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Laws and Customs
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General Introduction
Basic Ideas
Historical Background
Laws and Customs
Sources
Activities
Educational Aims
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List, according to
Sefer Hakhinukh
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4. To declare the new month and extra (leap year) months (Exodus);
18. To declare firstborn animals in Israel holy (Exodus);
303. Not to eat wheat/bread etc. from the new season's produce until after the 16th of Nisan;
304. Not to eat toasted barleycorn from the new season's produce until the same date;
305. Not to eat carmel (produce) of the new season until the same date.
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On the Sabbath before or on the first of Nisan, in addition to the regular weekly reading of Torah, the section 'Hahodesh' (Exodus 12:1-20) is read.
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Birkat HaIlanot: A special blessing is said on first seeing blossoms on the trees in the garden or the fields in the month of Nisan:
You are blessed, G-D our G-d, King of the universe, Who has omitted nothing in his world and created in it good creatures and beautiful trees for man to enjoy
. (Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Blessings, chapter 10)
http://www.jajz-ed.org.il/festivls/ilanot.html
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Blessing of the sun. The Talmud (Berachot 59) quotes a baraitha:
One who sees the sun at its turn, the moon full, the stars in their paths and the constellations in place, says the blessing for the 'Creator of the Creation'. When is the sun 'at its turn' (Ed.: in the same position in its cycle, as at Creation)? Abbaye explained: 'every twenty-eight years'.
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On each of the first thirteen days of Nisan, there is a custom of reading the passage about the relevant tribal heads for that day (Numbers 7:12-83).
Normally this is read from a chumash, but some people read it from a Sefer Torah without a blessing.
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It is custom throughout the Jewish world to collect kimcha daPascha (donations for Pesach wheatflour) for the poor on the first few days of Nisan.
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On the Sabbath before Pesach, known as 'Shabbat Hagadol' (when the Haftarah Hagadol is read), it is customary for the rabbi to deliver a sermon on the laws of Pesach.
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