Question:
Good morning, I have two questions about Passover I was wondering if you could answer.
1) Is it permitted for my family to have the Seder not Friday evening but Saturday afternoon? This is because my Grandma would not be able to attend on Friday since she has to go to bed earlier by a doctor’s order, and we want her to participate
2) I know about the Seder and Passover Kosher. What else is there that distinguishes the routine of the 8 Passover days from the others during the year?
Answer:
Thank you for your questions.
- The night of Passover is time when G-d descended on Egypt and exactly at midnight the firstborn of the Egyptians started to die, which caused the Exodus. For this reason, the special Passover seder is made specifically at night, as the special commandment to eat Matzoh, the four cups of wine, recite the Haggadah, etc. are specifically meant to be at night. It is sad that your grandmother won’t be able to partake in this special night. Perhaps she can take a long nap during the day, and wake up right before the seder, this way she will be able to partake in the seder.
- Yes, there are a number of other customs that differentiate Passover from other days The most important one is that for the eight days of Passover we are not allowed to have any “chametz” (technically translated as leaven). Anything made from wheat, barley oats rye or spelt, that came in contact with water for longer than 18 minutes will become chametz. Therefore, we rid our homes of all bread, pasta, pretzels etc. It is not only the diet that is different about Passover, but the fact that our property and homes are also “chametz-free”.
Best wishes and have a happy and Kosher Passover
Thank you for answering. I can do the second one but not the first one. My grandmother is a receptionist on Fridays at our family dental office. With her psyche as a former surgeon, she is not able to take a day off. Alongside that, she is someone over 80 years old, so she cannot risk forgoing her evening routine and medication. We will have the seder during the day because common sense shows that it is better to value the health of a family member, especially the oldest one, and her presence in a celebration. In a universe of 13.8 billion years, one day will not make a difference, especially when it is out of respect for an amazing person.
The seder is meant to specifically be done at night. The same way she can’t just say she will be a receptionist during the evening time, or take one’s evening medication during the day, even though it doesn’t matter for the universe at large.
If you are doing the seder you might as well do it correctly. Here is a suggestion. Make the seder at night, as it is supposed to be done, and do another “fake seder” (drink some wine, eat matzoh, without making any blessings) again for her during the day. This way it will be good for everyone.
Oh, good idea! I didn’t think about it that way before. Thank you
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