The Jewish Passover/Pesach and how to celebrate it. Page2

There are eight Mitzvot (commandments) which apply today for the Festival of Passover.

There are THREE POSITIVE commandments and FIVE NEGATIVE commandments.

The Three Positive commandments are:

(a) To dispose of all Chametz (leaven) on the 14th day of Nissan.

(b) To eat matzah on the first night of Passover and in the Diaspora on the second night as well.

(c) To relate the story of the Exodus of Egypt on the first night of Passover and in the Diaspora, the second night as well.

The Five Negative commandments are:

(1) The prohibition of eating Chametz (leaven) form about mid-morning of the 14th day of Nissan.

(2) The prohibition of eating Chametz (leaven) all seven days of the Festival of Passover and in the Diaspora on the eighth day as well.

(3) The prohibition of eating food mixtures containing Chametz (leaven) all seven days of Passover and in the Diaspora on the eighth day as well.

(4) Chametz (leaven) should not be seen in your possession the entire possession the entire Festival of Passover.

5) The prohibition of Chametz being found in a persons possession the entire Festival of Passover.

Chametz (leaven) may not be in your possesion even if it is totally out of sight, e.g. in some drawer or cupboard.

According to Jewish law it is forbidden to eat chametz from midday on the fourteenth of Nissan, that is, from the beginning of the seventh hour for Deuteronomy 16:3 states: "You shall not eat chametz with it (the Paschal sacrifice). One who willfully eats a piece of chametz which is as big as an olive, from the night of the fifteenth of Nissan until the end of the twenty first of Nissan incurs the penalty called karet, Divine excision, for the verse states: For whoever eats chametz, that soul shall be cut off from Israel (Exodus, 12:15).

CHAMETZ (LEAVEN) - a symbol of evil inclination.

Flour and water that rises is a symbol of pride and an unchecked ego. The Talmud, in Brachot 17a, compares the yeast in dough to the kind of corruption that can ferment and rise in the heart.

Matzah, on the other hand, is flat, a poor man’s bread, made only of flour and water. It must be baked within 18 minutes so the dough has no chance to rise. It is a symbol of humbleness and suppression of ego.

The prohibition of Chametz on Passover applies only to foodstuffs made from the five species ofgrain which are:

Barley

Oats

Rye

Spelt

Wheat

When any of the five species of grain come into contact with water at room temperature, if not worked with they will become Chametz from eighteen minutes onwards. Heat and other additives may speed up the process of them becoming Chametz.

Consequently matzah that is baked for the Festival of Passover, which is made from wheat flour with water, must enter the oven within eighteen minutes. Besides flour and water there are absolutely no other additives, not even salt, that are added to the matzah.

KITNIYOT

There is another area of prohibition and this is called Kitniyot (legumes / pulses).

"What is Kitniyot?"

The code of Jewish law, ORACH CHAIM, Section 453, defines Kitniyot as those grains that can be ground into flour, baked and/or cooked in a similar way to the grains that are Chametz, but are not considered in halacha to be in the same status as Chametz.

The "Bait Yosef" (Rabbi Joseph karo) permits Kitniyot on Passover, hence the Sephardi Community around the world use Kitniyot on Passover.

The "Ramah" (Rabbi Moshe Isserlis) prohibits Kitniyot on Passover, therefore we of the Ashkenazi Community do not eat Kitniyot or food stuffs and beverages made with Kitniyot. One of the reasons for the prohibition of Kitniyot on Passover was the fear that there would be confusion amoungst the general public who would mistake Kitniyot flour with actual Chametz flour.

The restrictions for Kitniyot on Passover is much less than that of Chametz e.g. you do not have to sell Kitniyot and you may use non-edible items that contain Kitniyot e.g. pet food, medication, heating fuel, etc.

There is a difference of opinion amoungst the Sages whether the derivatives of Kitniyot are considered like Kitniyot itself e.g. corn oil, soya oil etc. In addition there is a difference of opinion whether peanuts are considered Kitniyot or not. Consequently their derivative peanut oil, would be even less of a problem.

