Passover: There's a lot on a Jewish woman's plate this time of year!
Yet we still have to make some time for ourselves: we have to eat, and sleep.
As writers, we have to do some writing to keep ourselves balanced and creative.
Here's an article by one of my favorite rabbi's at
Aish HaTorah. Rav Yitzhak Birkovitz.
I'm going to share the whole article below so you'll read it now and not put it off until when you have more "time".
I review this every year to help me keep perspective on Passover and getting rid of chametz.
I hope it helps you, and that you have an enjoyable pre-Passover season. Yes! you can enjoy preparing for Passover. And you'll have time to write.
Passover Cleaning Made Easy
by Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits
By knowing what and how to clean, Passover cleaning needn't be a chore.
INTRODUCTION
God took the Jewish people out of Egypt in the
springtime. The Talmud notes that God was very thoughtful. Not only was
He interested in redeeming the nation, He wanted to do so at a time when
the weather was just right. Not too hot, not too cold.
Everything about the Passover season is
beautiful. The whole idea of re-doing your house -- your environment --
for the holiday should be a beautiful experience. For some reason,
though, the burden of all that cleaning often hangs heavy over us, and
as a result we lose much of the joy of Passover.
I'd like to not only make Passover cleaning a
little easier, but above all to change the attitude once and for all to
stop being frightened. Passover is not a monster. It's the most
beautiful time of the year.
In order to change our attitudes, two things are
necessary. The first is to know the halacha. There are so many Passover
preparations that are done unnecessarily, where if you want to do them
for extra credit, that's fine. But it's important to understand what is
necessity and what is voluntary.
Secondly, there's practical advice. I want to
share some tips that I've picked up over the years. Cleaning for
Passover can actually be easy, there's lots of room for creativity, and
it's fun.
THE OBLIGATION TO GET RID OF CHAMETZ
In cleaning for Passover, we are first and foremost fulfilling the mitzvah of biur chametz -- getting rid of chametz. Biur chametz is actually quite an easy mitzvah in terms of physical exertion. The Torah says: "tashbisu se'or mibateichem"
-- make all your sour dough rest. The Torah commandment is that you can
possess all the chametz you want, but in your mind it must be dust --
ownerless and valueless.
Now obviously we are dealing with something
subtle and vague. What goes on in your mind, no one knows except you and
God. It's quite easy to think you have considered everything "null and
void," when in truth you can't wait for Passover to be over so you can
partake of all those goodies!
So the Sages instituted a requirement to physically destroy chametz. This mitzvah is known as bedikat chametz.
The Sages say it is not enough to emotionally write the chametz off as
"dust"; you must actually search out any chametz you can find -- and
physically destroy it.
WHEN TO SEARCH
The mitzvah of bedikat chametz is to be
done on the night of the 14th of Nissan, the evening prior to the Seder.
Why at night? Because in your home there are crevices and corners that
have to be illuminated by artificial light -- and artificial light works
best at night.
Why the 14th? The Sages said that if some people
do it on the 12th and others on the 13th, you'd lose the power of the
community reminding and encouraging each other. This way there is a set
time; every Jew does bedikat chametz on the night of the 14th.
However, our homes over the years have grown in
size, and consequently are more complicated to clean. As a result, the
ability to do bedikat chametz in a few hours on the night of the 14th is
no longer feasible. Even if you stay up all night, chances are there
are parts of your home you'll never get to. So we start our bedikat chametz early. So realize that when you start cleaning for Passover, you are doing bedikat chametz. This is important because there are specific rules for bedikat chametz.
CLEANING DAY OR NIGHT
As we said, bedikat chametz must be done
at night, because that's the only time that artificial light is
effective. As a result, we have the following rule: You can inspect by
daylight anything that does not need artificial light -- i.e. anything
moveable that you can hold up near a window, or any part of the house
that has sufficient daylight. (If you choose to add artificial light
during the daytime, it doesn't hurt.)
On the other hand, any part of the house that
needs artificial light -- e.g. closets, corners, insides of cabinets --
these places must be inspected at night. And make sure they are
sufficiently lit.
The only time that you cannot do bedikat chametz
altogether is in twilight. You don't have enough daylight, and yet it's
not dark enough for the artificial light to be effective. Consequently,
you could clean at twilight if it's convenient -- as long as you later
inspect these cleaned areas (whether in daylight by day, or in
artificial light at night).
WHAT ARE WE SEARCHING FOR?
What kind of chametz do we have to get rid of? And what is "chametz" anyway?
The Torah says: Lo yera'eh lecha chametz, velo year'eh lecha se'or bechol gevulecha
- "neither chametz nor se'or shall be visible to you in all your
boundaries." Chametz is defined as the result of grain that ferments.
Se'or is sourdough -- highly fermented dough that is used to make
another dough ferment. Instead of using yeast, what they did in the
olden days (and many people do today as well) is to take a little piece
of old dough, mix that with the fresh dough, and it causes the fresh
dough to rise.
