PESAH EVE: What do we have to do today?

Ta'anit Bekhorot (Fast of the first born) 

Today is Ta'anit bekhorot, the fast of the first born (seehere). Because this fast day is a custom (minhag) rather than a formal fast, the tradition is that the first-born exempt themselves from this fast by participating in a joyous religious ceremony. For example, by participating in a  Berit Mila or a Pidion the first born will be exempt form the fast. Usually, every community organizes  a Siyum Masekhet (=the conclusion of a Talmudic treatise, which is an event that deserves celebration) so that the first-born present at the occasion will be exempted from the fast and won't feel weak at the time of the Seder.

 

In most communities this fast is only customary for first-born males, not females.  In case the first-born is a young boy, many communities follow the tradition that the father fasts on his son's behalf. Many families have the tradition that when the first born breaks the fast, they do not eat Hamets anymore, and females first-born refrain from eating Hamets in the morning.

Each community member should follow his and her own traditions and customs. 

Akhilat Matza  (Eating Matza  on Pesah Eve)

On Pesah eve we should not eat regular Matza .  We keep the taste of the Matza for its ideal moment: the night of the Seder. We are allowed to eat Matza 'ashira or egg Matza (See this). Today we should eat light at noon and especially after mid-afternoon so we reserve our appetite for the Seder. 

LAST TIME TO EAT HAMETS TODAY in NYC: 

9.56 am (in some communities they set this time every year at 10.00 am)

  

LAST TIME FOR BI'UR HAMETS in NYC (=getting rid of Hamets by burning, feeding birds or fish, selling, etc. see this): 11.12 am (in some communities they set this time every year at 11.00 am).

After we get rid of the last Hamets we say the following text to definitely disown every Hamets that might have remained in our possession inadvertently:

"KAL HAMIRA DEIKA BIRSHUTI DEHAZITEH VEDELA HAZITEH, DEBI'ARTEH VEDELA BI'ARTEH LIBTIL VELEHEVE HEFKER KE'AFRA DEAR'A"

"All kind of Hamets or fermenting agents that belongs to me, that I have seen or that I haven't seen,  that I have eliminated or that I haven't eliminated, should be considered ownerless as the dust of the earth."

  

Candle lighting tonight in NYC:   7:14pm

  

 HAG SAMEAH

PESAH, Passed-over or protected?

 ופסח ה' על הפתח ולא יתן המשחית לבא אל בתיכם לנגוף

Exodus 12:23

In order to persuade the Egyptians to let the Jewish people go out of Egypt, the Almighty inflicted upon them ten plagues.  The last one, the plague that finally convinced the Egyptian monarch to let the Israelites go, was the death of the first-born.   The Tora describes the plague or sickness that affected the first-born as mash-hit, literally , "a destroyer" (Ex. 12:23). Obviously, we, the Jewish people, do not believe in powers independent from God. However, in order to fit our limited understanding, the Biblical text often attributes certain actions to God's shelihim or proxies. The "destroyer" (The rabbis nicknamed it elsewhere the angel of death), describes one of God's action, death, thru a linguistic proxy. We say angel of death, or mash-hit  but we are referring ultimately to God's actions. Illustration: In the South African courtroom, when Oscar Pistorius talks to the prosecutor (a man) he says: "My Lady". Why? Because although the accuser is talking to the prosecutor, he has to address always the Judge, which in this case, is a woman. Similarly, althought the Tora describes the actions as done by a mash-hit/ destroyer, or a wind that God used to split the sea, etc. these actions referred and should always be ascribed to God. 

Back to Pesah. In America, Pesah is known as "Passover". It is thought that at the time of the death of the first born, while God was inflicting the blow of death to the Egyptians, He "passed over" (skipped) the house of the Jews sparing their lives.  Allow me to present a slightly different reading of the same verse, based on the Targum Onqelos, the official Jewish translation of the Bible. Onqelos does not translate "Pesah" or "Pasah" as passed-over but us protected (in Aramaic, hais, like, adam has al mamono, "a person cares and protects his assets"). Thus, the verse Ex. 12:23 should be translated in this way "When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and He will PROTECT that doorway, and He will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down" (see also Ex. 11:27). Accordingly, God  (linguistically) acted thru His destroyer to inflict death, but He Himself (so to speak) cared for and protected His chosen People. That is why Pesah, particularly the first night of Pesah, is also called in the Tora "lel shimurim", the night of Protection.

I prefer this translation because when Pesah is understood as "Divine Protection" it gives a clearer meaning to this beautiful Holiday:    Pesah celebrates God's Protection to the Jewish people, from the eve of the exodus of Egypt until our own days.
 

SHABBAT SHALOM

Candle Lighting in NYC      7:11pm
Shabbat Ends in NYC          8:12 pm  

PESAH, how to have a succesuful SEDER?

Monday April 14th and Tuesday 15th at night, are probably the most important nights of the Jewish Calendar. During those nights we will fulfill a very special Mitsva:  והגדת לבנך teaching our children the story of Pesah. Instilling in their minds and hearts the collective memories that will shape their personalities and identity for the rest of their lives. But, how to do that? We have the Haggada, the narrative of the Exodus. And we also have the clear instructions of our rabbis: teach and talk to your children at the level of their understanding.

But, how should we do that? How should we teach our children Jewish History (or Jewish memory) in the era of youtube, Instagram and iPads?  In a time where their attention span is so short and erratic...

