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