So chametz and se'or are the two things
the Torah requires us to get rid of. But there's a difference between
the two. Chametz is food. It's edible by human standards -- you'd serve
it, you'd eat it. If a human being wouldn't eat it, then it's not
chametz, because by definition chametz must be food. On the other hand,
nobody eats se'or -- non-edible fermented grain which has the function of fermenting other dough.
There's a third category: Non-edible chametz that is not capable of fermenting other dough. That is neither chametz nor se'or.
Halachically we call this "garbage" -- and it does not have to be
gotten rid of for Passover. Similarly, the Talmud says that se'or which
is so bad that even a dog wouldn't eat it -- i.e. it's poisonous -- is
halachically not regarded as se'or and is therefore not a problem on Passover.
To review the three categories:
1) Chametz is food made of fermented grain.
2) Se'or is non-edible sourdough, which has the power to ferment other dough.
3) "Garbage" is something that is either incapable of fermenting other dough, or so totally non-edible that a dog wouldn't eat it.
DEODORANTS AND COSMETICS
Let's talk about different products we have
around the house -- for example, deodorants and cosmetics which may very
well contain some grain products. Of course, you're not going to eat
it. Is it therefore automatically disqualified from the category of
chametz? And what about se'or? Can deodorant be used to ferment another dough? It cannot, and consequently should not be se'or either.
Some years ago, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein came up
with a unique approach that revolutionized the practical applications.
He said that even if something in its present state is inedible, but if
you can possibly distill it and produce edible chametz, then we would
call that "chametz." As a result, he ruled that anything containing
grain alcohol (ethyl alcohol) is considered chametz. Even though you
would never dream of eating it, nevertheless if you distill it, it would
turn into drinkable alcohol. (Ask any alcoholic -- in desperation, they
may distill something poisonous like after-shave and drink it.)
Therefore, any liquid cosmetic that has any form of grain alcohol is
considered chametz and must be gotten rid of for Passover.
This idea only applies to liquids -- because you
can't distill a solid. Therefore, any solid substance like stick
deodorant or soap which is inedible (i.e. not chametz), and could not
ferment a dough (i.e. not se'or), and cannot be distilled -- the halacha
is you can own these solid substances on Passover, and you don't have
to put them away. Technically, you could even use it on Passover,
although the custom is not to use any stuff that has chametz in it as a
cosmetic. That's why people buy soaps that are special "Kosher for
Passover."
How about beer shampoo or liquid deodorant which
contains no grain alcohol but has wheat germ in it. That's not chametz,
because you wouldn't eat it. Can it ferment another dough? No. Can you
distill it? No. (It's only alcohol that you can get by distilling; you
won't get wheat germ vapor by distilling your deodorant.) Consequently,
these things are not a problem. You're allowed to keep them around
during Passover -- though again the custom is not to use them.
BREAD CRUMBS
What about bread crumbs on your kitchen floor?
There are various opinions in halacha, but I'm going to present one in
particular that is easier to understand.
We established that the third category --
"garbage" -- is defined as anything that cannot ferment another dough,
and is so non-edible that even a dog wouldn't eat it.
According to most halachic authorities, there is
one more substance that is defined as "garbage": Chametz that is smaller
than a kezayit (about 30 grams) and you would not use it
for anything. This is something most people call "garbage" -- you would
easily throw it away and in your mind it's nothing. Crumbs fit into this
category.
The only kind of crumb that's problematic is one
you'd pick up with your finger and put on your tongue. So leftover
crumbs from the table are in fact "chametz." Leftover crumbs on the
floor, which you wouldn't eat, are garbage. Therefore, any crumb that
you would consider dirt (and is smaller than a kezayit) does not have to
be gotten rid of.
(The fact that a baby eats it does not turn it
into chametz. Because when a baby decides to eat something, it is not a
conscious decision that "this is food." If you have non-food around, a
baby will eat that, too!)
A QUICK REVIEW
Before we go on, let's make sure we've got it all straight. When we do bedikat chametz, what are we looking for?
One crumb of edible chametz cannot remain in your
house and you've got to destroy it. Also, anything that contains ethyl
alcohol, since it can be distilled, is called "edible chametz" and must
also be disposed of.
We are also looking for something that is more than a kezayit -- regardless of whether you would consider it food or not. If it's less than a kezayit
of non-edible chametz, you don't have to get rid of it because you
consider it dirt. Also, if it's something even a dog wouldn't eat, then
even more than a kezayit is not problematic.
When you're cleaning for Passover, all the
goodies in your freezer and cabinets -- bread, cakes, crackers -- all of
that is chametz. You have to get rid of it one way or another. But
aside from that, you probably won't find much edible chametz in your
house. Bedikat chametz, therefore, is not so difficult. In the bedrooms, for example, you don't have to sit with a pin scraping the corners!