The secret for a successful and meaningful Pesah Seder could be summarized with three words: Preparation. Preparation. Preparation.

Some ideas

1. DIVIDE AND CONQUER:  Write an email, text or whatsapp today to each member of your family and guests. Assign to each one of them one part of the Haggada. Ask them to be ready to read and/or explain at least one short text of the Hagada in Hebrew, English,  etc.   Encourage them to search at least in the following websites: www.torah.org, aish.com, ou.org, for material related to the texts they will  read.     The little ones should prepare themselves to sing (and perhaps explain)  ma nishtana' or 'abadim hayinu  or had gadya.     Those who have difficulties reading Hebrew should search online and be ready to explain one particular idea of the hagada (=Pesah, matsa, maror, 4 cups, eating reclined, haroset, etc.).
 
2. MAKE IT RELEVANT:  Encourage some of the participants of the Seder, even your prospective guests,  to briefly (5 minutes, max!) debate among themselves one subject related to the Exodus from Egypt, which is still relevant today. 
Two examples.
a. rab ve'atsum mimenu (Ex. 1:10). "Although they were only a small minority, the Egyptians feared that the Jews were too powerful and decided to eliminate them". Although Jews make  less than 3% of the American population the list of "50 Most Influential Commentators in America" (as per Atlantic Magazine, 2010) included 26 Jews. Are we Jews too powerful? Not powerful enough? Is the "Jewish disproportional influence" in larger society an excuse to justify antisemitism? Should we keep it all to ourselves?
b. Vayare'u otanu hamitsrim vaya'anunu (Deut. 26:6). "The Egyptians demonized us and oppressed us".  Since the beginning of our history, our enemies first demonizing us to justify their animosity against us. Is "demonization of the Jews" a strategy that is still used by anti-Semites to justify their hatred?  Is Israel, "the Jew among the nations", demonized today in media, UN, etc. to justify anti-semitic behavior?

3. MAKE IT FUN: Ask the funniest guys of the family to play some parts of the Haggada, for example, the Ten Plagues. Have someone (a more serious guy) to explain briefly each plague while the actors play the play. One person has to play Moshe (with his head covered with a Talit) and someone else Pharaoh (use your imagination...).  Make it visual. Get small plastic frogs, animal masks for deber and ping pong balls for hail. Make it short. No more than 5 -7 minutes play.
Have games for the children, a Pesah treasure hunt or Pesah trivia, etc. To find great games you must see THIS and THIS.  Have 20 questions ready, and most importantly 20 (or more) small prizes to reward the correct answers. Anytime the Seder is about to get out of control, or boring or you need everyone's attention you can ask one of your questions (show the prize first!). Guaranteed to work..


4. MAKE IT DEEP: Recommended modern Haggadot:   Rabbi Shimon Appisdorf see here.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks     See here
For the advanced students I recommended  THIS old but fantastic Sephardic commentary of the Haggada written by Rabbi Don Ytshaq Abarbanel (1437-1508). I'm going to use it this year. Do not skip the introduction (the tragic personal story of the author). Easy Hebrew. Courtesy of www.hebrewbooks.org .

 

PRICELESS for SPANISH SPEAKING JEWS

 

Click  here  to download an ancient Spanish (not "Ladino") Hagadda, published by rabbi Ytshaq Yehuda Leon Templo, in Amsterdam, 1728

 

Click HERE to read:  "TO SELL or NOT TO SELL my HAMETS?"

PESAH, The night of the Seder (Part 2)

Yesterday, we began to explain the steps of the Seder.  We discussed only the first part: 1. Qaddesh. 

2. Urhats

We wash our hands (netilat yadayim) without saying any Berakha. It is customary that children help with this netilat yadayim bringing a bowl of water and a towel to the parents and grandparents. This netilat yadayim is done in order to eat the Karpas dipped in vinegar. Our sages instituted that the night of the Seder we should dip the Karpas not once, as it was normally done, but twice to awake the curiosity of the children and provoke their questions. These questions are already integrated into the famous text: Ma Nishtana. One of the questions refers to the double dipping of the Karpas.

 

3. Karpas

We eat a small piece of Karpas (celery).  In ancient times it was common for affluent people to have an aperitif (celery, or other green vegetable) before the main course to stimulate the appetite (poor people did not need appetizers to stimulate their appetite). The night of the Seder we should feel that we are free and affluent, in the sense that all our needs are covered by HaShem. This is also the reason why we sit leaning in our chairs: the slaves use to eat sitting on the floor, while the freemen and nobles would rest in comfortable chairs or couches.  We also dip the Karpas in vinegar (or salted water) to remind us of the misery of our slavery and the tears we shed in captivity. As you can see once again: the Seder is a balanced act of memory, between remembering our past as slaves and celebrating our God-given freedom.   Before eating the Karpas we recite the blessing Bore Peri haAdama. As we have explained, all these deviations from the ordinary dinning habits are meant toward one single goal: to motivate the children to ask questions in order to ensure their active participation during the Seder.

4.Yahats

From the three Matsot set on the table, we take the middle one, and we split it into two unequal parts. The smallest portion is returned to its place, between the two whole Matsot, and the biggest portion is kept for the Afiqoman.

