Ask The Rabbi

Ask The Rabbi

category:  Passover

How many Pesach seders?

I live in Israel and am visiting my family abroad for Pesach. How many sedorim do I keep?

Your question as to how many seders you should keep when you leave Israel for Pesach, is the subject of much discussion and differing opinions in Halacha.

Our opinion is that you should go according to the place where you will be staying, because the level of holiness of the place you are in is a determining factor.  If you are married and traveling with your wife, this also affects the picture, since your wife is considered your home. So if she is there with you, you need to go according to the local practice, without taking into consideration whether or not you intend to return to Eretz Yisrael.

 

If you practice Sefardic customs, and intend to return to Israel, then while you are outside of Israel on the day after Pesach, you should put on Tefillin and pray as you would in Israel, but privately, while at the same time not doing any melachot on the second day of the final Yom tov of Pesach. With regards to Tefillin, it isn’t relevant this year however, because the second day of the final Yom tov of Pesach falls on Shabbat.

Sources

מהדורא ס”א מהדורא תניינא ס”ח, שער הכולל בתחילתו אות ב, שו”ת חכם צבי סימן קס”ז, לקו”ש י”א ע’ 307, מלך המסיבו ח”א ע’ ר”ס. שו”ע סימן תצ”ו ס”ג