Even further: Let's say you have gook stuck to
your chametz dishes. If the stuff is non-edible, then you can forget
about it -- as long as it does not total a kezayit of gook. But
there is no need sit there and scrub the dishes with steel wool. Just
make sure there is no edible stuff on them, and no kezayit of gook -- and put them away.
One important point: If you feel like going
beyond the limit and scraping the walls and ceiling, go right ahead. Of
course it's not required, but the halacha is actually stated in Shulchan
Aruch that no one is allowed to laugh at you. In the words of the
rabbis, Yisrael kedoshim heim -- "Jews are holy" when they go beyond the letter of the law.
Be careful, however, not to go so far that you
develop an antagonistic attitude toward Passover. If all this extra,
non-required cleaning is going to make you dread the holiday, then
forget about it. And certainly you should not clean so much that you're
exhausted for the Passover Seder. Part of being "holy" is appreciating
the holiday, too!
THE PROHIBITION OF EATING CHAMETZ
Besides the mitzvah of bedikat chametz,
there is a second, more time-consuming aspect of cleaning for Passover.
And that revolves around the Torah prohibition of eating any chametz on
Passover. In fact, if you intentionally eat even one molecule of chametz
on Passover, you're breaking a Torah prohibition.
Furthermore, when it came to Passover, the Sages
built "fence around fence." They prohibited things on Passover that we
would not otherwise dream of.
Case #1: The Sages said that if one crumb
of chametz falls into a huge pot of chicken soup, then -- even if the
crumb was removed -- that negligible bit of "bread taste" will still
render the whole mixture "chametz."
Case #2: All year long, we know that
you're not supposed to use non-kosher dishes or pots. But what if you
accidentally use a dish that was used for non-kosher food a long time
ago (i.e. not within 24 hours)? The halacha is that your food is still
kosher. There are some exceptions, but generally speaking, an "old
taste" absorbed into a pot will not ruin your food. However, on
Passover, the Sages said that if a dish or pot was ever once used for
chametz in its whole long history, and then was used on Passover, the
old chametz taste absorbed into the pot will wake up again and give your
food the status of chametz.
This rule applies during Passover itself. But if
case #2 occurred before Passover -- i.e. if the pot was used ages ago
for chametz and you mistakenly cook food in it before Passover -- then the halacha is that your food remains kosher.
With regard to case #1, however, the Sages said
that if there may be the tiniest trace of chametz still in your food --
even if it happened before Passover -- the halacha is that your food is
considered chametz. (Note: This applies for Ashkenazim.)
As a result, we need special "Kosher for Passover" everything
-- pots, pans and even all the ingredients we cook with. Plus, we have
to be extremely careful with what's around the house, particularly in
the kitchen. If there's any bit of chametz that may make its way into
our food, then we've got to get rid of that. And unlike the rules of bedikat chametz, it makes no difference whether there is more or less than a kezayit.
Plus we have to make sure that any place that "hot" Passover food will
touch (like a countertop) doesn't even have an absorbed chametz taste.
One exception to this rule: Totally non-edible
chametz that makes its way into your food is not called chametz and will
not ruin your food -- unless you purposely eat it. If it accidentally
falls into your food that's not a problem. (However, as we said, if it's
edible chametz, then even the tiniest drop in your food will ruin
everything.)
CLOTHES
In preventing chametz from coming in contact with
food, let's start with some things you'd never think of. Any clothes
that you're going to wear to the Passover table, if it has a speck of
chametz that may fall into your food, then you've got to get that speck
off your clothes before coming to the table.
As a result, when cleaning your clothes closet
for Passover, you should select the clothing you plan to wear for
Passover -- and these clothes have to be 100 percent clean. Put them in
the laundry, send them to the dry cleaners, or at the very least brush
them out well to make sure there is no chametz whatsoever.
What about the clothes you're not going to wear
during Passover? Just take a quick look, empty the pockets to make sure
there's no edible chametz, and put them away. Don't worry about specks.
With regard to closets, try to keep your Passover clothes off the closet floor. And with regard to bed linens,
be aware that during Passover you may get up in the middle of the night
and walk to the kitchen. So be sure to change the sheets and blanket
covers as close to Passover as possible.
CHILDREN'S TOYS
It's best if children's toys do not come to the
table on Passover, but that's wishful thinking. In reality, you never
know when toys are going to come in contact with food. As a result, we
do the following: First, take the toys that are complicated to clean and
put them away. Don't even attempt to clean them for Passover. Just make
sure there's no edible chametz on them, or a kezayit of
non-edible chametz. That should take a total of two minutes. As far as
selling the toys is concerned, the text of the sale document includes
any chametz you've got around the house, so you don't need to specify
toys; it's covered by the contract anyway.