For the rest of the Seder click HERE

LISTS OF FOODS FOR PESAH

Recommended list of foods for Ashkenazi Jews from cRc, Chicago, rabbi Gedaliah Shwartz. Click here

Recommended list of foods for Sephardic Jews. By Rabbi Yehudah Boroosan.   Click here

From Rabbi Yehudah Boroosan:  "....my objective in preparing this list is to make known the products that are L'chetachila qualified for Sefaradim on Pesach. There are so many people who are unable to obtain Kasher L"Pesach approved products and/or could not afford or are unwilling to purchase specifically marked items due to its higher price. I am fully aware of the kashruth issues and have therefore carefully included in this guide also those products that their kashruth status is more subject to policy that actuality and take full responsibility to make sure that every one is able to have a chag Kasher V'Sameyach." 

PRICELESS GIFT FOR SPANISH SPEAKING JEWS

Click here to download an ancient Spanish (not "Ladino") Hagadda, published by rabbi Ytshaq Yehuda Leon Templo, in Amsterdam, 1728

 

PESAH, the night of the Seder (part 1)

Throughout its symbolisms and traditions, the Seder of Pesah makes us feel the bitter experience of slavery and the sweetness of freedom. It invites us to visualize ourselves as if we were slaves, who are actually leaving right now and for good our miserable life in Egypt.  

We have two types of symbols in the Seder.  

1. The maror (bitter leaves); the haroset and the vinegar (or salted water) all reminders of the cruel slavery.

2. The four cups of wine; the reenacting of our departure from Egypt; the fact that we sit reclined, as was done exclusively by the Kings and Lords in antiquity, all symbols of freedom and liberty.

On this night, we rebuild in our tables the scenery of the events that took place at the time of our Exodus. Refreshing our collective memory and transmitting to our children who we were and who we are, where we coming from and how did all begin.  Keeping a strategic idea during the whole Seder: we are celebrating our freedom, without forgetting our ancestors suffering.

During the coming days, BH, we will review the steps of the Pesah Seder and we will hopefully learn its performance and meaning. 

Qaddesh

Monday, April 14th at night, we will have the first Seder of Pesah. The Seder begins with the Holiday consecration and its official inauguration: the qiddush.  Upon concluding the qiddush and the blessing sheheheyanu everyone drinks the first cup of wine, while leaning on the left side. Each cup should contain at least 3 ounces.  Throughout the Seder we drink four cups of wine. Symbolizing a joyous celebration of the four expressions of freedom found in the Tora. If one cannot drink pure wine, the wine could be diluted or substituted by grape juice. 

To be continued....

LISTS OF FOODS FOR PESAH

Recommended 

list of foods for Ashkenazi Jews from cRc, Chicago, rabbi Gedaliah Shwartz. 

Click here

Recommended list of foods for Sephardic Jews. By Rabbi Yehudah Boroosan.  Click here

Rabbi Yehudah Boroosan:  "....my objective in preparing this list is to make known the products that are L'chetachila qualified for Sefaradim on Pesach. There are so many people who are unable to obtain Kasher L"Pesach approved products and/or could not afford or are unwilling to purchase specifically marked items due to its higher price. I am fully aware of the kashruth issues and have therefore carefully included in this guide also those products that their kashruth status is more subject to policy that actuality and take full responsibility to make sure that every one is able to have a chag Kasher V'Sameyach."

PESAH, to sell or not to sell your Hamets?

...ובלבד שלא יערים

Historically, Sephardic Jews did not practice the mekhirat hamets (selling of Hamets) procedure. They got rid of it before Pesah began. The only exceptional case in which Sephardic rabbis authorized selling the Hamets was the case of a food-store owner. In this case, a non-Jew would make a down payment for the total of the merchandise and from the moment he made that payment the Hamets merchandise would belong completely to the buyer, and he would be entirely responsible for the goods. So, for example, if the goods were stolen during Pesah, the buyer will have to pay for them to the seller after Pesah. The buyer would also rent the store for the duration of Pesah and he would have the keys of the store, which granted him total access to the premises of the store. The buyer could have used, consume or even trade the merchandise during Pesah, and if he wished so, he could pay the balance and keep the merchandise for himself. As you can see, although the intent was that the seller would buy back the Hamets after Pesah, the selling transaction was real, legal and binding.  The rabbis would not have accepted any selling transaction which would not have complied with Jewish and local Law because obviously, they took very seriously the prohibitions of owning Hamets during Pesah.  

Except for food business owners no one in Sephardic communities would sell his Hamets.   What would they do with their left overs of Hamets food? 

1. Buying before Pesah whatever would be necessary until Pesah, avoiding to have extra Hamets food close to Pesah. 

2. Whatever left overs of Hamets, should be given to a non-Jew as charity or as a gift, or if that is not possible, it would be disposed of.  Disposing of Hamets the day before Pesah, even of valuable Hamets, is a Biblical Mitsva. So this is not considered "waste" ( בל תשחית).

3. If some Hamets accidentally had not being detected, then the bitul Hamets, the formula  of renunciation to our ownership of any undisposed Hamets in our properties, would prevent the transgression of owning Hamets during Pesah. 

If one follows these simple steps, then there is no need to sell any Hamets.

In our days most Sephardic communities arrange a Hamets-selling system in which community members empower a rabbi to sell their Hamets.  This procedure is an exceptional Halakhic leniency. In other words, a procedure that relays in a minority opinion in opposition to the opinion of most Rabbis.  Why? Because many of the conditions that would be normally required for a normal selling transaction, as per the vast majority of halakhic authorities, are not met in this sell. Explaining all the problems involved in this procedure would exceed the scope of this text, so I wrote a separate text Appendix 1 where I briefly discuss the main Halakhic objections to this selling.  

