What Do We Eat on Passover?

You are what you eat! That, in part, is the message of Passover for all seven days in Reform Judaism. I invite you to use this list as your guideline for Pesach eating. The list defines Chametz….What is and is not appropriate on PASSOVER. After the list you’ll also find two short commentaries on the relationship between eating and Passover.

1. The following foods can be eaten without concerning yourself about their "chametz" content.

Fresh fruit, fresh vegetables
Eggs, fresh fish, fresh meat and poultry

2. The following foods can also be eaten without concern for "chametz" content. You should, however, purchase new packages and not use them before Passover.

Pure tea, pure coffee (with no cereal additives)
Sugar, honey, milk, cottage cheese, cream cheese
Butter (See Category 3 for margarine)

3. Although the following processed foods do not appear to contain chametz, they are often produced with chametz. For example, corn syrup is frequently used as a sweetener in ketchup and chocolate. It is therefore best to purchase these products for use during Passover only if they bear a label saying they are kosher for Pesach or if you at least read the contents label carefully. That way you will be sure that no chametz has been used in preparing them.

Condiments (ketchup, mayonnaise), Canned goods, Grape juice, Wine
Oils, Candy, Ice Cream, Yogurt, Potato Chips, Margarine (no corn oil!)

4. And just stay away from the following foods altogether.

Leavened bread, rolls, bagels, muffins, biscuits, croissants, doughnuts, crackers
Cakes, Cereals, Coffee with cereal additives
Wheat, barley, oats, spelt, rye
All liquids containing ingredients or flavors made from grain alcohol

Not Eating Bread This Year?

I vividly remember my experience as a young Air Force Chaplain, going to the senior Chaplain who I recall was a Protestant fundamentalist, and saying "Next month is Passover, and I need to have certain foods stocked in the PX for Jewish families." His response was a puzzled "Why?" A year later, I said the same thing to a Catholic senior Chaplain, and his response was "Of course," I got what I wanted in both cases, but the second was the easier.

Why the difference in the responses? The Catholic came from a tradition in which food had something to do with religion. There was a time when Catholics didn’t eat meat on Fridays, or abstained from certain foods during Lent. The food connection made sense to him. It had no meaning for the Fundamentalist.

Jews have always understood this relationship. Even in Reform Judaism, where questions of kosher foods are left to the individual’s choice, it is still clear that what we eat reflects what we believe. This is especially obvious on Passover, when – at the very least – we abstain from eating bread for the duration of the holiday. It links us to other Jews in the world, and “vertically” to our people’s experience on this planet.

Although we talk about the great central ideal of Passover, the concept of freedom, nothing illustrates a concept better than some concrete action as a reminder. In fact, we realize more and more that you cannot have a religion based only on ideas. That is called a philosophy. We do not practice the philosophy of Judaism, but the religion of the Jewish people, which requires action as well as faith.

We eat matzah during Passover to remind ourselves that we are part of the community of Israel, as well as the heirs of the hasty departure from Egypt. It is also a question of taste. matzah really doesn’t taste very good the rest of the year, no matter what you put on it. And no bread ever tasted better than the first bite after the week of Passover. Right?

Rabbi James Perman,
Mount Vernon, NY

Does a Reform Jew Change Dishes for Passover?

Most Reform Jews probably don’t change dishes for Passover. In fact, most Passover comments from Sinai Temple have not mentioned the idea. That’s because your Rabbi (that’s me) has mainly wanted to focus the congregation on what and what not to eat for the holiday.

That doesn’t mean, however, that there isn’t yet another possibility for giving shape to Passover. If you don’t eat chametz during the holiday, it can indeed make sense not to use your usual dishes and silverware during Passover. Some Jews (Reform Jews!) do have a totally separate set of dishes, silverware, pots and pans which they only use during Passover; others choose to use different dishes and silverware while holding onto their regular pots and pans. Some choose to use different silverware in order to indicate that what we eat on Passover is meant to be different from the rest of the year.

Does it matter? Does “God really care” if we eat matza on the same plate used for a bagel the rest of the year? My bet is God doesn’t much worry about our plates and silverware. Nevertheless, the idea of making our homes visually different for one week a year does speak strongly to me. At some level, “changing some dishes” can be an aesthetically pleasing and memory creating Passover option.

Rabbi Mark Dov Shapiro

For Passover Recipes, follow this link.