As for toys that are going to be used on
Passover, make sure they are washable. For small pieces, fill up a
pillow case and put it in the washing machine. (Make sure to tie it
tight or you may ruin your washing machine.) Another option is to put
the toys in the bathtub. Let them soak, and give them a quick rinse
under pressure. You don't need anything more than that. It's not
necessary to wash the toys with ammonia. What about a bicycle? Make
sure there's no real chametz on it, and then it can be used during
Passover. But the bike should not be ridden around the house on Passover
-- because once it's been ridden outside, there's bits of chametz all
over the street that gets caught on the tires.
Some people have special Passover toys, and this
is good practical advice. Children are fascinated by playing with toys
they haven't seen in a year. Even if you have some other toys that you
wash, breaking out new toys is a great way to keep children occupied in
those days just before Passover when you're busy cooking and preparing.
BOOKS
Any book that will be brought to the table on
Passover must be 100 percent clean. How do you do that? It is almost
impossible. That's why any books you are going to bring to the Passover
table -- like a Haggadah -- should be kept wrapped in plastic or put
away all year long so that it is 100 percent chametz-free. If you want
to study the Haggadah before Passover, then get a different one which
will be your "chametz Haggadah."
As for books that will not be brought to the Passover table, all you have to do is make sure they have no edible chametz or a kezayit
of gook. You may have some edible crumbs there, so turn each book
upside down and bang it out. That's sufficient to assume that no edible
chametz remains.
DINING ROOM - LIVING ROOM
Things in your dining room may certainly come in contact with food.
Table: The table itself will need to be
kosher because you put hot food down on it. Of course, this is not
always so practical to clean -- even though you can kasher wood by
dousing it in boiling water, you don't want to do that to your fine wood
table. Besides, tables usually have hard-to-reach crevices that can be
filled with crumbs.
What should you do? Cover the table with
something waterproof. Otherwise, if you put a hot dish down on your
table, the moisture will penetrate your tablecloth, creating a direct
line of moisture going from the table to your food -- making your food
chametz! So the table must have a waterproof layer -- either plastic
over the tablecloth, or the tablecloth over plastic. If you prefer,
corrugated cardboard works, too, because it's so thick that we assume
there will not be a direct line of moisture going from your food all the
way down to the table. Of course you also have to clean the entire
table. You don't have to sit there with a toothpick picking out chametz
stuck in a crevice of the legs. But make sure there's nothing loose that
can fall onto the floor and eventually make its way back onto your
table on Passover.
Chairs: If you have upholstery, you have
to clean that very well. It's best to shampoo the furniture if you can
do so without ruining it. If there is a removable part to your chair,
check there and you're certain to find lots of crumbs. Check carefully,
because chairs get moved up and down, and some crumbs may come off onto
someone's clothing and then into the food on Passover.
Couch: Remove the cushions and check there. It is common to find a kezayit of chametz stuck inside the couch. Also clean in any cracks or crevices. A vacuum cleaner works best for this.
Light switches: Since you often touch
light switches during the meal, make sure they're perfectly clean. It is
sufficient to dampen a cloth with ammonia or any strong cleanser, and
go over the switch once so that nothing edible is left there.
Doorknobs: Again, use a damp cloth with
cleanser. However, this is not enough if you've got a fancy doorknob
with crevices. In that case you should use a cloth that's more
saturated, so any chametz that may remain will be totally non-edible.
KITCHEN BASICS
There are surfaces in the kitchen that will not
touch your food, but that may come in contact with food indirectly --
because you touch them while you make food. Examples include doorknobs,
doors, windows, cabinet covers, radio, and especially the telephone.
These surfaces must be perfectly clean, or at least nothing edible
should be left on it. Use ammonia or a strong cleanser. (Window cleaner
contains ammonia.) If you can unscrew part of the telephone, it's a good
idea, because you never know how many crumbs are in there.
Some items in your kitchen are on even a lower
level. This is the category of things that you are going to put away in
storage -- e.g. your chametz dishes. All you have to do is make sure
there's no edible chametz and no kezayit of gook -- then put them
away in a cabinet which is closed shut, then taped, locked or labeled.
This way you won't accidentally take it out during Passover.
What about chametz dishes that are used only for
special occasions -- e.g. a breakfront where you have china and crystal
on display? These you can continue having on display. Since you don't
take these out regularly, there's no danger of you accidentally taking
it out during Passover. (Additionally, there is no Passover prohibition
of owning the "taste" of chametz absorbed in a plate.) People may feel
uncomfortable about leaving these dishes on display, and of course it's
perfectly acceptable to put them away. But the halacha is that you are
allowed to leave them out.
Speaking of discomfort… On Passover, some people
will cover up a piece of artwork that shows bread. Certainly there's no
requirement to do so, but you can appreciate someone not wanting to have
a picture of challah hanging next to their Passover table!