Still, many Rabbis offer and even encourage their community members to sell their Hamets. The reason for this is that they fear that otherwise most people would keep their valuable Hamets at home.  Obviously, I would not question the validity of this argument, since every Rabbi leads his community according to what he considers the best for his congregants.   

Personally, I don't sell my Hamets (and I'm sure many other people do the same) and I encourage my community members to do the same. However, at the end of the day, as with every other halakhic leniencies or stringencies which we adopt or reject, selling or not selling the Hamets is a personal choice each individual has to make. 

Recommendations: 

1. I would obviously encourage Sephardic Jews to preserve the ancient Minhag and not selling your Hamets. See Appendix 2 where I briefly discuss what products you need to dispose of before Pesah, and what you do not need to dispose of before Pesah, if you decide not to sell your Hamets.  

2. If you choose to sell your Hamets, sell it through your community Rabbi, and avoid using online forms.   

PESAH, psychological Hamets

השאור שבעיסה   We have explained that during Pesah it is strictly forbidden to eat any food that is or contains Hamets.  Why?  Beyond the well known historical reasons (Ex.12:39) our Rabbis saw in Hamets a very meaningful representation.   The Rabbis compared Hamets with arrogance and vanity; the inflated dough with the individual who allows his ego to expand. Arrogance and Hamets are both mere air, an illusionary inflation of the self.   But why should we be thinking about arrogance/humbleness specifically in Pesah? Not every person is exposed to the risk of becoming arrogant.  A Jewish slave in Egypt, for example, did not have the luxury to be exposed to vanity.  Self-pride is only relevant if you are a free man.  In Pesah, we commemorate our freedom from physical slavery, bearing in mind that as free individuals we might easily fall pray to a different kind of slavery, a mental self-enslavement, a sort of addiction to the inflatable aspects of our self.  In Pesah, while celebrating freedom, we also become conscious of the risks to become arrogant by this sort of psychological Hamets.  Modern society, in its relentless efforts to turn us into loyal consumers, contributes a great deal to the feeding of our pride.  Training us into being more egocentric and more hedonistic, into thinking that we are entitled to have everything we need, we wish and we want as long as we are able to afford it.  This power might easily deteriorate into arrogance.  The Matza, a flat, thin and unpretentious bread, represents humbleness. Humility does not mean to allow ourselves to be degraded; it means that we realize the true dimension of human life, becoming aware of our inescapable mortality and recognizing that while alive we are totally dependent on God.  Humility is also the essence of a healthy dose of self-esteem,  a prerequisite for being in peace with oneself.  The arrogant individual is insecure and yearns for public praise and the applause of others, sometimes desperately, in order to compensate for his low self-esteem.    Only the humble one, the person who  does not need to seek people's praise to feel better, is truly free.  He is able to change and constantly improve himself.  The arrogant person, on the other hand, is psychologically unable to admit mistakes and therefore, incapable of change. He ends up adapting himself, enslaving himself, to his own shortcomings.  Arrogance is a Pharaoh that condemns our personality to stagnation.    Moreover, while the humble person knows that every human being deserves dignity and respect and has the right to be listened and understood, the arrogant individual becomes an exclusive servant of his own inflated reflection.   Arrogance is a layer of silver behind a glass which only mirrors our own reflection. Arrogance, this type of mental Hamets, is the main barrier between a man and his fellowman, and between man and God.  Pesah is an intense lesson on humility.  In the same way we eliminate every crumb of Hamets from our homes, we should erase every trace of vanity from our hearts. SHABBAT SHALOM Candle lighting in NYC      7:04 Shabbat ends in NYC          8:05

PESAH, declaring our Hamets ownerless

ביטול וביעור חמץ

Yesterday, we explained the Biblical prohibition of keeping any edible Hamets product in our premises and the obligation to get rid of all Hamets food before Pesah eve. 

 

On Sunday April 13th, at the end of Bediqat Hamets (see this) and once we left some Hamets to be eaten tomorrow morning, we pronounce the first Bitul Hamets:

"kal hamira de-ika birshuti dela haziteh vedela bi'arteh libtil veleheve (hefqer) ke'afra dear'a"

The translation is:

"All kind of Hamets or fermenting agent that belongs to me, that I haven't seen or that I haven't dispose of, should be considered ownerless, as the dust of the earth."

The reason for the bitul is the following: as we've already said, during Pesah the ownership or possession of Hamets is forbidden, even if our Hamets is hidden in a closed place or even if it is not in our house. During Pesah there cannot be any Hamets that belong to us. Therefore, through this declaration (bitul) we renounce to our ownership of any Hamets that belong to us and that involuntarily we might not have found or removed. This obviously excludes the Hamets that we left for tomorrow's breakfast. Technically speaking, once we renounce to its possession, the undetected Hamets will become ownerless, and if it is still found in our premises, is not ours anymore.  

 For this declaration to be valid, it is necessary to understand the words we are uttering. Thus, one should say it in a language he or she understands. To become absolutely conscious of this declaration, our Sages recommended repeating it three times.

