers who are unable deliver to a sukkah should email Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal ([email protected]) who will arrange for one of the AARI Task Force members to pick up the kit(s) from their home.