12 Passover Practices You Can Try Tonight—from Pocket Checks to Afikoman Blessings

Chametz Check

1. A careful, thorough search of your pockets is said to protect you from theft. 

2. When burning the chametz, take a small note and write down every situation that is hard for you in life (the challenges of raising children, late-in-life singleness, infertility, debts, anger, sadness, fears, etc.), and burn the note together with the chametz. 

At the Seder Table

3. For a strong marriage and peace at home, both husband and wife should set the holiday table ahead of time and really put care into it. 

4. Guard your speech (a play on words with 'peh-sach') throughout the Seder, and be careful not to make casual small talk at the table—this is said to bring blessing and success in every area. 

5. While reading the Haggadah, when the children ask 'Mah Nishtanah—why is this night different?', the books teach that this is a time of favor to focus on their gaining true awe of Heaven. Singles and couples who have not yet been blessed with children should focus and pray then to merit good matches and holy, enduring offspring for the service of Hashem. 

6. While reading the Haggadah, try to feel as if we have just left Egypt, and focus on leaving behind every physical and emotional constraint that binds us and distances us from closeness to Hashem. 

אילוסטרציה: שאטרסטוק

7. Losing your temper during the Seder is a prohibition and a bad sign. So do your best to keep joy and peace at home, so that you receive the blessing of this night for the whole year. 

8. While eating the matzah, focus on asking for complete healing and for prosperity. 

9. Keeping a piece of the afikoman in the house for an entire year is said to bring material and spiritual abundance. 

10. 'Seder' means 'order': when it is conducted according to Jewish law, it influences every detail of the household. If your Seder is orderly, the year that follows will be orderly too. 

Elijah the Prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, Elijah the Gileadite

11. For any salvation a person needs: when inviting Elijah the Prophet, stand up from the table, open the door, and ask out loud for the help you need. 

The Seventh Day of Passover

12. A beautiful practice for everything that feels difficult—finding your match, livelihood, health: at dawn, read the Song at the Sea and focus on the splitting of every obstacle in your life.