Health Reminder to My Readers

The incidence of Emergency Room burn cases in areas with high Jewish populations spikes dramatically in the days before Passover (and other holidays, too, but especially Passover).

When kashering your kitchen, please remember that boiling water and hot stoves and ovens are extremely dangerous. Be careful, and please keep your kids well away.

For those with a lot of family visiting, or who are visiting other relatives, be mindful of all those Shabbat/ Yom Tov candles burning in one place. Candles should be lit away from curtains, and not on tables with tablecloths, if there are any children who might pull on the tablecloth in the house. And with all that cooking going on, be mindful of kids running around in the kitchen. Keep pot handles pointed toward the wall. And be careful yourself when dealing with all that hot food!

A good tip I've heard is to put tape on the kitchen floor, outlining an area around the stove, and telling children that they may not step beyond the tape.

Check with your rabbi about using a flashlight for part or most of bedikat chametz, rather than using a candle for the whole thing.

If going away to visit another family for the holiday, be sure that you and all your kids know where all the exits are from the house!

Have a happy, kosher, and safe Pesach.