PESAH: Understanding the prohibition of owning Hamets during Pesah

בל יראה
בל ימצא
השבתת חמץ
One of the elements that makes the prohibition of  Hamets so unique is that, unlike any other forbidden foods, it includes the ban of its possession.  There are three Mitsvot in the Tora related to this prohibition:
1. bal yera-e, lit. your Hamets shall not be seen (Ex. 13:7);
2. bal-yimatse lit. your Hamets shall not be found in your premises (Ex. 12:19).
3. tashbitu, lit. you shall end your hamets Pesah eve (Ex. 12:15).

The Tora sheBe’al pe, the authoritative halakhic Jewish tradition, explains that the first  two verses, the two prohibitions, should be considered as one single restriction: “owning” Hamets during Pesah.  Maimonides consecrates almost a whole chapter in Hilkhot hamets uMatsa, chapter 4, to explain this concept: In halakha 2 he says: ” ….hamets belonging to a Jew …, even though it is buried, is located in another city, or is entrusted to a gentile, causes him to violate [the commandments]: “[hamets] shall not be seen” and “[hamets] shall not be found.”

We also have a third mitsva called tashbitu which is explained by the Tora shebe’al pe as: you shall end “the possession” of your hamets before Pesah begins.

In sum, there are two identical prohibitions (an exceptional case!) and one positive commandment, virtually for the same issue: owning hamets during Pesah.

Strictly speaking, (and following Maimonides opinion) these three miṣvot could be fulfilled at once just by performing one single act: the ‘bitul hamets’, the verbal declaration by which a person renounces to the ownership of any hamets that belongs to him, regardless of where that hames is located. By declaring the hamets ownerless, a person 1. fulfills the Mitsva of “ending the possession of his hamets” and, 2. is not transgressing the two prohibitions of the Tora, even though there might still be hamets within his premises.

But evidently this is not what we do for Pesah. The Rabbis explained that there might be some practical complications with just “declaring” our hamets ownerless, while keeping it at home. First, we might declare that we do not own anymore our hamets, but, if we posses something valuable, a box of whiskey bottles, for example, will we really mean wholeheartedly that we renounce to the possession of that hamets? Second, they said, hamets is the most common food (think about bread, crackers, pasta, etc.), so even if we declare our hamets ownerless but we keep the Hamets at home, we might eat hamets accidentally…

This is why our Rabbis instructed us to actually remove our hamets before Pesah begins.  At the end of the process of removing our hamets (also known as “bi’ur hamets”) we also do the bitul hamets, as we will explain in the following lines.

There are four steps, then, that we should take to 1. Avoiding transgressing the two Biblical prohibitions of owning hamets, 2. Fulfilling the Mitsva of ending our possession of hamets before Pesah, 3. Following the guidelines of our Rabbis

(1) We should clean our houses, cars, offices and other properties before Pesah begins to identify and remove all hamets from them.

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

(3) We have to physically dispose of or get rid of (be’ur) any hamets found in our properties before and during the Bediqa.  We can give our Hamets as a gift to a non-Jew, if it is food in good condition; or if we have bread crumbs, for example, we can give it to the birds or to fish, or we can burn it or dispose of it.

(4) Then, after we get rid of our hamets we declare that whatever Hamets we may still own anywhere, which was not detected and/or removed by us, does not belong to us anymore, and from now on it is considered ownerless (hefqer) as the dust of the earth (bitul hamets).


PESAH: Invisible Hamets

הגעלת כלים
During Pesah, we do not use the same cooking utensils or tableware that we use year-round for Hamets.  Why? Because although the utensils in which we cook Hamets might be clean, without any visible Hamets residues, their walls or surface might be impregnated with a Hamets substance, which, if not removed, will be reabsorbed into the food we would cook for Pesah. It is customary then, 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 from within the utensils surface.
Before we do the hag’ala we need to make sure that we clean the utensils and 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 tradition, 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.
Sink and counter-tops: The sink, counter-tops and kitchen-tables should be thoroughly cleaned before Pesah from any possible Hamets residue.  Since 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, wood or glass, 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 visible 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. This vapor would expel all absorbed Hamets residues, rendering the microwave Kosher for Pesah. If you can’t do this and you need to use a year-round microwave during Pesah, you should cover the food in a hermetic plastic container, Ziploc or any other airtight microwavable cover.


El artículo del rab Eliyahu Zini sobre la venta del Jamets

Algunas Objeciones A La Venta Del Jamets.

En mi opinión, uno de los textos mejor documentados que nos permite comprender los       detalles y el debate alrededor de la venta de Jamets que realizamos en nuestros días, es una responsa, (del latín: Respuesta) escrita por el Rab Eliyahu Zini, un rabino que es también profesor de matemáticas en el famoso Instituto Technión de Haifa. Oí por primera vez, acerca de este documento, en una conferencia que, sobre el tema de Mejirat Jametz, dio el Sr. Joseph Mosseri, en Brooklyn, NY.

