Before you promise a gift to the child who finds the afikoman on Passover, it's wise to agree in advance on the maximum amount of money you're willing to spend. Otherwise, you might find out that the child wants you to buy them the "Temple Seder Plate," which costs $150,000 and is currently displayed at the "Tzurim" gallery in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
"The Temple Seder Plate is a creation made of pure silver and gold," says Ofira Gutman-Barbi, deputy CEO of Tzurim. "It's a limited edition art piece, like all the gallery's works, starting with the vision of Yaakov Merdinger, the chief designer and artist behind Tzurim."
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A Passover plate in the shape of a Temple made of gold and silver
(Photo: Yaron Weinberg)
The design concept behind this plate stems from an ancient Jewish custom of placing the Seder plate above the matzahs. Anyone who's tried it knows that the full plate often breaks the precious matzahs. Merdinger's plate allows the custom to be observed elegantly and without damaging the matzahs: the fixture includes a silver base with pillars resembling those of the Temple and a ceiling, reminiscent of the Temple's design. In the lower space inside, the matzahs are placed, and in the upper part of the fixture, there's a designed space to place the items of the Seder plate.
Passover kit for combat operatives
You won't find this package in stores – it's a personalized Passover kit designed for soldiers who will be on duty on the eve of Passover, unable to celebrate at home or even in the base dining hall.
Each kit contains a box with reserved matzah, two bottles of grape juice, small plastic cups for Kiddush, bitter herbs for fulfilling the commandment, charoset, a box of maror (for the karpas), and a package of coconut cookies filled with dates (no, it's not a mitzvah to eat, it's just delicious). There's also a plastic disposable seder plate, a Haggadah for Passover, and even a cardboard seder bowl to place the food. The only items not included in the kit are two perishable items, which are provided separately – a hard-boiled egg and a roasted chicken wing, both traditionally placed on the seder plate.
Chametz cleaning kit for gadgets
The Passover cleaning fever has reached the digital realm this year. The iStore chain, the official distributor of Apple products in Israel, has begun selling a cleaning kit for cell phones branded by Otterbox ahead of the holiday.
The cleaning kit includes three brushes for cleaning the device's ports, a cloth for dry cleaning the screen, and nine wipes with 70% alcohol for wet cleaning the screen (priced at NIS 59, and of course, the kit is also suitable for cleaning other digital devices). For those who are too lazy to clean by themselves, iStore offers a cleaning service at its branches. Cleaning an iPhone or iPad for Passover will cost NIS 70 while cleaning a MacBook will set you back NIS 100, and cleaning an iMac will cost no less than NIS 300. Cleaning must be scheduled in advance.
Passover Exodus Game
The Exodus game kit by "Diamond Toys" is an option for a Passover gift, or just a way to keep the little ones entertained during the telling of the Haggadah. The kit includes a hard activity surface on which 13 tiny cardboard figures can be placed, including the heroes of the Exodus story – Moses, Miriam, and Pharaoh – as well as sheep, horses, an Egyptian chariot, waves of the sea, and more.
The kit also includes an activity sheet with puzzles and activities. Suitable for children aged 3 and up, available at toy stores for NIS 69.90. This game is part of the "Bible Stories" series, which also includes the "Heroes" game featuring figures of Samson, Judah Maccabee, Bar Kokhba, David and Goliath, as well as Deborah, Yael, and Sisera. The third and final game in the series is "Noah's Ark". This kit includes figures of Noah and his family, pairs of various animals, birds, and of course, a large cardboard Noah's Ark. Although Passover is approaching, there is a high demand especially for Noah's Ark. If you wonder why, it turns out that many schools in the country recently gave children a task – to build Noah's Ark. Since, according to the Midrash, Noah's Ark construction lasted 120 years, most parents understand that the task will pass from the children to them – and they simply prefer to buy an ark instead of building one.