  

Bi'ur Hamets (Disposing of Hamets)

  

The following day, Monday April 14th, after we finish eating the Hamets that we left from last night for breakfast (no later than 9.56 a.m.) we take the Hamets found last night in the last search together with  the leftover of the Hamets that remained from breakfast and we proceed to its physical disposal (bi'ur). This can be done by burning the Hamets (in a safe place!) or, if we have a piece of bread, for example, by throwing it in a river to the fish or feeding it to the birds. After we disposed of our Hamets  we pronounce once again the bitul. This time the declaration is more comprehensive:

  

"kal hamira de-ika birshuti dehaziteh vedela haziteh debi'arteh vedela biarteh libtil veleheve (hefqer) ke'afra dear'a"

  

The translation is:

  

"All kind of Hamets or fermenting agent that belongs to me, that I have or have not seen and that I have or have not eliminated, should be considered ownerless, as the dust of the earth."

  

This last bitul must be done Monday April 14th, no later than 11.12 a.m. Once this bitul is done no more dealings with Hamets are allowed until Pesah is over. If we find a Hamets food during Pesah or after Pesah, that Hamets should be dispose of

PESAH, searching for Hamets before Pesah eve

Yesterday, we explained the Biblical prohibition of keeping any eatable Hamets product in our premises (see this). To comply with these Mitsvot, first we clean our houses removing any Hamets food that we find. Then, the night before the Seder night, on Sunday April 13th 2014 after nightfall, we proceed to do the bediqat Hamets, the final inspection, to search for any Hamets-food that might have remained in our property after cleaning.

With the aid of a candle or a flashlight, we search all spots in our house where we might have brought, eaten or stored food. We search every room where we may have eaten any Hamets food or snacks. And we particularly search the kitchen and every food-storage space like the pantry, the refrigerator, the freezer and all other places in which we usually keep food.  In the bediqa we are looking especially for Hamets "food", which we might have have not removed during the cleaning process (cookies, pasta, frozen Hamets food, pastries, cereals, a can of beer, a bottle of whiskey, fiber drinks, candies, etc.) and not so much for Hamets residues on the floor, which will be rendered hefqer, ownerless, by the bitul, when we renounce to the ownership of any undetected Hamets.  

  

We should also search our cars, since it is not uncommon to eat or keep snacks in a car. Cars should be washed and cleaned before Sunday night, in preparation for the bediqa.   We should also inspect our office or place of work, because we often bring food or snacks there. If it is impossible to search these locations Sunday night right after we do the bediqa at home, we should search our cars and workplace before Sunday night, or early Monday morning, April 14th.

PESAH OUT OF TOWN

When a family spends Pesah out of town, the last Hamets inspection (bediqa) of the family-home should be done the night before leaving home. If that is before Sunday night April 13th, they would not say any berakha before the bediqa. The Hametz found should be disposed, giving to a gentile, etc.  The night of the bediqa, Sunday April 13th, the family should search for Hamets in the house or in the Hotel room where they will stay for Pesah. This time they should recite the berakha before the inspection.

Dedicated to the memory of my father Ya'aqob ben Yehuda z"l

PESAH Understanding the prohibition of owning Hamets during Pesah

What makes the prohibition of Hamets so unique is that, unlike other forbidden foods, it also includes the ban of its possession.  There are two Mitsvot in the Tora related to the prohibition of possessing Hamets: 1. bal year-e (lit. your Hamets shall not be seen in your premises); 2. bal-yimatse (Hamets shall not be found in your premises). Our Rabbis explained that these two Mitsvot actually point out to one single prohibition: owningHamets during Pesah.  Ownership or possession is a legal, abstract concept. If I posses Hamets during Pesah, even if that Hamets is stored outside my premises, I would be violating these two Biblical Mitsvot.  In addition,  we also have a third Mitsva called 3. tashbitu (you shall end the possession of your Hamets), which commands us to actively disown our Hamets before Pesah begins. In sum, owning Hamets during Pesah would imply the violation of these three commandments. 

Strictly speaking, (and following Maimonides opinion) these three Mitsvot are fulfilled at once by the bitul , i.e., a formal verbal declaration by which we renounce to the ownership of any eatable Hamets (non-eatable Hamets is not under the prohibition of benefit or ownership), which knowingly or unknowingly, belong to us, regardless of where that Hamets is located.

But the Rabbis explained that if we would only perform this verbal renunciation to our Hamets while keeping it in our possession we might face some practical problems. First, we might be declaring that we do not own anymore our Hamets, while at the same time, if we posses any valuable Hamets (imagine an expensive whiskey bottle), would we really and wholeheartedly mean that we renounce for good to its possession?  Probably not. So, the bitul would become an insincere declaration of renunciation to our valuable Hamets.  Second problem: Hamets (bread, crackers, cookies, etc.) is one of the most  common foods. Therefore, if we renounce to our Hamets but we still keep it at home, we might eat it accidentally during Pesah...

This is why our rabbis instructed that before we do the bitul, we should physically get rid of any eatable Hamets we own, before Pesah begins. 

Accordingly, and following Talmudic tradition, there are four steps that should be taken to properly cover these three Biblical commandments.  

(1) We should clean our houses, cars, offices, etc. before Pesah begins, to remove all Hamets from our premises. 

(2) We have to run a final search of all our properties to make sure that we have removed everything Hamets from them (בדיקת חמץ). 

(3) We have to physically remove and get rid of any Hamets found in our properties before and during the Bediqa (ביעור חמץ). 