El Rab Zini explica que el precedente para la venta del Jamets se aprende de la Toseftá que dice que, si un judío, se encuentra en un barco y lleva con él mercancía Jamets, en el caso que su barco se atrase y no llegue a puerto para Pesaj, como estaba planeado , el Yehudí le puede dar o vender su Jamets, a un no judío, y se le permite, al término de Pesaj, comprar nuevamente el Jamets de él  .

Este caso fue considerado por los rabinos como excepcional: una persona que está en medio del océano y no tiene otro recurso más que vender toda su mercancía. Rab Zini trae muchas fuentes, especialmente del tiempo de los Gueoním, que sostienen que la Toseftá se refiere a un caso excepcional. Indica por ejemplo que la Mishná y la Guemará, desarrollan ampliamente el tema de las diferentes maneras de deshacerse del Jamets (quemarlo, echarlo al mar, alimentar con él aves, etc.) pero nunca se menciona, se discute, ni se considera el concepto de la “venta” del Jamets como una de las maneras de desechar el Jamets. Más aun, siguiendo la lógica del método condicional de venta de Jamets en nuestros días, todas las reglas que los rabinos instituyeron respecto al Jamets, como la búsqueda de Jamets y la anulación de Jamets, se vuelven insignificantes y completamente innecesarias. Siguiendo la Toseftá, los rabinos sefaradíes autorizaron la venta de Jamets a no judíos en casos excepcionales, como por ejemplo el caso de una tienda de alimentos, y solamente bajo condiciones muy estrictas, como veremos a continuación.

Por ejemplo, en el caso de la Toseftá, hubo una transferencia de la mercancía del judío al no judío. En otras palabras, el no-judío tomó posesión de los productos Jamets (משיכה).El Rab Zini cita varias fuentes que afirman que, si la mercancía permaneciera en la casa del judío, eso sería un signo inequívoco de ha’rama, o transacción ficticia. Este requerimiento, que los      productos sean transferidos a la casa del no judío, se trae como prerrequisito para dar validez a la venta de Jamets por el Terumat HaDeshen, quien es la base del Beth Yosef en este tema. El Rab Zini también menciona a los Gueoním y Rishonim que mencionan la Toseftá, enfatizando que la venta de Jamets tendría validez únicamente, en caso de ser real (ובלבד שלא יערים).

El siguiente elemento que también es considerado un signo de הערמה, “ficción” (una ficción jurídica, porque la verdadera intención no es lo que indica la transacción) por la mayoría de los rabinos, es que, como ya dijimos, la Toseftá menciona un caso excepcional, dónde la persona estuvo en medio del océano, en un barco que tuvo un retraso probable de algunos días. Como indica Maimónides,הגיע השעה החמישית , el tiempo en la víspera de Pesaj llegó y esta persona no tiene otro recurso. En términos Halájicos este tipo de situaciones se conoce como: “Sheat Hadajac”, un caso extremo, que es un equivalente de:“Bedi’abad”, “si ocurrió que…”, pero, cuando uno planea deliberadamente vender su Jamets para eludir la Mitsvá de desechar el Jamets, para estos Posqim, es un signo inequívoco de que la venta no es sincera y por lo tanto carece de validez.

Otro punto que trae Rab Zini es, que una transacción de venta válida, implica que el comprador es enteramente responsable por la mercadería que compra. Es decir, una vez que el comprador no-judío paga el anticipo del valor total, el Jamets le pertenece. La diferencia de dinero queda como una deuda (imagine que A le paga a B con su tarjeta de crédito y después A le paga al banco).  El hecho que el comprador no ha liquidado su deuda, no afecta su derecho y responsabilidad sobre la mercadería en cuestión. En estas condiciones, la responsabilidad total por la mercancía debería ser del comprador. Por lo tanto, si durante Pesaj, el Jamets que yo vendí al comprador y mantengo en mi casa, p.e., una botella de whisky, es robado o se quiebra, no debería importarme, ya que de ser una venta real seria responsabilidad del comprador y él debería pagarme por la mercancía destruida una vez que termine Pesaj. Como sabemos, este no es el caso en los términos prácticos de la venta de Jamets. El comprador no tiene una responsabilidad legal en la practica  por los productos Jamets, lo cual representa una señal que no considera el Jamets como propio.