UTENSILS USED IN COOKING
Now we get to the surfaces that will actually
come in contact with your food. The most obvious example is pots and
pans. Of these, the most severe category is those things used on the
fire without liquid -- e.g. a frying pan. If you want to use this pan
for Passover, you'll have to burn the chametz out. This is called libun,
literally getting the metal red-hot. You basically have two choices:
use a blowtorch, or a self-cleaning oven. (Just be careful that the
plastic handle doesn't disintegrate.)
What about pots that are used on the fire with
water -- e.g. your spaghetti pot, or utensils that were used with hot
food -- e.g. silverware? If you want to use this for Passover, then you
have to boil it completely. This is called haggalah.
How do you do haggalah? First, make sure
the item is completely clean. Then, fill up a big, big pot with water.
Get it boiling, and then completely immerse whatever you want to kasher
in the water. Since the item will cool the water somewhat, you have to
leave it in there long enough so that the water reaches a boil again.
The optimum time is to leave it in for 30 seconds, and then remove the
item. If you leave it in any longer, there's a problem of re-absorbing
some of the chametz. Thirty seconds is ideal.
Haggalah becomes a bit more complicated if
the item you want to kasher is a big pot. What can you immerse that
in?! One option is to fill the pot to the very top with water, then
bring it to a boil, and finally throw something in so the water boils
over the sides.
The other option is to call your local synagogue
and see if they offer a "kashering day." This is where they prepare a
huge public vat of boiling water. Just make sure that whoever is dipping
your pots is patient enough to leave it in for the requisite 30
seconds. The custom is not to kasher anything that was used for
chametz within 24 hours. And generally speaking, people today try to
have a separate set of pots and silverware for Passover. If you can
afford it, it certainly simplifies things.
THE CANDLESTICKS STRINGENCY
There is another level which is a stringency for
Passover. The Ashkenazi custom is that anything that came to the table
during the year cannot be brought to the Passover table, unless you
kasher it first. That includes items that have only come in contact with
cold chametz during the year, like a Kiddush cup. Generally there's no
"chametz taste" absorbed in that, because the medium of heat is
necessary to infuse a taste. Nevertheless, if you want to use the
Kiddush cup on Passover, you must kasher it in boiling water. The same
applies to candlesticks if they've been brought to the table.
There is one leniency here, however: it's enough
to just pour boiling water over them (as opposed to the regular
immersion). But don't forget -- if the Kiddush cup is a fancy silver one
with a lot of crevices, you have to clean it well with silver polish
before koshering. If you can't get it fully clean, then it's best to use
a different one for Passover.
To review: Anything that you cook in needs
to be immersed in boiling water. (Though the custom is to have a
separate set for Passover anyway.) Whereas anything that you do not cook in -- but came to your table during the year -- needs boiling water poured over it.
STOVE GRATES
Surprisingly, you don't really have to kasher
stove grates. This applies all year as well. For example, if some meat
juice spills on your stove grate, and then some milk spills there --
it's still kosher. Why? Because since the grate is constantly over the
fire, any spill is regarded as burned up before the taste can become
absorbed into the grate.
For Passover, we make the same assumption -- i.e.
any chametz was burned up before its taste became absorbed. However,
the Ashkenazi custom is still to kasher the grates. We use a "light"
form of "burning out" called libun kal. Practically speaking, you
heat up the grate until it is so hot that if a piece of paper touched
it, it would turn brown. The easiest way to do this is to heat up your
oven, stick in the grates, and that will be sufficient. Or, you can turn
on a few burners, and put your Shabbos blech right on top of the grates. (Don't turn on all four burners, because with the blech
there is not enough oxygen and the fires will go out. Instead, turn on
two diagonal ones, then do the other two on the other side.) In either
case, be sure the grate is hot enough so that a piece of paper touching
it would turn brown.
KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS
Stainless steel counters can be kashered.
First, make sure they've not been used for hot chametz in the past 24
hours. Then, clean them well. And finally, pour boiling water from a
kettle all over them.
The problem is this is a really messy job and you
may have to fill up lots of kettles. So one alternative is to put cold
water all over your counter (put something on the side so the water
doesn't spill over), then take an electric steam iron, and go over the
entire countertop. This will make the water "sizzle," which is the
halachic equivalent of using a red-hot stone -- eh'ven meluban.
(Don't worry, a steam iron is waterproof and this will not ruin your
iron.) But remember -- this only works on stainless steel counters.
What if you have stone or marble counters? That depends on the type of stone. In Israel, most people have what is called shayish. This is a combination of stone and epoxy -- and cannot
be kashered for Passover. You have to cover it with something
waterproof. And although it's not required, some people pouring boiling
water over it before covering it properly.
If you have what they call "granite," that is real stone and can
be kashered for Passover. (Use the methods described above for
stainless steel.) The only problem spot is the seams where you have a
little crack filled with plaster. Some people put rubber mats over their
granite (even if they do kasher it) just to cover these seams. But
halachically, if you pour boiling water there, it should be sufficient.
