If you take it one step at a time, there is no reason to feel overwhelmed by Passover preparation.

1. Cleaning

Before Passover, the house needs to be cleaned so that all chametz (leavened products) are removed. Don't forget the bag of baby crackers in your diaper bag. What about the Purim treats your 3rd grader has stashed away in her desk? Gotta lift the sofa to get all that popcorn vacuumed up. While you are at it, you might as well throw some Spring cleaning in there - get out the summer clothes and put away the winter blankets and coats.

2. Sabbath

Before you have looked up from the dusting, Shabbat HaGadol, the Shabbat before Passover, arrives. It is called Shabbat HaGadol because it marks the beginning of the redemption.

On the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Nissan (the Shabbat before the exodus on the fifteenth of Nissan), the Israelites in Egypt prepared the Pesach-lamb (Exodus 12:3). When their neighbors asked them what they were doing, the Israelites explained that the lambs would be sacrificed on the fourteenth of Nissan, just before G-d would slay the firstborn of Egypt.

This frightened the firstborn children of Egypt. They begged their parents and Pharaoh to release the Israelites. When their request was denied, they rose in armed revolt. As a result numerous enemies of the Israelites were killed.

3. Shopping

Then it's time to run to the store to get all those specialty Passover foods and products. So many kosher for Passover cakes, cookies, and cereals. One can almost last the whole week without missing chametz too much. At the same time, these specialty Passover products tend to be expensive and fattening. If you want to keep your money with you and extra pounds off you, buy extra fruits and vegetables to eat during Passover.

To minimize return trips to the store, make a careful shopping list. What you will be serving for the seder? What dishes do you plan to make during the week? Once you have your seder and weekly meals planned, try to create a shopping list that enables you to do all your Passover shopping in one stop.

4. Cooking

Now that the house is stocked, it is time to start to cook for the Seder. Better put aside at least 2 days to cook for the Seder, as many of the dishes are not ones you do everyday and you may be lacking some of the accessories with which you usually cook. While cooking, be careful to keep the remaining chametz you have in the house in a separate area.

5. Selling the Chametz

Some Jews believe that one can sell the chametz to someone who is not Jewish and then buy it back after the holiday. At our house, we burn it or throw it away since it represents negative attributes.

6. Searching for Chametz

Once all the chametz in the house is found and burned, we are ready for the Passover Seder.

7. Planning the Seder

It is a good idea to put some time and thought into the kind of seder service you want.

What Haggadah will you be using? There are a variety of Haggadot, including several online which can be printed, and each one has a different influence on the seder service.

Will there be children at the seder? Perhaps they can make place cards to put on the table so everyone will know where they will be sitting? Or they can make pictures of the Passover story to hang in the dining room. During the seder itself, make sure there are opportunities for the children to participate. Did the little ones practice singing the Four Questions? Did the older ones learn something about Passover at school which they can share with everyone at the table? Perhaps you can prepare some questions about the Passover story to ask the children during the seder.

Is there something you can do to make the seder this year especially memorable? Our neighbor dressed up like Elijah, and when it was time to open the door for Elijah he walked in, drank the cup of wine, and left. A few years ago, friends of mine asked all their guests to dress up like desert nomads. Then they conducted their seder on the floor as if they were in a tent in the desert.

8. Preparing the Passover Plate

It is important to prepare the six symbolic items - zeroa, beitza, karpas, maror, chazeret, charoset - which should go on the seder plate. See this quick, step-by-step page on How to Prepare the Seder Plate.

9. Setting the Passover Table

The following is needed to set the table for the Passover Seder:

• festive tablecloth and napkins
• kosher for Passover dishes, flatware, water glasses, and wine glasses
• small dishes of salt water for dipping
• enough bottles of wine and grape juice for each person to have four cups
• a special wine cup reserved for Elijah
• a plate with 3 pieces of matzah on it and a cover over it
• seder plate
• Haggadot

Each place setting should include a plate, flatware, a water glass, a wine glass, and a Haggadah. Soup bowls can be kept in the kitchen and used to serve the soup. The salt water dishes and wine or grape juice bottles should be spread out on the table so everyone can reach them. An empty wine glass should be placed in the middle of the table for Elijah. On the plate of the person who will lead the reading of the Haggadah, first place the plate with the three pieces of matzah, and then put the seder plate on top.

10. Pesach Kasher!

Make your seder a memorable and enjoyable experience for the whole family. A nap before the seder is recommended for all, not just the kids, so that everyone arrives to the seder with good energy and spirit. During the seder, make sure everyone is involved and feeling a part of the story of the exodus.



* some portions of this article have been edited prior to posting. For the original version, you can direct your browser to http://judaism.about.com/od/passover/a/prep_steps.htm?nl=1