Special Sephardic Traditions By SHIRLEY CHICOREL BEHAR Sephardic Jews, who trace their ancestry to 15th Century Spain and Portugal, have unique holiday traditions that sometimes differ from those practiced by their Ashkenazi counterparts. Syrian Jews prepare for Passover on "Shushan Purim" by cleaning up all the "hametz" (unleavened foods) left over from the Purim seuda (meal). Weeks before Pesah the women begin to prepare the rice for the Passover meals. (Rice is forbidden for use on Pesah, according to Ashkenazi tradition.) Rice, which is neither "hametz" nor kitniyot (beans), nevertheless, has to be examined carefully to see that no wheat is between the rice. This rice is a staple food among the Syrians for the entire Pesah. The day before Pesah (Erev Pesah) is also known as the Fast of The First Born (Taanit Bekhorot), and this is stringently observed by the Syrians. Every male and female first born attend the Shachrit service on Erev Pesah. They are then released or free from fasting if they participate in the seuda shel mitzva. The Fast of the First Born is considered so important that the first born come from all over the city and from out of town to participate in the service and ceremonies. The meal of Syrian foods is served, featuring rice and kibbe, a torpedo-like shape made out of matza meal filled with meat. Some Syrian Jews recite the Had Gadya at the conclusion of the seder, and sing it in Arabic or in the old Ladino, both of which are found in the Haggada. On the last night of Pesah, following the Arbit for Motzaei Pesah, the men take several stalks of wheat and they symbolically beat each other with it, greeting one another with the salutation Sana Hadra (May you have a green and fruitful year!) The baking of the matza in Morocco was done on the 14th of Nisan, Erev Pesah. The food eaten on this day was limited to hard- boiled eggs and cooked potatoes. The Moroccan community Next Month A very special L'Chayim focuses on the 40th anniversary of the State of Israel. Learn — and enjoy — the special miracle of the Jewish state through family-oriented stories, games and activities. L-8 FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 1988 forbade the use of rice and dried beans kitniyot on Pesah. Fresh green beans were permitted. It is the custom to take the special Passover plate, on the first night of Passover, and raise the "plate" to pass it over the heads of everyone in the household while reciting, "bibehilu yatzanu mimizrayim ha hahma aniya benei horin." (We were once slaves in Egypt and this is the bread which we ate and now we are free men.) The Yahaz (breaking of the three matzot) is done in a different fashion. The middle matza is broken into two pieces to look like the Hebrew letter "heh." While the matza is broken the family sings in unison a song in Arabic about the Almighty who split the Red Sea into 12 paths when our ancestors left Egypt under the leadership of Moses, the son of Amram. After the reading of the Haggada, the haroset is taken and placed on five spots (as five finger spots) on the doorpost of the entrance of the house near the mezuza, to serve as a protection from evil. These spots are seen through the year. Judeo-Spanish Jews prepare for Pesah one month before the holiday, immediately after Purim. In Ladino (Judeo-Spanish), they say: "Purim lanu, Pesah en la Mono" or "Purim is come and before you turn around Passover is here." Two types of matzot are prepared: "Thick" ("boyo") and "thin" ("maniuo") used for cooking and soaking in water. In Turkey, a special document to "sell the leaven" to a non-Jew is followed, which is a relatively new procedure, since long ago, this was not followed in the old country. On the 14th of Nisan, hametz is forbidden. The traditional food is "Bimuelos de matza" (deep fried matza). These are accompanied by eggs and vegetables. The delicacies of Passover include: "Matza Mojada and Bimuelos, Prasa Fuchi or Sungato (leek patties), Megina or Mina (meena) a meat pie or spinach pie. The matza meat pie is a special main dish of Passover for Sephardim. The special drinks are "raki" (an alcohol drink from dried raisins). Although there is no prohibition against kitniyot (beans), the Judeo-Spanish do not eat rice on Passover because of the necessity to check through the rice to make sure there is no grain mixed into it. Shirley Chicorel Behar is the daughter of the founders of the Sephardic community in Detroit. Passover Word Scramble Fill the blanks and unscramble the circled letters to solve the puzzle below: Food we don't eat for Passover The youngest child asks the four The Passover symbol for Mortar Matza is sometimes called Another name for soda bread. B 9 The Hebrew equivalent of Yarmulke 00 Used for Karpas on the Seder Plate Consumer's Guide To Haggadot The following Haggadot will enrich the Passover holiday celebration. Take time to select a set of Haggadot. Haggadot For Table Use Passover Haggada: The Feast of Freedom. Rachel Anne Rabinowicz. This Haggada was published for the Conservative Movement. A Passover Haggada: The New Union Haggada. Herbert Bronstein. (Also known as the "Baskin Haggada" after Leonard Baskin who made the drawings.) The Haggada of the Reform Movement. The Passover Haggada. Morris Silverman. Particularly good for the novice. A Feast of History Passover Haggada. Chaim Raphael. The New Haggada. Mordecai M. Kaplan. In Every Generation: A Family Haggada. Shoshana Silberman. This is an excellent volume for the novice seder maker and for seders with very young children (comes with a cassette of songs). The Haggada As Art The Passover Haggada. Nahum N. Glatzer, ed. Text with notes. Israel Passover Haggada. Rabbi M. Kasher. Text with extensive notes. Let My People Go Haggada. Mark Podwall, ed. Introduction by Theodore Bikel. Illustrations. A Feast of History. Haiim Raphael. Ben Shahn's Haggada. Ben Shahn. Passover Parable Rabbi Israel Lipkin Salanter was most meticulous in the baking of matza for Passover. To make certain that everything was done according to the strictest interpretation of Jewish law, he personally undertook to supervise the baking. One year the rabbi was bedridden and unable to go to the baker. He instructed two pupils to go in his stead. As the pupils were about to depart for their assigned task, they asked their teacher: "Is there anything special 'which we should watch?" "Yes," the rabbi replied. "See that the old woman who does the mixing is paid sufficiently. She is a poor widow."