A Valuable Seder Resource

With everyone busy preparing for Pesach [Passover], I thought to pass along the following:

Ner L’Elef, a training institute for Jewish outreach and leadership based in Jerusalem, has published a Seder Guide written by Rabbi G. Moskowitz. It deserves wide distribution; there is something in it for anyone running a Seder. There are lots of instructions for those leading a Seder for the first time, as well as clarifications of applicable halachos [laws] and extensive footnotes for those familiar with Jewish legal texts.

There were two clarifications issued. First a correction:

On page 58, in Chapter 6, which discusses Erev Pesach that falls on Shabbos, the author wrote the following regarding the third meal:

“Better yet one can eat a cooked food that contains Matzah meal, such as Kneidelach, or even Matzah meal cakes if one does not have a Minhag to forbid such food on Erev Pesach.”

We would like to correct this by pointing out that the Mishna Berurah does not follow this opinion and it is not our custom to do so.

Also, a Sephardi Rabbi wrote back to correct the impression that all Sephardim rely on the opinion of Rav Ovadia Yosef, e.g., “Sephardim are more lenient with glass” — he pointed out that the Ben Ish Chai and Rav Mordechai Eliyahu both follow the opinion of the (Ashkenazi) Rav Moshe Isserles. [Once you read the guide, you’ll understand what they are discussing.] With any Halachic guide like this one, you should always consult your Rav with questions, using this as a basic resource.

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