Thanks to all who came to the Herencia Judía CD release concert on Saturday night. We had a packed house, and everyone was blown away by the show's amazing fusion of Judeo-Latin rhythms and traditions. We were especially blessed by virtuoso klezmer mandolinist Andy Statman's rollicking treatment of Dayenu.

Missed the show? No worries. You can buy the CD now at Ben's site!

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Saturday, April 5 - 8:30 PM - $20

Here are some clips from Ben Lapidus' new album Herencia Judía, which was released on March 18th:

"This record is the result of many years of exploring a familial and musical Spanish Caribbean connection that has also turned out to be spiritual: my travels have not only placed me in contact with my distant family scattered throughout the Caribbean, but also with the Jewish communities in Cuba, Colombia, and Puerto Rico. Musically, the CD is an imaginary creation that envisions a syncretic Spanish Caribbean Jewish liturgical music from the synagogues of La Habana, Santiago or San Juan. My goal was to combine Afro-Caribbean culture with Jewish liturgy without sacrificing the musical or spiritual qualities of any of these traditions. As a result, there were several moments in the studio when the corriente (spiritual energy) was palpable." - Benjamin Lapidus

For more information, visit sonidoisleno.com.

The holiday of Passover, which will soon be upon us, reminds us of the crucial role of freedom in Jewish life. To be sure, freedom to the Jew has a much different meaning from that which governs the life of contemporary man. Today people regard freedom as the right to “be yourself,” “do your own thing,” “find your own space,” and “get yourself together.” The essence of this freedom is the removal of strictures upon your conduct, the notion that no one can tell you what to do, when to do it or how to do it.

In Jewish tradition freedom was far more limited. It consisted essentially of the right to be subject to God’s law. Indeed, the significance of the Exodus was that it marked the exchange of one bondage for another. Instead of being enslaved by Pharoah the Jew would henceforth be enslaved by God. In fact, even while the Jews were still in Egypt they already were given laws by Moses to carry out. Of course, the ultimate goal of the Exodus was to travel to Sinai where the Jew would receive the Torah whose rules and regulations would spell out his behavior every day of his life to all eternity.

The traditional Jew has a great deal of trouble in accepting the very popular notion of freedom as the absence of restraint. There are just too many directions in which it is possible to move. To be sure, there is a legitimate negative dimension to freedom. One must first be liberated from tyrannies of the mind, body, and spirit which Pharoah symbolized. But it can’t stop there. Ultimately, freedom is meaningless unless it is channeled in a positive direction. Erich Fromm, the eminent psychologist, described this dual aspect of freedom as “freedom from” and “freedom to.” Thus, freedom presupposes liberation from autocratic restraint, but one must likewise move forward at the same time and utilize his freedom to achieve something meaningful.

Abraham Lincoln once said that truly free men are ready to accept discipline. In his time, that involved the discipline of service in a war to preserve the Union and a national commitment to prevent the spread of slavery. There are those who misunderstand the essence of democracy. They think of it simply as a form of government in which the state does not interfere with the individual’s life. If that’s all there were to it, the fiber of such a society would be soft, weak, and confused. You must go on to ask the next question: “Why doesn’t the state interfere with the life of its citizens?” The state’s self-limitation exists only to enable each person to choose his own ideals and to select restraints that are as free as possible from limitations that he did not choose. However, restraints there must be. Blessed is the state whose denizens accept the restraints set forth by Lincoln which lead to shared goals and cooperative endeavors for the general welfare.

The most urgent need of our time is to get past the negative side of freedom, which is consumed by a sense of self and isolated from the community. Freedom may begin with the self but it must move on to positive effort on behalf of the community for whose well-being we are all morally responsible. To reach that august goal we need a maximum of learning and knowledge. Maybe that is why the wise son is so highly esteemed in the Haggadah. The more we know about our past the easier it is to move from the self to the community, from “freedom from” to “freedom to,” from negative freedom to positive freedom.

Miryom, Sarah, Lewis and Sarah, Danny and Debby, Judah and Bennett join me in the prayer that our Passover observance will stimulate us all to the realization of our total potential as free, concerned, responsive, and committed human beings. Chag sameach v’kasher!

Bedikat Hametz - The Search For Leaven

After the house has been thoroughly cleaned, it is the traditional practice to make a final ceremonial search for whatever hametz may remain. The search, called Bedikat Hametz, is usually conducted on the evening of the day preceding Passover, and the hametz is burned on the following morning. This year, Bedikat Hametz is conducted on Thursday evening, April 17th, and the hametz is burned on Friday morning, April 18th. Before the search, it is customary to deposit small pieces of bread in strategic places, so that the inspection has a purpose. Traditionally, the search is carried out by the light of a candle, with a feather and a wooden spoon to collect the hametz.