La principal opinión entre las autoridades halájicas que aceptan como válida una venta legal pero ficticia del Jamets es la del Jatam Sofer (1762–1839). Como dije, apoyarse en esta opinión, contra la opinión de la mayoría de los rabinos que exigen deshacerse realmente del Jamets vendiéndolo sin intención de recuperarlo , sería una lenidad excepcional, especialmente para los judíos sefaradíes que nunca adoptaron esta práctica. Aún entre los rabinos Ashkenazim este tipo de venta ficticia fue criticada. El principal portavoz de esta crítica, fue, no otro que, el Gaón de Vilna  (1720–1839) que consideró que, quien vende su Jamets con הערמה, viola, dos prohibiciones bíblicas (bal yera–é, bal ymats–é) y no cumple, con el mandamiento bíblico positivo (tashbitu).

Para leer el artículo completo del Rab Zini (Hebreo), dirigirse al enlace:

Http://www.orvishua.org.il/heb/files/art/1144659147.pdf.

Agradezco la ayuda del la Sra M.A. de Panamá por la traducción de este articulo (YB).



PESAH: What is and what is not Hamets?

איסור אכילת חמץ
HAMETS
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 their by-products comes in contact with water.
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.
(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.
Some common examples of Hamets products are: Bread, pasta, crackers, cookies, fiber-drinks, cereals, baby foods, whiskey and beer.
SE-OR
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. While Hamets is intended for eating se’or is a leavening agent in preparing to prepare Hamets foods. 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.
QITNIYOT and 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.  Let us see 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 old markets, 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 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.
The custom to refrain from eating rice and any other kind of seeds during Pesah is called isur qitniyot (the prohibition of legumes).   Now, even though the Ashkenazi custom forbids the consumption of qitniyot during Pesah, 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, see here.
NON EDIBLE HAMETZ
Sephardim are allowed to keep and/or use during Pesah any product which is non-edible, i.e., unfit for human or animal consumption, even if that product might contain Hamets  For example: Cosmetics, glues, 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).
A similar criteria is followed by Rabbi Gedalia Schwartz, from the Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc), as you can see in this letter.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 read the Star K article on pet products Kasher for Pesah.



PESAH: Different types of Matsa

 

מצות אכילת מצה
Matsa (in English “Matzah”) is a special unleavened bread made of a flat dough. The dough is prepared with flour and water, without yeast. The flour normally comes from wheat, but technically, the Matsa could also be made from barley, oats, rye or spelt’s flour. The whole elaboration process from the time the flour gets in contact with water until the Matsa is baked takes less than 18 minutes.
There are different types of Matsot.  In today’s halakha we will learn the differences between 1. Regular Matsa and Matsa Shemura, and 2. Hand-made Matsa and machine-made Matsa
Let us begin with regular Matsa and Matsa Shemura.
The difference between these two Matsot has to do with the level of supervision (shemira), more specifically, the point at which the supervision begins.
Regular Matsa: The supervision of the processing of this Matsa begins from the moment of the mixing of the flour with water. It is necessary to supervise that the flour to be used for the Matsot be kept in a dry place (humidity makes the flour Hamets). Furthermore, the water to be used to bake the dough should be at room temperature level, because warmer water would accelerate the process of fermentation. No dough, even a small piece, might be left unattended. Any piece of dough left unbaked for 18 minutes is Hamets. The machines should be cleaned after each production for residues of dough, water, etc. These are some examples of the supervision of the Matsa.
Matsa Shemura: In addition to all the rules for regular Matsa in the elaboration of Matsa Shemura the grain is supervised from the time of harvesting. For example: the wheat kernels are carefully examined to make sure that there are no grains which have split or that are sprouting. In those cases the process of Himuts would be triggered by a minimum moisture.  The grain is also supervised when it is stored and transported, making sure that there is no humidity.
Certainly, both Matsot are Kasher for Pesah. But the use of Matsa Shemura is recommended particularly for the first two nights of Pesah (in Israel, the first night), when we say the Berakha ‘al akhilat Matsa. Why? Having Matsa Shemura during the nights of the Seder is a practice that we follow in attention to the pasuq (Ex 12:17)  ושמרתם את המצות “and you shall guard (=supervise) the unleavened bread”.
During the other days of Pesah there is no obligation to use Matsa Shemura, because during the rest of the Holiday there is no requirement to eat Matsa but only to refrain from eating Hamets.
Matsa ‘abodat yad (hand made Matsa) vs Machine made Matsa:
In general, when making a religious article (or even one of its accessories) to be used for the performance of a Mitsva, this article must be done with the specific intention of being used for the fulfillment of that Mitsva.  Example: we cannot use left-overs of leather, which were made originally for shoes, belts, etc. to make a Tefilin or its straps. The leather to be used for Tefilin has to be processed “explicitly” for the purpose of fulfilling the Mitsva of Tefilin. Thus, before processing the leather, the person in charge  says: leshem mitsvat Tefilin, [“I’m processing this leather to be used…] for 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. If they have been made for another purpose, or even with 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 fulfilling the 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. The question is:  Do we consider that the “human intentionality” extends from the man who activates the machinery saying “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 debated on this matter. Some rabbis assert that machine made Matsot could be used for the first two nights and perhaps they 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 debate over purposefulness. However, many rabbis (among them rabbi Obadia Yosef, z’l)  recommend to use for the first two nights of Pesah, when eating Matsa is mandatory, a Matsa elaborated by hand, with a reliable Rabbinic supervision.  Following this last opinion, it is recommended to use hand made Matsot for the first two nights of Pesah, if one can find and/or 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 .


