60 | MARCH 30 • 2023 

PASSOVER

S

inging is tradition-
ally a major part of 
the Passover seder, 
and it certainly makes for a 
more festive and participa-

tory celebration. But what if 
your repertoire of Passover 
songs is lacking or you can’t 
remember the lyrics or mel-
odies even for classics like 

“Dayenu” or “Chad Gadya”? 
Or what if you have an urge 
to accompany the singing on 
guitar (or some other instru-
ment) this year?

CHABAD.ORG

Online resources for Passover recordings, lyrics, 
sheet music and more.

Where To Find Songs for 
Your Passover Seder

MY JEWISH LEARNING 

Whatever the situation, we 
can help. Below (and in no 
particular order) are the best 
online resources we could 
find.

ZEMIROT DATABASE
Zemirot Database (zemirot is 
the Hebrew word for songs 
sung around a holiday table) 
is also a great place to find 
songs for Shabbat and other 
holidays. The site provides 
free printable lyrics, in 
Hebrew, English and trans-
literation, for more than 20 
Passover songs. Most songs 
also have recordings embed-
ded for streaming. (www.
zemirotdatabase.org)

HAGGADOT.COM
Haggadot.com is set up to 
help you to create your own 
Haggadah. But even if you 
don’t want to make a whole 
Haggadah, you can use the 
site, which is free but requires 
registration, to search for 

P

assover, the annual cel-
ebration of the Exodus 
from Egypt, is one of 
Judaism’s most beloved holi-
days — and also the one that 
requires the most preparation. 
The Torah teaches that one 
should remove leaven food or 
hametz (understood by Jewish 
tradition to mean food made 
from one of five forbidden 
grains and food that has been 
fermented) from one’s home — 
it should neither be seen nor 
found in one’s possession.
Traditionally, Jews attempt to 
clean all the leaven from their 
homes, chasing out the cracker 
crumbs and stray Cheerios 
wherever they lurk: behind the 

refrigerator, in the pockets of 
coats, under car seats. Larger 
leavened items, like boxes of 
pasta and crackers, are often 
sold to non-Jewish neighbors 
with the understanding that 
these will be purchased back at 
the end of the holiday.
Aside from the comprehen-
sive nature of this kind of purge, 
because Passover cleaning often 
coincides with spring cleaning, 
many find the undertaking 
overwhelming and daunting. 
But obsession is not neces-
sarily required to satisfy the 
traditional requirements of the 
holiday. If it seems too much, it 
may be that you are doing more 
than you need to. Here are our 

tips for keeping your Passover 
cleaning manageable:

HAMETZ IS NOT DIRT
Yes, crumbs of food often lurk 
in the same places one finds 
dirt and grime, but there is no 
requirement that the home be 
clean, only that it be purged of 
leaven. You really don’t need to 
dust your fan blades.

FOCUS ON THE KITCHEN
You are not likely to eat in your 
bathroom, so skip that space 

when doing your Passover 
cleaning. Keep your focus on 
the places where you prepare 
and eat your food — dayenu!

SOME HAMETZ 
DOESN’T COUNT
Some authorities say that 
hametz is only a problem if it 
is the size of an olive or larger. 
So, those tiny crumbs you’re 
desperately seeking out? Not so 
significant.
Some authorities say that 
hametz that is not edible also 

Tips for the overwhelmed, the last-minute and the lazy.

How to Make Passover 
Cleaning Manageable

MYJEWISHLEARNING.COM