What about the wall behind the countertops? Since
your pots touch the wall during the year, make sure to cover it. It
doesn't make a difference what the wall is made of, you should cover the
wall behind the counter.
Additionally, you should cover the underside of
the upper cabinets that overhang the counter. Why? Because some Passover
food may touch it. But beyond this, there is steam that can go up and
absorb the taste of chametz steam that was absorbed there. Not everyone
agrees, but I believe that surface should be covered.
As for the outside of the cabinets themselves, we
assume that food will not touch there directly. But make sure you clean
them well.
As for the kitchen table, it is the same as we
said for the dining room table: cover it with something waterproof. If
your tabletop is made of wood, metal or stone, you could pour boiling
water from a kettle directly onto your table, and that would actually
enable you to use the table without any covering. This method does not work for formica.
REFRIGERATOR
Most people generally don't put hot food directly into the refrigerator. But if you do during the year, don't do it on Passover!
The basic rule with a refrigerator is the same as
doorknobs: It must be cleaned spotlessly. First take out the shelves,
then clean the entire inside very well with something that renders food
non-edible. It may be a little difficult to bend in there, but the
surface itself is smooth and not too hard to clean.
What about the shelves themselves? If you try
going over every surface by hand -- in between the little slats -- it's
going to take forever. So the best thing is to fill the bathtub about
halfway with water, add some ammonia, and put all the shelves in there.
Wash them off under pressure, and make sure that nothing edible remains.
Although this is sufficient, some people still
feel uncomfortable putting Passover food directly down onto the shelves.
You can cover the shelves, but be careful: If you cover them with
something that air cannot go through, then there will be no circulation
in the refrigerator, the thermostat will get confused and the motor will
run forever. You can kill your fridge that way! Instead, cover the
shelves with something that air can circulate through -- like paper
towels or aluminum foil poked with holes.
As for the freezer, defrost it and clean it out
thoroughly. If you have a self-defrosting freezer, make sure to pull out
the water pan at the bottom. If you haven't cleaned that pan out
lately, there could easily be a kezayit of crumbs down there!
Next: the rubber gasket around your refrigerator
door. Obviously clean it well with a cloth. But more important, you need
to clean the accordion folds. The most effective way is take a Q-tip,
dip it into ammonia (or windex), and run it through the folds. The Q-tip
will do a great job of picking up all the dirt.
What about food that you want to leave in your
refrigerator (or freezer) and include in the sale of chametz? You should
wrap it up, put it in a corner of your refrigerator (or freezer) and
then cover it to avoid any contact on Passover.
For the outside of the refrigerator, make sure to
clean the door and handles, because you're going to be touching that
frequently during Passover. Also check on top of the refrigerator,
especially if there are kids in the house. Who knows what may have
gotten tossed up there! As for the exterior sides, just clean them well.
Some people like to cover them, but the halacha does not require it.
KITCHEN CABINETS
We already spoke about the outside of kitchen
cabinets. But what about the inside shelves? Since you normally don't
put hot food there, you don't have to use boiling water. Just clean it
very well with detergent and make sure there's nothing edible left.
Still, many people feel uncomfortable putting
Passover dishes and food down on surfaces that are used for chametz all
year long. This is the source of the "ancient Jewish custom" of shelf
paper. Many people put shelf paper on the bottom of drawers and
cabinets, and some put it on the sides as well.
KITCHEN SINK
The sink obviously has to be kosher for Passover.
A stainless steel sink can be kashered by dousing it with boiling
water. It is important that for a period of 24 hours prior to koshering,
the sink cannot have come into contact with hot (non-Passover) food.
The drain of the sink has a seam that you can't
really get perfectly clean. One solution is to clean the stainless steel
sink by blasting it with a blowtorch. However, most halachic
authorities maintain that blowtorching is not necessary, and it is
sufficient to pour strong detergent down your drain. This way, anything
that is stuck -- either on the seam of the drain or in the drain pipe
itself -- will be rendered totally non-edible. If you have plastic
pipes, drain cleaner may disintegrate plastic pipes, so strong detergent
is good enough. Additionally (although this is not really necessary),
some people put a plastic insert or rubber mat in the sink so that
nothing touches the sink itself.
A porcelain sink cannot be kashered. You must
clean the sink thoroughly and then put a plastic insert. But sometimes
your sink can back up with water, and you can end up getting drain water
coming onto the plastic insert! This obviously defeats the whole
purpose. The key is to remove the strainer from the drain in your sink,
and instead to put a strainer securely in the insert. This way, all the
dirt will get stuck on top, which you can clean out, and if anything
goes through, it will go all the way down and not stay in the sink.
Furthermore, the insert should be slightly
raised, not sitting directly on top of the sink. You can put two little
pieces of wood in the sink, which the insert will sit on -- as long as
it's slightly removed and not touching directly.
What about lining a sink with contact paper? The
problem is that you may get a water bubble inside it, and then that
water would transmit taste from your non-Passover sink. If you can be
sure that there is no water under the contact paper, then contact paper
is okay.