PESAH: Why Matsa?

 

We explained yesterday that one of the three positive Biblical Mitsvot of Pesah is eating Matsa.  Now, why do we eat Matsa? There are at least two reasons. One, is explicitly mentioned  in the Tora and the second, less known, is mentioned at the very beginning of the Hagada.  Let us begin from the second reason.
For many, many years when we were slaves in Egypt, every single day we ate exclusively Matsa. We ate Matsa for breakfast, for lunch and for dinner. Matsa was the food conceived by the cruel Egyptians as the ideal meal for the Jewish slaves. First, because the Matsa lasted longer than regular bread in the slave’s stomach. And mainly because Matsa was cheaper than any other food. All you need to make Matsa is flour and water. Matsa was cost-effective also because you don’t “waste” any time. To make regular bread you need to let the dough rest for approximately 15-20 minutes and only then you would place the spongy-dough into the oven. In the Egyptian captivity the raising of the dough was skipped. Instead, the Jewish slaves had to put the dough into the oven flat because they had to work for the Egyptians without a pause. The Egyptians were not willing to waste 15 extra minutes of Jewish work to allow the dough to raise and made it into regular bread.
Thus, we declare at the very beginning of the Hagada pointing at the Matsa: ha lahma ‘aniya… This is “the bread of poverty that our ancestors ate in Egypt”
The Biblical text emphasizes a different reason for eating Matsa. Upon our departure from Egypt we also ate Matsa. Why? Because we did not leave Egypt progressively, during the course of a few weeks or even days. We were rescued by HaShem in a speedy operation (behipazon) which lasted just one night. (Try to visualize the mobilization of 3 million people leaving in one night!). And as much as we were eager to have our first normal meal with bread, ironically, there was no time to spend in preparing bread for the journey. Once again, but for a completely different reason, we did not have even 15 extra minutes to wait for the dough to rise. We had to leave swiftly, carrying the Matsot in our shoulders.
Only that this time the Matsa also has the taste of freedom. Now, the Matsa reminds us how quick (=miraculously) we left the house of slavery.
The Matsa, therefore, represents both, the sweet flavor of freedom and the bitterness of slavery.
By eating Matsa we celebrate our providential freedom, without forgetting our terrible suffering.


THE EIGHT MITSVOT OF PESAH

Pesah is less than a month away. The first night will be celebrated B’H Friday April 3rd, 2015.  Pesah’s laws and customs are so many and so diverse that our Rabbis indicated that thirty days before Pesah we should start reviewing the laws of Pesah. So, we are a little behind schedule…

Anyways, let us begin by reviewing the Biblical Mitsvot of Pesah.

In his introduction to Hilkhot Pesah, Maimonides describes each commandment, enumerating a total of EIGHT Biblical Mitsvot for Pesah. In this number, Maimonides excludes all the Mitsvot related to the Pesah sacrifice (qorban Pesah).

We have 3 positive commandments and 5 prohibitions in Pesah.

THE THREE POSITIVE COMMANDMENTS OF PESAH ARE

אכילת מצה 1. To eat Matsa during the first night of Pesah (in the Diaspora, it becomes automatically mandatory to eat Matsa during the first “two” nights)

2 והגדת לבנך . To tell the story of Pesah, the Hagada, to our children during the first night of Pesah (in the Diaspora,  the first “two” nights). This Mitsva includes many other Mitsvot and traditions, like drinking the four cups of wine, eating maror, etc.

3 השבתת חמץ. To dispose (=disown) of our Hamets on Pesah eve, the 14th of Nisan (Friday April 3rd) before noon.

THE FIVE PROHIBITIONS ARE

4 איסור אכילת חמץ . The prohibition of eating Hamets during Pesah

5 איסור אכילת תערובת חמץ. The prohibition of eating anything that contains Hamets during Pesah

6 בל-יראה . The prohibition of owning Hamets during Pesah

7 בל -ימצא. The prohibition of owning Hamets during Pesah.
(Mitsvot 6 and 7 are indeed identical, an exceptional case in the entire Tora!)

8 איסור אכילת חמץ ערב פסח אחר חצות היום. The prohibition of eating Hamets on Pesah eve (Friday April 3rd), from noon time.

In the coming days B’H we will have the opportunity to define and review each one of these these eight Mitsvot.



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.



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?“