32 | APRIL 4 • 2024 
J
N

P

assover, the annu-
al celebration of 
the Exodus from 
Egypt, is one of Judaism’s 
most beloved holidays — and 
also the one that requires 
the most preparation. The 
Torah teaches that one 
should remove leaven or cha-
metz (understood by Jewish 
tradition to mean food that is 
made from one of five forbid-
den grains and food that has 
been fermented) from one’s 
home — it should neither be 
seen nor found in one’s pos-
session.
Traditionally, Jews attempt 
to clean all the leaven from 
their homes, chasing out the 
cracker crumbs and stray 
Cheerios wherever they 
lurk: behind the refrigerator, 
in the pockets of coats, under 
car seats. Larger leavened 

items, like boxes of pasta and 
crackers, are often sold to 
non-Jewish neighbors with 
the understanding that these 
will be purchased back at the 
end of the holiday.
Aside from the compre-
hensive nature of this kind 
of purge, because Passover 
cleaning often coincides 
with spring cleaning, many 
find the undertaking over-
whelming and daunting. But 
obsession is not necessarily 
required to satisfy the tra-
ditional requirements of the 
holiday. If it all seems too 
much, it may be that you are 
doing more than you need to. 
Here are our tips for keeping 
your Passover cleaning man-
ageable:

CHAMETZ IS NOT DIRT
Yes, crumbs of food often lurk 

in the same places one finds 
dirt and grime, but there is no 
requirement that the home be 
clean, only that it be purged 
of leaven. You really don’t 
need to dust your fan blades.

FOCUS ON THE KITCHEN
You are not likely to eat 
in your bathroom, so skip 
that space when doing your 
Passover cleaning. Keep your 
focus on the places where you 
prepare and eat your food 
— dayenu!

SOME CHAMETZ 
DOESN’T COUNT
Some authorities say that cha-
metz is only a problem if it is 
the size of an olive or larger. 
So those tiny crumbs you’re 
desperately seeking out? Not 
so significant.
Some authorities say that 

chametz which is not edible, 
also doesn’t count. What’s 
inedible? If a dog wouldn’t 
eat it, you probably wouldn’t 
either.

THROW YOUR CHAMETZ 
IN A CARDBOARD BOX 
OR JUST TAPE UP THE 
CABINET
Once you sell your leaven 
products, they no longer 
belong to you. The only 
other requirement is that you 
should not see them. So grab 
a cardboard box, a sheet or 
some masking tape and hide 
those cookies that now tech-
nically belong to someone else 
from view. Done and done.

NULLIFICATION IS YOUR 
FRIEND
On the night before the 
first seder, it is traditional 
to hide a few last crumbs of 
bread and then search for 
them by candlelight. The 
following morning, these 
are burned (biur) and then a 
blessing is recited that renders 
any unseen leaven no longer 
chametz (bittul):
All chametz that is in my 
possession, which I have nei-
ther seen nor removed, and of 
which I am unaware, is nulli-
fied and ownerless like the dust 
of the earth.
Our sages understood 
that it is pretty much impos-
sible to get everything. In 
fact, the Talmud implies that 
sometimes a person would 
accidentally forget about a 
cake in their cupboard on 
Passover! So do your best, 
say this blessing and relax. 
Whatever you missed (and 
you surely missed something 
— everyone does!) has sym-
bolically turned to dust.
Passover is the festival of 
freedom. If you can’t enjoy 
the cleaning, at least don’t let 
it enslave you. 

Tips for the overwhelmed, the last-minute and the lazy.

How to Make Passover 
Cleaning Manageable

MYJEWISHLEARNING.COM

HOME&GARDEN

LINDA HILLER NOVAK
248.408.7811
LINDA@NOVAKRETEAM.COM

FRANK NOVAK
248.563.7217
FRANK@NOVAKRETEAM.COM

