Pesach is coming...

As Pesach approaches, and community members are busy preparing their homes for Passover, we at the Reference Desk have been asked for a guide to kosher-for-Passover foods and kashering a kitchen for Passover (with special attention to the newest counter-top construction materials). Although, as with any halakhic question, we suggested the requestor consult his local rabbi, we referred him to the Rabbinical Assembly’s website which has two guides: http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/docs/RA%20Passover%20Guide%202009.pdf which discusses general principles of Kosher le-Pesach food and describes how to prepare the kitchen for Passover, and http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/docs/Passover%20for%20RA%20web%20site%20.pdf which provides detailed guidance for purchasing Kosher le-Pesach food in the light of 2009 manufacturing processes. In addition, the Orthodox Union’s guide is available at http://www.oukosher.org/index.php/passover. A more stringent guide is Avrohom Blumenkrantz’ The Laws of Pesach: A Digest, published annually (BM695.P35 B56).