Spring has arrived, and with it the longer afternoons, (sometimes) warmer days and the imminence of Pesach. Scrubbing brushes are out, carpet cleaners booked and the festive feeling in the air invites us to join our nation in the annual Pesach clean.
“Chometz!!!” has become a household name, and easily rolls tip of our tongues in a high pitched tone as we see our kids run around the house, food in hand. But when paranoia sets in, we know we need to cast away our hoover and make a quick revision of what it is that Judaism really requires us to do to our houses in the run-up to Pesach.
Different from many other areas or Jewish law, the Mitzvos of Pesach instruct against ownership of the problematic substance. With this in mind, the sages gave a set of instructions to be performed on the night before Yom Tov. More than just a ceremony, Bedikas Chometz, the required search for chometz, is a procedure which is designed to search out any remains of chometz in our house. The subsequent Bittul Chometz, is a legal declaration which renders any remaining chometz nullified and non-existent. Together, these two procedures have ensured the house is Chometz-free.
In reality, though, searching for chometz is a procedure which needs to begin much earlier. Every corner of the house is considered suspect and if we left it all to the last night we wouldn’t make it to the seder in one piece.
It is important to stress though, that starting earlier doesn’t mean we need to do allow anxieties to set in. True, Jewish thought attributes great importance to this unique mitzvah but it is knowing the rules that will allow us the freedom to clean well without succumbing to stress and anxiety.
Rooms should be searched for sizable pieces of chometz. Hoovering is a great way of ensuring that forgotten corners of our house don’t house pieces of chometz which they should not. Crumbs and chometz stuck to surfaces on bedroom furniture (!) are not considered problematic. As such, there is no need to be concerned about them, nor is there a need to carpet clean the house, wash curtains, bedding or use a toothbrush around clothes drawers. Many of these practices have developed as housewifes’ homing instincts and religious fervour have propelled them to highly praiseworthy fervour in keeping this mitzvah. Halocho doesn’t demand this.
What should I do if an already cleaned room was entered by an unruly toddler wielding a biscuit? The answer is – take a good look around the room and ensure that he has not left a sizable chunk there… then take a deep breath and move on to more important things!
School bags, handbags and pockets should all be emptied and hovered. These places can inevitably hide small amounts of chometz. Moving the fridge and sweeping underneath it is also advisable; but if the radiator seems to be hiding a treasure trove of unreachable biscuits, try using a wire hanger but if unsuccessful it would be enough to ruin the food using a strong cleaning agent.
Tiny crumbs left around the house are insignificant and are not subject to the strictures of this mitzva. So is it all fairy tales, why do we take out the heavy duty cleaning equipment instead of just searching?
The answer is that in the kitchen and in dinning areas we follow a different set of rules. Here, we move from “searching for chometz” to “cleaning for pesach”. Although ownership of crumbs is technically OK, one may not consume them on Pesach. So, any surface which could come into contact with Pesach food needs to be cleaned thoroughly. Toothbrush, sponge and bleach – they’re all needed now. As we empty the kitchen of its chometz, shelves and cupboards that are being used for pesach should be thoroughly cleaned and then should ideally be lined. The fridge and freezer take on a new squeaky clean look, and the sink too needs its fair share of attention.
Kashering is a final stage, with hot water poured from a kettle to purge embedded chometz remains. Each piece of kitchen equipment has its rules some can’t be used while others have simple koshering instructions. Savour these moments as the kitchen takes on a shine you had almost forgotten existed.
Wishing all a happy and calm run up to Pesach. Arming ourselves with the Halachic requirements will ensure a stress free Pesach clean.
Good Shabbos, Sruli