While we're on the subject of the sink, don't
forget the faucet itself. The handles should be cleaned perfectly. Some
people actually have different handles for Passover. If you don't feel
like unscrewing them, at least wash them in detergent to render any
particles non-edible. With regard to the faucet itself, you have to pour
boiling water on it because it comes in contact with chametz steam all
the time.
A plastic faucet is a very big problem because it
cannot be kashered. So you will have to keep the faucet moved to the
side during Passover, and keep it away from your pots, to make sure that
no steam comes on it.
DISHWASHING ON PASSOVER
In order to avoid all sorts of problems in your
sink, don't wash dishes in very hot water on Passover. This will avoid
getting any residual chametz to a point where it can cook. (The halachic
cooking point is called yad soledet bo -- literally "too hot to
the touch" -- which is 45 degrees Celsius, 112 degrees Fahrenheit.) It's
not forbidden to wash with very hot water, but it's a way to avoid many
problems. You can get your dishes just as clean by using very warm
water that's not too hot. This caution is only necessary on Passover.
THE OVEN
Our final appliance is the oven. If you have a
self-cleaning oven, put it through the self-cleaning cycle and that will
make your oven "Kosher for Passover." In a self-cleaning oven, if you
have any interior parts that are rubber -- or other substances which
halachically cannot be kashered -- then you should cover those pieces
with aluminum foil, and make sure they stay covered whenever you use
your oven.
If you do not plan to use your oven during
Passover, all you have to do is look inside: If there is no edible food
inside and no kezayit of gook, just close the door, tape it shut,
and that's all. If you want to be stringent, spray some oven cleaner
inside, wait three minutes, wipe it off, and close the door.
Halachically, if you're not using your oven on Passover, it does not
have to shine. Please don't make anyone scrub your oven for hours
because of a stringency! Simply make sure there's no edible chametz and
no kezayit of gook.
If you never use your oven for chametz and you
want to use it for Passover, you still have to kasher it. However, here
you can rely on turning on the thermostat to the highest setting and
waiting until it reaches its highest temperature.
What about the top of the stove, where the burners sit? We already discussed how to kasher the stove grates -- they need libun kal,
which means they get hot enough to turn a piece of paper brown. The
same rule applies to the burners that the fire comes out of -- just
clean them well, and then turn them on to make sure you burn out any
food.
The top of the stove, however, is a different
story. In reality, that surface is always treif, because it gets
splashings of milk and splashings of meat. During the year, this is not a
problem. Why? Because first of all, you're careful that those
splashings don't touch what you're cooking. And if it does, then it all
depends on whether the splashings are "edible food," and what the
proportion is, etc. Furthermore, if your stovetop is cleaned, then the
only problem is that it has absorbed milk and meat "taste" -- which we
assume happened more than 24 hours ago. So during the year, it's very
unlikely that these splashings can render your food "non-kosher."
On Passover, however, the 24-hour leniency
doesn't apply. Something that was used for chametz a year ago is still
chametz. Consequently, Passover food cannot touch your stovetop and it
must be covered. The easiest way is to take aluminum foil and cover the
whole stove top. Use the heavy-duty kind so it doesn't tear.
The most problematic part of your stove is a part
you may have never seen: under the top platform. If you remove that,
you will find remnants of all the different cereals and soups you cooked
during the year. There may likely be some edible crumbs there, as well
as a kezayit of gook. So you have to remove the entire stovetop.
Hopefully, you have one that's removable (perhaps with screws).
Otherwise it means getting under there with your fingers. That is very
difficult, and the only advice is to pry it open and then spray some
ammonia detergent to make everything non-edible.
Assuming you've removed the stovetop, the first
thing is to get a vacuum cleaner and get rid of all the crumbs. This
way, you won't have crumbs flying all over the place. If you don't have
access to a vacuum, then take a damp cloth and go over the area. The
crumbs will stick to the cloth. Don't make the cloth wet, because that
will make a mess of your whole oven. This is necessary even if you're
not going to use your stove on Passover.
If your stove is built into the counter, the top is generally not a problem, because spills have no place to fall into.
Other stoves are more problematic. If you have
one big glass or porcelain top with heating elements under it, then
kashering that for Passover (because of the material) is not possible.
The only thing you could do is to cover it with aluminum foil, but the
problem is that when you cover these things, they don't work as well.
Unless you can find a way of covering it without losing efficiency or
ruining your food, the best solution may be to get a different stove for
Passover.
If you have electric elements that are exposed, then the elements have to be cleaned but not kashered.
An electric warming tray (plata) should be
cleaned as well as possible. And if you want to use it for Passover,
cover it over with heavy-duty aluminum foil that won't tear. A metal
burner cover (blech) has to be either kashered or totally covered. It makes more sense to buy a thin blech especially for Passover; otherwise heavy-duty aluminum foil should suffice, although it may emit harmful and unpleasant fumes.
