Passover Trivia
- How many pieces of chametz are customary to hide when performing Bedikat Chametz?
- It is tradition to hide 10 pieces of chametz and use a candle (or flashlight) to search for them. A feather is used to sweep them onto a wooden spoon.
- How does the tradition of burning chametz relate to Sukkot?
- Some people save their lulav from Sukkot so that they can burn it before Passover. This one mitzvah helps lead to another.
- What five grains make up chametz?
- Wheat, barley, rye, spelt, oats
- How many days is Passover celebrated for in Israel and Reform Judaism? Bonus points if you can explain why?
- 7 (Torah says 7 as well). Why? An extra day was added to Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot to accommodate Jews living in Diaspora who might not have been aware when new month began. It makes a ‘fence around the Torah’ to make sure that these holidays are celebrate at the correct time.
- What are other names for Passover?
- Chag haAviv, Pesach, Chag ha-Matzot, Chag ha-Cheirut (freedom), Z’man Cheruteinu (festival of freedom)
- Who do we leave an open chair and glass of wine for?
- Elijah. It is believed that the Prophet Elijah will take a seat on the empty chair and announce the arrival of the Messiah. It is also customary to open for the door for Eljiah.
- How many times do we wash our hands during the seder evening?
- 2. Once after Kiddush (blessing wine) and once right before blessing over matzah.
- What is the most common number mentioned at a seder? How
- 4. There are 4 questions, 4 children, 4 cups of wine each representing 4 terms of
redemption.
- 4. There are 4 questions, 4 children, 4 cups of wine each representing 4 terms of
- What do we say at the end of the Passover seder?
- Next Year in Jerusalem.
- What are the items on the seder plate?
- Karpas (green vegetable/parsley), charoset, bitter herb, Hazeret (second biter herb, often romaine lettuce), shank bone, egg. Some people add an orange to the seder plate representing the LGBTQ+ community. Dr. Susannah Heschel is credited creating this tradition. Susannah Heschel Explains the Orange | Passover haggadah by Lindsay Kuhn
- How many minutes do you have to make matzah?
- 18
- How can you identify kosher for Passover Coca-Cola?
- During Passover, Coca-Cola of New York makes Coke, Kosher for Passover. Sugar is used instead of corn syrup. You can identify the bottles with the yellow caps.
- Where is the world’s largest Passover seder held?
- Kathmandu, Nepal. There have been as many as 2000 people, many Israelis. It costs around $60,000 to produce. They go through 1500 pounds of matzah, 1000 bottles of kosher wine and thousands of tins of fish. The world’s largest Passover Seder isn’t where you think
- How big is the world’s largest matzah ball?
- Unveiled in 2010 at the Jewish Food Festival in Tucson, AZ. Weighed 488lbs, contained more than 1,700 eggs, 36lbs chicken fat, and 160lbs matzah meal. This is the world’s largest matzo ball. It surpassed the previously recorded largest matzah ball from Noah’s Art Deli in NYC that was 267lbs.
- When was the first American Edition of the Haggadah printed?
- 1837. Solomon Henry Jackson, an English born American Jew published it in NYC. Jackson moved to New York in the 1820’s to establish the first Hebrew printing press. History of the Haggadah
- What unique custom do some Ethiopian Jews have with their dishes on Passover?
- They break them all at Passover and make a new set to symbolize making a truebreak with the past. Passover In Ethiopia – Passover Celebrations In Ethiopia, Ethiopian Pesach Traditions.
- What interesting ingredient do some Jews from Gibraltar put in their charoset?
- They put ground up brick dust in their charoset. Passover Around the World | tamid nyc
- What is Maot Chitim?
- Tradition to gather wheat to provide those in need with matzah and other Pesach
items.
- Tradition to gather wheat to provide those in need with matzah and other Pesach
- What green vegetable plays a different twist in some Iranian and Afghanistan seders?
- Sephardic Jews from Iran and Afghanistan whip each other with oversized scallions to mimic the whips of slave drivers in Egypt. Passover Around the World | tamid nyc
- What shape do Syrian Jews break their Mazah in during the seder?
- The yachatz (middle matzah) is broken into the Hebrew letters ‘daled’ and ‘vav’ which correspond to the numbers 4 and 6 which add up to 10 and represent the 10 plagues.
- What prayer do we add to our liturgy on the first morning of Passover?
- T’filat Tal, the prayer for dew. We pray for rain from Sukkot through Passover, then switch to dew. It all relates to the harvest season in Israel and when rains are necessary to produce a successful bounty.
- When is Pesach Sheni?
- It’s a month after Passover and represents the opportunity for those who missed the Passover offering in Jerusalem to be able to make it up.
- What is Gebrokts?
- The tradition in (primarily)Chasidic communities of avoiding broken matzah (matzah meal) mixed with liquid. This rules out matzah balls, baked goods, kugels, etc.
- How many Maxwell House Haggadahs have been printed?
- 60 million. Since 1932 JJA advertising has been producing the Maxwell House Haggadah. Order a Haggadah | JJA
- When was the first machine made for baking matzah?
- 1838, France, invented by Isaac Singer.
- Name the 3 most known Matzah making companies?
- Yehuda, Streits, Manishewitz