Although the Beth Din has ruled that one may use derivatives of Kitniyot including peanut oil, nevertheless in consideration of other opinions that do not allow derivatives of Kitniyot to be used on Passover, MANY products made for Passover under the supervision of the Beth Din do not contain derivatives of Kiniyot e.g. lecithin in chocolate. There are also numerous products that do contain Kitniyot.

Preparing the home for Passover

In order to have your home/office/holiday house etc cleaned of all Chametz one must start well in advance of that day to have ample time to do the cleaning correctly.

Each room should be thoroughly cleaned including cupboards, drawers, underneath beds and furniture. Furniture that can be moved should be, and cleaned behind and underneath. After one has completed cleaning a room or area, one must ensure that no Chametz will be brought back into those rooms especially by children or pets.

Preparing for Bedikat Chametz - searching for Leaven

By this time the house should be prepared for the Festival and only Chametz that should be left is for the actual Chametz. Perform a formal search for chametz on the 13th of Nisan, the night before Passover or Passover Seder begins.

When Pesach starts on Saturday night, Bedikas Chametz takes place on Thursday night (two nights before Pesach).

This search is known as a bedikat chametz, which means "search for chametz" in Hebrew.

E.g. If it is too difficult to search the whole house on one night the search can be started earlier according to the laws of bedikat chametz. However, the blessing is only said on the night of the 14th.

The following is a short check list for the search:

Attics

Bar

Behind major appliances

Benching Cards (store away till after the Festival)

Bird Cages

Books

Bread baskets

Brief Cases

Bookcases

Cabinet

Cake and biscuit containers

Candlesticks (clean well before using on Passover)

Cars (including cubbyhole, boot and seats)

Cookery books (clean and store)

Cosmetic boxes

Cots

Cupboards

Desks

Drawers

Fish tanks

Garages

High chairs

Kennels and cat baskets

Luggage

Lunch boxes

Medicine chests

Picnic baskets

Prams

Purses and handbags

Rubbish bins

School desks and lockers

School cases

Shelves

Shopping baskets

Storage area for computer disks, CD's, tapes, etc

Storerooms

Study

Toaster (clean and store)