(4) Then, we declare that whatever Hamets we may still own, which was not detected or removed by us, does not belong to us anymore, and from now on that Hamets is considered ownerless (הפקר) as the dust of the earth ( ביטול חמץ). 

  

B'H, in the coming days, we will explain each one of these steps in more detail. 

PESAH, Getting your kitchen ready for Pesah (2 of 2)

continuing from Friday (see this )

Sink and countertops: The sink, countertops and kitchen-tables should be thoroughly cleaned before Pesah from any possible Hamets residue.  Since in our days we usually don't place hot food on these surfaces, and these surfaces are not porous, cleaning them thoroughly would be sufficient.  Still, following Rabbi Obadia Yosef z"l opinion, it is recommended to pour boiling water on them as an extra precaution.  A regular dinning table should be just thoroughly cleaned. It is customary to cover it with a new tablecloth for Pesah.

  

Dishwasher: Before Pesah, the dishwasher should be thoroughly clean of any visible food's residue. Then it has to run on an empty cycle with detergent and without dishes.  Thus, the dishwasher becomes ready for Pesah use.  Rabbi Eliyahu Ben-Hayim recommends to replace the dishwasher's racks or to use some added base to cover the racks.

Oven:  The oven should not be used for 24 hours.  Then we must thoroughly clean it before Pesah to remove any possible Hamets residue.  Then,  1. if it is a self-cleaning oven, one self-clean cycle will be enough to have it ready for Pesah.  2. if it is not a self-cleaning oven, after we thoroughly clean it, we should run the oven on the highest temperature-setting for about an hour, including the racks. Then the oven is Kosher for Pesah.

Microwave:  We should thoroughly clean the microwave before Pesah to remove any possible Hamets residue. Then, we take a bowl of water with some detergent or soap in it and we let it boil inside the microwave for a few minutes, until the microwave walls are filled with its steam. If the microwave walls are porous this vapor would expel all absorbed Hamets residues, rendering the microwave Kosher for Pesah (If they are not, then the walls will not reabsorb any Hamets anyways). If you can't do this and you need to use a year-round microwave during Pesah, you should cover the food in a container, Ziploc or any other airtight microwavable (and safe!) cover.  

Dedicated to the memory of my father Ya'aqob ben Yehuda z"l

PESAH Getting your Kitchen ready for Pesah (1 of 2)

During Pesah, we do not use the same cooking utensils or tableware that we use year-round for Hamets.  It is customary, and most recommendable, to have a separate set of dishes, cookware and tableware for Pesah.  If this is not possible, one can still use the year round utensils after a process known as hag'ala, a virtual sterilization that removes Hamets residues.  Before we do the hag'ala we need to make sure that we have removed all visible residues of Hamets. The hag'ala then, will  expel the Hamets absorbed in the walls of the utensil, by exposing it to heat. The removal of food residues will happen upon the same conditions in which the absorption occurred in the first place (kebol'o kakh polto).    Some examples of hag'ala: Metal: Metal tableware like forks, spoons or knives, have to be thoroughly cleaned and then immersed in a pot of boiling water.  Afterwards, they need to be washed with cold water and then they can be used for Pesah. Hot water opens the pores of metal, allowing the removal of any absorbed Hamets. Cold water closes the pores back. Glass: According to the Sephardic Minhag, glass utensils like cups or plates, used throughout the year for Hamets should be thoroughly washed and then, they can be used for Pesah without any further hag'ala.   A glass utensil does not absorb anything thru its pores and therefore there is nothing to remove from its walls.  This is applicable even when the glass utensil was used at high temperatures to serve hot Hamets food or even to cook Hamets food.  It should be noticed that this Halakha is different for the Ashkenazi custom. Porcelain  (kele heres): Ceramic, pottery or porcelain china and tableware that we use throughout the year for Hamets should not be used for Pesah. They are an exceptional case, because Hag'ala cannot sterilize them completely.  Why? Because the way these utensils absorb food in their walls and expel food from their walls is erratic. Therefore, year round porcelain or ceramic utensils should not be used for Pesah. Cold: Since absorption takes place only at high temperatures, if a utensil was used to serve only cold food, it could be used during Pesah after thoroughly cleaning it, without any hag'ala. Shabbat Shalom! Candle lighting in NYC      6:56 pm Shabbat ends in NYC          7:57 pm

Dedicated to the memory of Ya'aqob Ben Yehuda, z"l

PESAH, medicine and non-edible products

Sephardim are allowed to keep or use during Pesah any product which is non-edible, i.e., unfit for human or animal consumption, even if they might contain Hamets  For example: Cosmetics, glues, paint, shampoo, deodorants, perfumes, soaps, detergents or any other cleaning products, etc. In all these cases there is neither a need to check for the absence of Hamets, nor for any kind of Kosher for Pesah certification.  The consumption of medicines in the form of capsules or non-chewable pills is also allowed. Why? Because when a medicine comes in the form of a hard non-chewable pill it is considered "non-eatable Hamets" (eno ra-ui leakhilat keleb) therefore, even if it would contain a Hamets by product (which is highly unlikely, as I will explain), one can take that medicine during Pesah. However,  chewable pills, syrups, powder-drinks, supplements drinks and/or any other flavored and/or chewable medicines or vitamins, should be certified Kosher for Pesah, or one should make sure that they do not contain any Hamets ingredient in their composition.     Rabbi Eliezer Melamed explains that this Halakhic criteria is also followed by many Ashkenazi rabbis in Israel. He also clarifies that today, virtually all medical pills are made with potato or corn-starch and almost none with wheat-starch (among other reasons because wheat-protein, gluten, is harmful for celiac patients).   It is advisable then, when possible, to ask the physician to prescribe for Pesah medication in the form of non-chewable pills.     Needless to say that in case of a serious medical condition, any necessary medicine should be taken.  Food that is suitable for animal consumption is forbidden to keep during Pesah. If one has a pet, therefore, one should get pet-food that does not contain any Hamets product.   Click here to see the Star K list of pet products Kasher for Pesah.

