Chol Ha Moed Pesach: The Intermediate Days of Passover

So, you cleaned for Passover, and are making or about to make or attend a great Seder (or two seders).  So what do you do, in what is known as Chol ha Moed, the Intermediate Days of Passover? Is there anything left to do before the final part of the holiday, starting on Sunday night, than to eat matzah? And what is the purpose of these “Intermediate Days”?

Even though, according to Jewish law, we are allowed to do things on the Intermediate days that are not allowed during the holidays themselves, such as driving or lighting a fire, these days are “mini-holidays” and should be special. It is a good idea to make the most out of these days by dressing a bit fancier than usual, and having a nice meal every day with meat and wine (and of course, matzah!).

The Intermediate Days are a great time for family. Try inviting friends over or distant relatives you haven’t seen in a while. It is a good time to go to the park or the zoo with your little ones, or to that exhibit at the museum you’ve been wanting to see for ages. Give your family that “Quality Time” you’ve been reserving for a holiday. Read with young children, take walks, or hire a babysitter and go out on a “date” with your spouse.

Passover has been called “The Festival of Freedom”. This applies not only to the holidays of Passover, but to the Intermediate Days as well. These days are a good time to reflect on how you’ve been spending your time, and to think about how to release yourself from those things that drag you down. Are you often feeling excessive stress? Is your boss giving your trouble? Do you often have negative thoughts or feelings of defeatism? Use the power of these days to think about how you can free yourself from all Pharaohs, both internal and external.

Passover Fun for the Kids: It’s Raining FROGS!

 If you’re inviting children to your seder, it’s always nice to have a few fun things planned for them. Sure we all love belting out all eleven verses of Chad Gadya at the top of our lungs (anybody?) but it is a long meal with lots of adult talking going on. Last year our friends hosted a seder and had adorable plague masks for the children to pick out and wear. It was a great addition that made the meal more kid-friendly.

This year I came up with a little favor for the kids at your Passover table. And for less than $1 per child it provides endless entertainment.

You’ll Need:

Sticky Frogs

White cardstock

Color printer

Kveller printable Passover tags

Sandwich bags

Scissors

Stapler

Double Sided Tape

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Passover Guide for Families

Pesach, known as Passover in English, is a major Jewish spring festival, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt over 3,000 years ago. The ritual observance of this holiday centers around a special home service called the seder (meaning "order") and a festive meal; the prohibition of chametz (leaven); and the eating of matzah (an unleavened bread). On the fifteenth day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, Jews gather with family and friends in the evening to read from a book called the hagaddah, meaning "telling," which contains the order of prayers, rituals, readings and songs for the Passover seder. Today, the holiday is a celebration of freedom and family.

The URJ's (Union of Reform Judaism) guide includes:

History

Customs and Rituals

Glossary of Terms

Interactive Seder Plate 

Is Passover 7 or 8 Days?

In addition you will find Passover family rituals, Passover music, tailoring your seder to children of various ages, craft ideas for children, recipes from different traditions as well as all kinds of other interesting facts.

How Do You Explain the Violence in Israel to Young Kids?

 “Abba, what are those doors up there?”

“I’m not sure, I think it is some kind of a fence.”

“Can we go visit them?”

“No not tonight, sweetie, we are going home now.”

We are driving back from Tzur Hadassah, a suburb of Jerusalem within the Green Line (which separates Israel and the Palestinian territories). The quickest route back into Jerusalem (and into the beds of our two sleepy children) is past Betar Illit and kvish haminharot, the “tunnel road” which connects Jerusalem to the Gush Etzion bloc in the West Bank.

The “doors” my son is referring to are concrete slabs that are suspended overhead at an angle to protect passing cars from stoning and shooting by local Arab villagers.

“Why are there all the policemen, Abba?”

They are soldiers at two checkpoints actually. One that we pass to leave Israel proper and the other we pass through to re-enter.

“We are going inside and outside of Israel, sweetie.”

“Why are they carrying guns?”

Our 4-year-old is obsessed with guns and all other kinds of weapons. While we don’t allow any in the house, he easily turns his fiddlesticks into bows and arrows, and a shower rod into a sword. He likes to be protected from the “bad guys” at every turn.

“To protect us and to make sure that the bad guys don’t hurt anyone.”

“Do they use them?”

“I don’t think they do; maybe they would fire a shot on the ground to scare a bad guy.”

The conversation makes me realize just how much our son, Tamir, is taking in and trying to make sense of the world around him. He loves Israel and he loves Jerusalem, in the ways that any classical Zionist would be proud. His new favorite color is gold because “Imma, Jerusalem is the Golden city!” He then launches into a version of Yerushalayim Shel Zahav that only approximates what Naomi Shemer had in mind. He wakes up a week into our month-long trip here imploring, “Imma, can we go to the Kotel (Western wall) today, please?” And he points out all the “Tamir trees” (date-palm trees) that line the Jerusalem streets. In short, he feels at home here.

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