Pre-Pesach Laws & Customs

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.....................................   Against The Grain: The Mitzva of Chametz  Bedikat Chametz: The Search Is On! Maot Chittim - Wheat Money Fast Of the First-Born Maot Chittim - Wheat Money: An Old Custom As Pesach approaches and preparations are made for the holiday, the finest food and clothes are lined up for Seder night. It is surely incumbent for us to think of the less fortunate for whom the Festival of Freedom is a financially constricting effort. With this thought in mind, it is appropriate to recall one of the oldest customs associated with the eve of Pesach known as Maot Chittim - "Wheat Money" or Kimcha dePischah - "Flour for Pesach." Purchasing for the Poor Traditionally, this is money collected from a whole community - each according to his or her ability - to purchase flour which was then distributed to the poor according to their needs for Pesach. In practice, it is now more usual to give specific provisions or money with which the poor can buy what they want. This is generally organized by a Society for the Needy, a synagogue or community center. Appreciating Freedom According to the "Book of our Heritage," this custom is unique to Pesach. Even if one has been generous in giving charity all year round, giving Maot Chittim relates specifically to one of the central concepts of Pesach - "Freedom." A person cannot appreciate the full implication of freedom "if he knows that his neighbor is hungry and in need," argues the author. This is especially so when, in the opening lines of the Haggadah, we read: "Let all who are hungry come and eat! " Everyone Involved So seriously was this custom taken, that in some communities the rabbis insisted that everyone contribute. If a person refused on the grounds that he could not afford it, the rabbis would say: "If you have nothing, you will receive from us. Either you give or you take." From sheer embarrassement the individual would give his share. And if a person was too embarrased to accept, the rabbis would find a way to way to help through the offering of a gift or a loan, so seriously did they want to ensure that every Jew had a Seder, that everyone should be able to feel "free" on Pesach. As the poor wished to remain anonymous, so there are many well-meaning people who prefer to give Maot Chittim quietly and anonymously. Some add the distinction of being personally involved in preparing food parcels or distributing them to the needy, or being in some other way involved in the activity. You Can Help "All who is hungry, let him come and eat" Ezrat Avot gives a helping hand for the poor and the elderly of Jerusalem. In addition to many other social services that Ezrat Avot provides to the community at large, they distribute food packages including chicken, wine, honey, sugar, eggs, vegetables and other staples before holidays to over 600 families. Ezrat Avot needs your help to sponsor a Seder for people in Israel who cannot afford to pay for their own. Please help! The day before Pesach is a fast day for first-born adult males. A father fasts on behalf of his minor son. This is in rememberance of the plague that smote the first-born in Egypt the night before the Exodus. Because the first-born sons were spared, they are especially thankful. It has become customary for such men to partake of a seudat mitzvah, for example a brit milah, or a siyum, the seuda that is made in honor of finishing learning a tractate of the Talmud. In the case of a seudat mitzvah, one can break the fast, and following the meal, eat for the rest of the day.   Against The Grain: The Mitzva of Chametz  Bedikat Chametz: The Search Is On! .....................................