Dedicated to the memory of Ya'aqob Ben Yehuda, z"l

PESAH, two differences between Sephardic and Ashkenazi traditions

1. qiniyot. As we explained yesterday, the Ashkenazi custom is to refrain from eating rice and any other kind of seeds during Pesaḥ. This is called isur qitniyot (the prohibition of legumes).   Now, even though the Ashkenazi custom forbids the consumption of qitniyot during Pesaḥ, qitniyot products could be kept during Pesah at one's home and there is no need to throw them out or sell them (Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, penine halakha, following SH. A. Rama, 453:1).  Also, as pointed out by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed,  although the Ashkenazi custom  is to forbid qitniyot during Pesaḥ, that is  only when the qitniyot constitute the majority of that product (more than 50%) but if qitniyot are present in a smaller proportion (corn-syrup, corn-starch, etc), the food is not forbidden (see Mishna Berura 8-9).  You can read the book of rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Penine halakha online, here

2. eno hozer vene'or.   The Sephardic tradition holds that if a food does not have a Hamets ingredient or by-product in their basic composition, but has a Hamets additive or ingredient in a proportion smaller than 1.6 (or 1/60) of the total product (usually an additive), if that food was elaborated before Pesah, that food is permitted for Pesah.  Whereas for the Ashkenazi custom,  it does no make a difference if the food was done before or during Pesah: even a minimal amount of Hamets (0.001) renders the whole product non-Kosher for Pesah.  There are many practical consequences to this rule. One of them is that for the Ashkenazi custom every product to be consumed during Pesah has to be done exclusively under strict Kosher for Pesah Rabbinical supervision. Thus, in a food factory, the criteria to avoid the presence of Hamets would be, in practical terms,  the same as the criteria applied to avoid the presence of an allergen in the food product. Establishing a complete Hamets-free environment to preventing even an accidental Hamets's cross-contamination.

Dedicated to the memory of Ya'aqob Ben Yehuda z"l

PESAH, all about rice

Rice, corn and any seed, legume or grain which is not one of the five grains (wheat, rye, spelt, barley and oats) are not Hamets and do not become Hamets even if they undergo a fermentation process. 

  

The Ashkenazi custom, however, is to forbid the consumption of legumes and grains like rice or corn during Pesah (qitniyot).  Let us analyze the case of rice. Obviously, the Ashkenazi tradition does not consider that rice or any other grain besides the five above mentioned grains is Hamets. The reason for the abstention from rice on Pesah is that it was common to find grains of wheat mixed with grains of rice. Either because the fields where rice was grown were usually nearby or within the same fields where wheat was grown, and/or because whole rice-grains and wheat-grains look alike. In the market, it was not uncommon to find grains of wheat within bags of rice or other grains and legumes.  And, as we will later explain, the prohibition of Hamets during Pesah is so severe that even one grain of wheat would render a whole food e forbidden for Pesah.

  

The stringency of refraining from rice is not an exclusive Ashkenazi tradition.   Sephardic Jews are divided on the issue of rice. Moroccan Jews and other Jews from North Africa also avoid eating rice during Pesah, while Persian, Syrian and other Middle East Jews consume rice during Pesah. However, to avoid the possibility of the accidental presence of a grain of wheat in the rice, the Persian and Syrian custom is to check the rice three times before using it for Pesah.   

Information about rice, Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Hayim. 

1. "As per phone conversations with rice importers and receipt of confirmation letters from them, Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Haim has confirmed that the following brands of rice are 100% pure, not enriched, and have no additives or preservatives. Therefore, they are suitable for use on Pesah.  The brands are as follows:  Lalquila, Shahzadeh, Pari, Royal, Zebra, Deer, Empire, and Gold & Quilla. Even though these rices are 100% pure, our custom is to clean the rice and check it three times before using it for Pesah."  

2. Information about enriched rice from Rabbi Yehuda Boroosan, Mashgiach from OU, Atlanta, GA. 

"Rice is a primary staple food for many people. When rice is processed into white rice, the fiber and nutrient rich outer bran is stripped first, leaving behind the germ and endosperm. In many cases, the nutritious germ is lost as well during the polishing process. As a result, white rice is not terribly nutritious, naturally. Therefore, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that any rice labeled "enriched", regardless of its point of origin - whether domestically grown or imported - must contain at least the minimum level of thiamin, niacin, iron and folic acid as specified in the Code of Federal Regulations. "Organic Rice' on the other hand may not contain other nutrients, in compliance with the regulations set forth by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). Although the USDA does not require any import permit to import processed "Natural Rice" such as Basmati, Jasmine, etc., without enrichment, for food consumption to the US, in some countries abroad the trend has become to enrich their natural rice that is intended for import purposes.  

