Pesach (Passover) 5785
Pesach (Passover) begins before sundown on Saturday, April 12, 2025, and ends after nightfall on April 20, 2025. The CBI Office will be closed on April 14.
It is customary to rid one's home of chametz, leavened products,
in the days leading up to Passover. (Want to learn more about this and the traditions listed below? Check out this article from Exploring Judaism).
Sell Your Chametz: The CBI rabbis are acting as agents on behalf of the community to sell your chametz for the duration of the holiday. Please fill out this form if you would like to participate. It is customary to make a donation when arranging for the sale of chametz, though donations are not required. Funds raised will support community members in need during this holiday season, and any donations remaining after Pesach will remain in the rabbis' discretionary funds to support individuals in the future.
What's happening at CBI for Pesach (Passover)?
April 6
Passover Seder Matching
CBI is offering a seder matching program again this year.
Please fill out this form to let us know if you can host or if you would like to be hosted.
All submissions must be received by Monday, March 24
Pesach Programming
Medicine on the Seder Plate, April 6th 2:00 pm on Abundance Farm
Parsley, lettuce, horseradish, and more! Bitter herbs, spring greens: these plants contain nutrients and flavors that are essential to our springtime bodies. In this class, we will explore the physiological wisdom in the plants we hold sacred. We will delve into the bitter flavor, as we discuss why neither horseradish nor lettuce, the foods often included as "bitter herbs" on the seder plate, are particularly bitter. We will learn about the vital importance of the bitter flavor for the functioning of our body systems, as well as the uses of the other flavors in these plants. We will discuss how our body's needs correspond with the seasons of the year, and how these differ by climate. What does your body crave in springtime, and how is or isn't) that reflected in our Jewish traditions? We will taste the plants on the seder plate and learn how these tastes interact with our bodies.
Join us for an herbal exploration into the plants of the seder plate! REGISTERATION REQUIRED
Siyyum, April 10th at 9:00 am (Time Tentative)
Partake in a siyyum (celebration upon completing a tractate of Talmud) led by Rabbi Ariella, which will include breakfast. (A siyyum is a traditional way of enabling first-born children to eat, instead of fasting for the Fast of the Firstborn that day.)
Singing Into Freedom, April 10th 7:00 pm in CBI Sanctuary
Join song and ritual leader Molly Bajgot for a reflective and joyful Passover song circle. Through ancient melodies and new interpretations, we lift our voices in celebration of freedom and renewal. As we prepare our hearts to clear away the chametz of the past year, we will sing, reflect, and connect with the themes of resilience and collective liberation that define this sacred season. Whether you love to sing or simply want to soak in the music, come as you are—ready to share in a soulful journey in song.
Burn Chametz Together, April 11, 9:00 am on Abundance Farm (Time Tentative)
Afterward, come to Abundance Farm to burn your chametz! Please bring only small pieces or symbolic crumbs of the last remaining chametz in your home. Check out the article linked above for information about how to search for and burn chametz.
Passover Song Acknowledgment Handout:
We encourage you to explore this Haggadah supplement, which is the work of the Western Massachusetts Passover Song Acknowledgement Project Committee
(Anthony Russell, Carolyn Toll Oppenheim, Felicia Mednick, Judi Wisch, Rabbi Lev Baesh, Rabbi Riqi Kosovske, Ozzy Gold-Shapiro, Ari Keigan). Artwork by Ariel Shapiro. The Passover Song Acknowledgement Project is supported by the following Western Massachusetts organizations: Abundance Farm, Beit Ahavah Reform Synagogue of Greater Northampton / Circles for Jewish Living / Congregation B’nai Israel / Congregation Shir Heharim / Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts / Lander Grinspoon Academy / Sinai Temple / Temple Beth El / Temple Israel of Greenfield.