Siyum for the First-Born

The day before Passover is observed as a fast day for the first-born males in each family. The object of this fast is to remind them that the first-born of the Israelites escaped the doom visited upon the first-born of the Egyptians on the midnight of the first Passover.

However, if the first-born participates in a mitzvah, he may take part in the feast which accompanies it, and need no longer fast. Such a mitzvah is a siyum, or conclusion of a portion of Talmudic literature. This year, the special service for the first-born will take place on Thursday, April 17th, following the morning service.

All first-born males and their fathers are invited to attend. The services and siyum are meaningful for all parents and children, first-born or not.

Kashering of Utensils

1. Earthenware (china, pottery, etc.) may not be kashered. Fine translucent china which has not been used for a year may be used if scoured and cleaned in hot water.
2. Metal (i.e., wholly of metal) utensils used in fire (spit, broiler) must first be thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned and completely immersed in boiling water. Pots should have water boil in them which will overflow the rim. The utensils may not be used for 24 hours between cleaning and the immersion in boiling water. Metal baking utensils cannot be kashered.
3. Ovens and Ranges: Every part that comes in contact with food must be thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned. The oven and range should be heated as hot as possible for 30 minutes. If there is a broil setting, use that. Self-cleaning ovens should be scrubbed and cleaned and then put through the self-cleaning cycle. Continuous cleaning ovens must be kashered in the same manner as regular ovens. Microwave ovens that do not cook the food by means of heat (convection) should be cleaned, a cup of water placed inside, and the oven turned on until the water evaporates. A microwave that has a browning element (convection) cannot be kashered for Passover.
4. Glassware: One way to kasher drinking utensils is to soak them in water for 3 days, changing the water every 24 hours. Another method is to thoroughly scrub before Passover, or put them through a dishwasher cycle.
5. Dishwasher: After not using the machine for 24 hours, a full cycle with detergent should be run.
6. Electrical Appliances: If the parts that come in contact with hametz are detachable, they can be kashered (e.g., if metal, follow the rules for metal utensils). If the parts are not detachable, the appliance cannot be kashered. All exposed parts should be thoroughly cleaned.
7. Tables, Closets, and Counters: If used with hametz they should be thoroughly cleaned and covered.
8. Kitchen Sink: A metal sink can be kashered by thoroughly cleaning and then pouring boiling water over it. A porcelain sink should be cleaned and a sink rack used. If dishes are to be soaked in a porcelain sink, a basin must be used.
9. Hametz and non-Passover Utensils: Non-Passover dishes, pots, and hametz whose ownership has been transferred, should be separated, locked up or covered, and marked in order to prevent accidental use.

Prohibited Foods

Prohibited foods include the following: leavened bread, cakes, biscuits, crackers, cereal, coffees containing cereal derivatives, wheat, barley, oats, spelt, rye, and all liquids containing ingredients made from grain alcohol. Most Ashkenazic authorities have added the following foods (kitniyot): rice, corn, millet, and legumes (beans and peas; string beans, however, are permitted). Peanuts and peanut oil are permitted. Some Ashkenazic authorities forbid the use of legumes in a form other than their natural state, corn sweeteners, corn oil or soy oil. Sephardic authorities permit the use of all of the above.

Permitted Foods

1. The following foods require no Kosher for Passover labels if purchased prior to Passover: unopened packages or containers of coffee without cereal derivatives, sugar, pure tea, salt (not iodized), pepper, natural spices, frozen fruit juices with no additives, frozen (uncooked) vegetables, milk, butter, cottage cheese, cream cheese, ripened cheeses such as cheddar, muenster, and Camembert, frozen (uncooked) fruit containing no additives, and baking soda.
2. The following foods require no kosher for Passover labels if purchased prior to or during Passover: fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, fresh fish and fresh meats.
3. The following foods must have a kosher for Passover label if purchased prior to or during Passover: All baked products (matzoh, cakes, matzoh flour, farfel, matzoh meal) and any products containing matzoh, canned or bottled fruit juices, canned tuna (only if it is known that the tuna is packed exclusively in water, without any additional additives or ingredients, may it be purchased without a kosher for Passover label), wine, vinegar, liquor, oils, dried fruits, candy, chocolate flavored milk, ice cream, yogurt and soda.
4. The following canned, bottled or frozen (processed) foods must have a kosher for Passover label if purchased during Passover: milk, butter, juices, vegetables, fruit, milk products, spices, coffee, tea, fish, as well as all those products in paragraph III.

Detergents

If permitted during the year, powdered and liquid detergents do not require a kosher for Passover label.

Medicine

Since hametz binders are used in many pills, the following guidelines should be followed: If the medicine is for life sustaining therapy, it may be used during Passover. Capsules are preferable.