  

Niacin (Vitamin B3) - is produced through synthetic process. Although the production process is synthetic, it does rely on enzymatic process. The enzymes used in the process are not of any chametz concern.

Iron ferrous sulfate) - is an inorganic chemical and is not of any chametz concern.

Folic Acid (Vitamin B9) - is an innocuous ingredient and presents no issues for Pesach.

Thiamin (Vitamin B1) - is a vitamin that is made through reaction of ethanol with formic acid to produce ethyl formate that is used to make Vitamin B1. Ethanol variously made either from wheat, sugar cane, sweet potato or corn depending on its price in the market. Presently, there is no definitive assurance that the ratio of Ethanol is less than 1/60 of the total mix that is utilized to produce the final product. However considering the fact that all four vitamins are blended together along with a carrier and then only 3/10 of a pound of enrichment is added to every one thousand pounds (0.03%) of rice, the enrichment is considered null & void. Hence, if you purchase enriched rice DURING Pesach, it will be preferable to rinse it before cooking to remove vitamins. Rice purchased before Pesach could be used as it is. 

PESAH, what is and what is not Hamets?

Our father, Rabbi Yosef Bitton is in mourning for his father, Ya'aqob Ben Yehuda, sitting shib'a in Buenos Aires with his family, asked us to send the HOTD for this week based in what he wrote last year.

 During Pesah we are not allowed to eat, benefit from or even posses anything hamets But, what exactly is Hamets? Hamets (or Chametz) is any fermented substance -solid or liquid- that comes from one of the following five grains: wheat, rye, spelt, barley and oats.

The Hamets fermentation takes place only after eighteen minutes have passed, from the moment one of these grains or one of its by-products comes in contact with water. 

Some common examples of Hamets products are: Bread, pasta, crackers, cookies, fiber-drinks, cereals, baby foods, whiskey and beer.

The following three factors need to be present simultaneously for a food to be considered Hamets.

(i) Flour or any other product derived from one of the above mentioned five grains.  A fermented food product which is not or that does not contain any element coming from one of the five grains, like rice or corn, is not Hamets. (tomorrow, BH, we will explain this subject better).

(ii) Water: when flour coming from one of the five grains is mixed exclusively with pure fruit juice, without water, the dough is not considered Hamets but Matsa Ashira.  

(iii) Time.  The Matsa  has two of the three elements that makes a product Hamets: flour and water.  But it is entirely baked before eighteen minutes have passed from the moment water and flour came in contact.  Time, therefore, is the main difference between Hamets and Matsa. 

The prohibition of Hamets includes another element, a food additive which the Tora calls se-or (שאור). Se-or (grain yeast) is a catalyzer of the fermentation process. In other words, once you have a dough, flour and water, mixed together the fermentation process could take place in 18 minutes, or you can add se-or / yeast and the fermentation process will be faster.  All the prohibitions of Hamets apply to se-or as well.   

Today's HOTD is dedicated to the memory of Ya'aqob Ben Yehuda, z"l who passed away eve of Shabbat 19 of Adar II 5774. תנצב"ה

PESAH, Hand made vs machine made matsa

מצות אכילת מצה

In general, when making a religious article or one of its accessories to be used for a Mitsva, this item must be done with the specific intention of being used for the fulfillment of that Mitsva.  Example: we can not use left-overs of commercial leather (made originally for shoes, etc) to make a Tefilin or its straps. The leather has to be processed explicitly for the purpose of fulfilling the Mitsva of Tefilin. Before processing the leather, the artisan says: leshem mitsvat Tefilin, ["I'm processing this leather to be used...] for the purpose of the mitsva of Tefilin".  The same principle applies, for example, with the threads used for the Tsitsit, they must be manufactured for that specific purpose, and if they have been made for another purpose, or even for not specific purpose, these threads are unfit for fulfilling the Mitsva of Tsitsit.  

   

Similarly,  the Matsot that will be consumed during the first two nights of Pesah (matsot mitsva), must be elaborated with the explicit purpose of the fulfilling the Biblical mitsva of eating Matsa. 

Now, unlike the case of leather left-overs or commercial made strings, Kosher for Pesah Matsot, are always made for Pesah. 

  

In the case of the Matsot, therefore, the question is a little different and it applies specifically to Matsot made by machine.  Do we consider that the "human intentionality" extends from the man who activates the machinery, who actually says: leshem matsot Mitsva,  to the machinery itself, in which case the Matsot will be unquestionably fit. Or, is this "purposefulness" discontinued as soon as a non-human factor intervenes? The rabbis debate on this matter. Some rabbis assert that machine made Matsot are preferable to hand made Matsot, because although the question of purposefulness still remains, machine Matsot are less exposed to human errors, and that factor supersedes the matter of purposefulness. However, many rabbis (among them rabbi Obadia Yosef, z'l)  recommend to use for the two nights of Pesah, when eating Matsa is mandatory, a Matsa elaborated by hand, with a reliable Rabbinic supervision.  According to some rabbis (Rabbi E. Melamed) this purposefulness is also part of what gives a Matsa its status of shemura (see yesterday's HOTD). 

Following this last opinion it is recommended to use hand made Matsot for the first two nights of Pesah, if one can find them and especially afford hand-made matsot shemurot. If not, one can use Matsa shemura made by machine.  For the rest of Pesah, it is unnecessary to use hand-made matsot.

SHABBAT SHALOM!

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