Toys and toy chests

Wendy houses

Workshop


	Home Israel and the Jewish people The Jewish Passover/Pesach and how to celebrate it. Page1 The Jewish Passover/Pesach and how to celebrate it. Page2 The Jewish Passover/Pesach and how to celebrate it. Page3 The Jewish Passover/Pesach and how to celebrate it. Page4 The Jewish Passover/Pesach and how to celebrate it. Page5 The Jewish Passover/Pesach and how to celebrate it. Page2 There are eight Mitzvot (commandments) which apply today for the Festival of Passover. There are THREE POSITIVE commandments and FIVE NEGATIVE commandments. The Three Positive commandments are: (a) To dispose of all Chametz (leaven) on the 14th day of Nissan. (b) To eat matzah on the first night of Passover and in the Diaspora on the second night as well. (c) To relate the story of the Exodus of Egypt on the first night of Passover and in the Diaspora, the second night as well. The Five Negative commandments are: (1) The prohibition of eating Chametz (leaven) form about mid-morning of the 14th day of Nissan. (2) The prohibition of eating Chametz (leaven) all seven days of the Festival of Passover and in the Diaspora on the eighth day as well. (3) The prohibition of eating food mixtures containing Chametz (leaven) all seven days of Passover and in the Diaspora on the eighth day as well. (4) Chametz (leaven) should not be seen in your possession the entire possession the entire Festival of Passover. 5) The prohibition of Chametz being found in a persons possession the entire Festival of Passover. Chametz (leaven) may not be in your possesion even if it is totally out of sight, e.g. in some drawer or cupboard. According to Jewish law it is forbidden to eat chametz from midday on the fourteenth of Nissan, that is, from the beginning of the seventh hour for Deuteronomy 16:3 states: "You shall not eat chametz with it (the Paschal sacrifice). One who willfully eats a piece of chametz which is as big as an olive, from the night of the fifteenth of Nissan until the end of the twenty first of Nissan incurs the penalty called karet, Divine excision, for the verse states: For whoever eats chametz, that soul shall be cut off from Israel (Exodus, 12:15). CHAMETZ (LEAVEN) - a symbol of evil inclination. Flour and water that rises is a symbol of pride and an unchecked ego. The Talmud, in Brachot 17a, compares the yeast in dough to the kind of corruption that can ferment and rise in the heart. Matzah, on the other hand, is flat, a poor man’s bread, made only of flour and water. It must be baked within 18 minutes so the dough has no chance to rise. It is a symbol of humbleness and suppression of ego. The prohibition of Chametz on Passover applies only to foodstuffs made from the five species ofgrain which are: Barley Oats Rye Spelt Wheat When any of the five species of grain come into contact with water at room temperature, if not worked with they will become Chametz from eighteen minutes onwards. Heat and other additives may speed up the process of them becoming Chametz. Consequently matzah that is baked for the Festival of Passover, which is made from wheat flour with water, must enter the oven within eighteen minutes. Besides flour and water there are absolutely no other additives, not even salt, that are added to the matzah. KITNIYOT There is another area of prohibition and this is called Kitniyot (legumes / pulses). "What is Kitniyot?" The code of Jewish law, ORACH CHAIM, Section 453, defines Kitniyot as those grains that can be ground into flour, baked and/or cooked in a similar way to the grains that are Chametz, but are not considered in halacha to be in the same status as Chametz. The "Bait Yosef" (Rabbi Joseph karo) permits Kitniyot on Passover, hence the Sephardi Community around the world use Kitniyot on Passover. The "Ramah" (Rabbi Moshe Isserlis) prohibits Kitniyot on Passover, therefore we of the Ashkenazi Community do not eat Kitniyot or food stuffs and beverages made with Kitniyot. One of the reasons for the prohibition of Kitniyot on Passover was the fear that there would be confusion amoungst the general public who would mistake Kitniyot flour with actual Chametz flour. The restrictions for Kitniyot on Passover is much less than that of Chametz e.g. you do not have to sell Kitniyot and you may use non-edible items that contain Kitniyot e.g. pet food, medication, heating fuel, etc. There is a difference of opinion amoungst the Sages whether the derivatives of Kitniyot are considered like Kitniyot itself e.g. corn oil, soya oil etc. In addition there is a difference of opinion whether peanuts are considered Kitniyot or not. Consequently their derivative peanut oil, would be even less of a problem. Although the Beth Din has ruled that one may use derivatives of Kitniyot including peanut oil, nevertheless in consideration of other opinions that do not allow derivatives of Kitniyot to be used on Passover, MANY products made for Passover under the supervision of the Beth Din do not contain derivatives of Kiniyot e.g. lecithin in chocolate. There are also numerous products that do contain Kitniyot. Preparing the home for Passover In order to have your home/office/holiday house etc cleaned of all Chametz one must start well in advance of that day to have ample time to do the cleaning correctly. Each room should be thoroughly cleaned including cupboards, drawers, underneath beds and furniture. Furniture that can be moved should be, and cleaned behind and underneath. After one has completed cleaning a room or area, one must ensure that no Chametz will be brought back into those rooms especially by children or pets. Preparing for Bedikat Chametz - searching for Leaven By this time the house should be prepared for the Festival and only Chametz that should be left is for the actual Chametz. Perform a formal search for chametz on the 13th of Nisan, the night before Passover or Passover Seder begins. When Pesach starts on Saturday night, Bedikas Chametz takes place on Thursday night (two nights before Pesach). This search is known as a bedikat chametz, which means "search for chametz" in Hebrew. E.g. If it is too difficult to search the whole house on one night the search can be started earlier according to the laws of bedikat chametz. However, the blessing is only said on the night of the 14th. The following is a short check list for the search: Attics Bar Behind major appliances Benching Cards (store away till after the Festival) Bird Cages Books Bread baskets Brief Cases Bookcases Cabinet Cake and biscuit containers Candlesticks (clean well before using on Passover) Cars (including cubbyhole, boot and seats) Cookery books (clean and store) Cosmetic boxes Cots Cupboards Desks Drawers Fish tanks Garages High chairs Kennels and cat baskets Luggage Lunch boxes Medicine chests Picnic baskets Prams Purses and handbags Rubbish bins School desks and lockers School cases Shelves Shopping baskets Storage area for computer disks, CD's, tapes, etc Storerooms Study Toaster (clean and store) Toys and toy chests Wendy houses Workshop