Some stoves have a cover that you can put down
when not using your stovetop. Since this gets splashed all year long,
you must clean and cover it (or else detach it completely). Similarly,
the wall behind your stove has definitely absorbed some chametz -- so
either move the stove away from the wall so no pots will touch it, or
cover the wall.
If you have a ventilator above your oven,
that's a problem -- a breeding ground for chametz steam and particles.
The best thing is to cover the vent and don't use it during Passover.
Additionally, if there's anything edible in there (or a kezayit of gook), you have to clean it out.
MICROWAVE AND DISHWASHER
A microwave itself can be kashered for Passover,
providing that the inside is metal (or even painted metal). Simply
insert a bowl of water and have it make a lot of steam for 20 minutes.
It's preferable that you get a new glass plate for Passover, or at least
cover it.
If you have different parts in the microwave --
like little rubber pieces -- this is a big problem. First of all, rubber
is a substance that can't be kashered. And secondly, since this is a
microwave, the pieces obviously can't be covered with tinfoil. The best
solution is to get replacement parts and save those for Passover only.
Otherwise, you can't use your microwave for Passover.
A microwave with a plastic interior cannot be kashered for Passover.
In order to kasher a dishwasher for Passover, it must be metal. Additionally, you should have a separate rack for Passover.
SMALL KITCHEN APPLIANCES
There are other appliances that we do not use on
Passover. These include a toaster, toaster oven, and mixer -- things
that you use for bread and cake all year long. Although it may be
possible to kasher these things, it's just going a little too far and we
don't do so.
So what do you do? First of all, if you think
there's anything edible, clean it. Take the crumbs out of your toaster
and toaster oven. Do the best you can, but don't go crazy. You don't
have to take apart your toaster, toaster oven or mixer.
The reason you don't have to be as careful
cleaning these items is that you're going to include them in your sale
of chametz anyway. So even though we have a custom not to sell chametz gamur
(i.e. bread and cake), there is no problem of selling a toaster that
has some crumbs left in it. Just remove whatever chametz you can, and
whatever you can't reach, rely on the sale.
As for your mixer: If you're afraid it has a
bunch of dough still attached, it's probably not edible. In which case
just make sure you don't have a kezayit. The best way to solve all this is to wash it with detergent which makes it totally non-edible.
THE FLOOR
Crumbs on the floor, assuming they're less than a kezayit,
are regarded as dirt. The problem, however, is that clothes fall on the
floor, children play on the floor, etc. So to minimize problems in
general, try to keep the floors fairly tidy during the days you're
cleaning for Passover. And then, as the final step when everything else
in the house has been kashered for Passover, wash the floors very well.
(You don't have to use ammonia.)
What about during Passover itself? Realize that
every time anyone enters the house from outside, they're carrying many
potential chametz particles on their clothes, and particularly their
shoes. You can keep sweeping your house, but that won't do a perfect
job.
So the rule is: Anything that falls on the floor
during Passover does not go back on the table. The original custom was
that it didn't go back on the table at all for the duration of Passover.
Today, we're lenient to permit washing it off. For instance, if a piece
of silverware falls on the floor, just wash it off and then you can use
it again. The same with toys -- if a child wants to bring it to the
table, it must first be washed off.
With about rugs? They're full of crumbs -- even
edible crumbs -- and they're very difficult to clean. The best option is
to shampoo the carpet before Passover, which will eliminate anything
edible. Otherwise, many people just roll their carpets up, put them
away, and sell them for Passover. This is not required, but is certainly
advisable (unless you're shampooing).
One crucial thing to remember: You spend your
whole time cleaning for Passover, and where does all your chametz go? It
gets stuck in the broom, goes into the garbage can, and into the vacuum
cleaner bag. You must clean your broom well, so that there's nothing
edible left in it. Or preferably have a special broom for Passover that
you put away from year to year. Make sure your garbage can is cleaned
well. And above all, make sure to throw out the vacuum cleaner bag.
That's one instance where you're likely to have a whole kezayit of chametz gook together!
SALE OF CHAMETZ
The prevailing custom is not to sell real edible
chametz like bread, crackers, etc. The exception is when getting rid of
it will involve a hardship -- i.e. you've got a large quantity of it,
it's difficult to obtain, or it's expensive. Certainly you can include a
half-bottle of scotch in the sale. Otherwise, you can give the food
away to a non-Jewish acquaintance. Some cities specifically host food
drives for poor people in the days before Passover.
But what about food that's not "real" chametz --
i.e. a can of tuna fish that's not labeled "Kosher for Passover," or
food that was cooked in a chametz pot? These things you can put away in a
cabinet and sell them. Taping the cabinet closed is only necessary if
out of habit you may open it on Passover. By the way, even chametz of a
non-Jew must be put away and covered.
Have a happy and kosher Passover -- and an easy cleaning!
