Home
Log in / Sign Up
    Private Messages   Advanced Search   Rules   New User Guide   FAQ   Advertise   Contact Us  
Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Pesach
Pesach Halachos to help diminish tension with cleaning



Post new topic   Reply to topic View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother
Cerulean


 

Post Wed, Mar 21 2018, 7:30 am
This is an article with pertinent halachos regarding cleaning for Pesach. Hopefully it can help decrease the tension with preparing for this Yom Tov.

בס״ד

Reduce Pre-Pesach Stress Through Understanding Hilchos Pesach

Diminishing Pre-Pesach stress begins with
knowledge of this basic principle: The Halochos
of eating Chometz are very stringent, but the
Halochos of OWNING chometz are much less so.
Below are Torah scholars' directives regarding
owning chometz and cleaning for Pesach.
(Notes in parenthesis and brackets are explanatory comments.
Also, italics and bold are added for emphasis.)

RAV CHAIM PINCHOS SCHEINBERG Zatzal,
Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Ohr in Yerushalayim,
taught the following:
•If, during the year, chometz is not brought
into a place, that place does not have to be
cleaned out or checked for chometz.
•The general obligation to check for & get rid
of crumbs does not apply if the crumbs are
less than the size of a k’zayis [an olive] and are
dirty or spoiled enough to deter a person from
eating them. (A kzayis is around 1/2 - 1 ounce.)
•The cleaning product (regular household
cleanser) must spoil the crumbs (only)
slightly, to the extent that people would
refrain from eating them.

Rabbi Barclay and Rabbi Jaeger, authors of the
Guideline Halacha Series, write that there are
two mitzvos connected to the possession of
chometz:
• Not to see chometz or find it in one’s
possessions (Lo Yeraeh and Lo Yemotzei)
• To dispose of it. (Tashbisu)
According to Torah law, it is enough to either get
rid of the chometz, or to declare it null and void.
Our sages required both for three reasons:
•Our declaration should be sincere.
•We shouldn’t accidentally eat chometz (that’s
lying around)
•In order that overlooked chometz be included.
“If the chometz is dirty, then only a piece that is
the size of a k’zayis (or larger) must be removed.”
“If the chometz is edible, then even a smaller
[than a k’zayis] piece that one may be tempted to
eat must be removed.”
“Therefore, when cleaning for Pesach one must
remove small pieces of edible chometz and large
pieces of inedible chometz.”

Books: Rabbi Barclay and Rabbi Jaeger also write
that there is no need to check books, except for
books that will be brought to the table. Those
books should be either new or well cleaned.

Bentchers used the whole year should not be
used on Pesach; they should be put away with
the chometz because they often contain crumbs
and are difficult to clean. (Nowhere is it mentioned
that the chometz crumbs have to be removed or that the
bentchers and zemiros books have to be sold, even though
chometz crumbs remain in them. The only rule is that they
should be put away so that they are not accidentally brought
to the table on Pesach.)

Toys that will be used on Pesach should be
cleaned with soapy water and checked. Other
toys should be put away. Special toys for Pesach
are recommended.

Clothing that won’t be worn on Pesach needs
only a quick check. “Since they are not going to
be worn, there is no concern that one may eat
any crumbs that are there. Small crumbs do not
have to be removed since there is no prohibition
to own them during Pesach.”

Light switches and door handles should be
cleaned when necessary (After we touch them, we
may touch Pesach food, and the laws forbidding eating
chometz are most stringent, as mentioned. Pens, pencils,
combs, and hair brushes which might have some sticky
residue might also be in the same category.).
Carpets: Vacuuming a carpet cleans it
sufficiently, since any remaining crumbs are not
fit for eating.
Toaster: Since a toaster will not be used on
Pesach, it is sufficient to remove loose crumbs
by shaking the toaster well and putting it away
with the chometz utensils. The chometz pots do
not have to be scrubbed. Some have the custom
to check the pots for chometz.
Rabbi Yaakov Zev Smith, a maggid shiur for
Irgun Shiurei Torah, explains: “The Gemara
says that after bedikas chometz one still needs
to annul the chometz. This requirement is not
because of crumbs which may be scattered in
the house; rather, it is a protection against a big
piece of chometz. The reason we do not worry
about crumbs is that since they are on the floor
they have no importance to us and are “selfannulled”
(Pesachim 6b).”

He explains further that the Chayei Adam (119:6)
is of the opinion that one must clean crevices of
crumbs within hand’s reach. This is not because
of the prohibition to see or have chometz in one’s
possession – but because we are concerned that
one might inadvertently eat them”.1
The Pri Chadash (444-4) and the Igros Moshe (1-
145) disagree with this stringency.
However, the commonly held custom is to follow
the Chayei Adam’s ruling and clean out all easily
accessible places where crumbs might be found.
The Chazon Ish (122:8) cites the Gra in stating
that crumbs caught between the floorboards do
not have to be removed. Even if there are many
crumbs that add up collectively to a k’zayis, they
are not a problem halachically, because they are
dried out and unappetizing.
“The requirement for chometz to actually be
unfit for canine consumption (inedible to a dog)
only applies to a k’zayis.” (Magen Avraham;
Mishnah Berurah).

Rabbi Smith continues: What about chometz that is
bigger than a crumb yet smaller than a k’zayis? An
example might be a pretzel, or half a cookie. “While
small crumbs are insignificant and are automatically
nullified, these bits of food (which are identifiable
things) are in a category of their own.”
These pieces of chometz (larger than a crumb
yet smaller than a k’zayis) should be removed.
(Shulchan Aruch Harav; Mishnah Berurah)
Extra effort in cleaning away chometz is part of a
heilige minhag. In practice, we give the greatest
energy to areas that our Pesach food and our
hands will touch/contact on Pesach2
. (This helps
prevent the possibility of eating any chometz on Pesach. And
while this is true, give careful note to the following paragraph.)
This minhag must be practiced according to
each person’s strength and energy. And only up
to where it does not take away from health,
safety, and joy in the Heilige Yom Tov.
Anything written above should not be used
by husbands and children as an excuse for not
helping make the house clean and shining, as
well as kosher for Pesach. It is indeed part of the
signature of Pesach to have a home that is extraspecial
clean. The wholehearted participation—
without criticism—of husband and children,
makes a big difference and brings much joy to
the Yom Tov.

May we all be zocheh to clean and prepare for
the Yom Tov of Pesach without excessive strain
or fear, but with anticipation and happiness. And,
may our cleaning and preparation find chein
Above and help bring the Geulah Shleimah closer.
A truly kosher and freilichen Pesach to all.
The information above was reviewed and approved by Rabbi
Elozor Barclay and Rabbi Yitzchok Jaeger, the authors of
Guidelines – Over Five Hundred of the Most Commonly Asked
Questions About Pesach (Targum Press) and by Rabbi Zev
Smith of Irgun Shiurei Torah.
L'aliyas nishmas Zeesl bas R’ Tzvi, a”h
1 (cf. Radvaz 1:135; Machaneh Yisrael 10:)
...עיקר תקנת בדקת חמץ אחר שביטלו אינה אלא משום גזירה שמא יבוא לאכלו בפסח ... 2
“The main reason for the establishment of bedikas chometz after one nullifies
the chometz is only to prevent the possibility of eating chometz on Pesach”
Shulchan Aruch Harav (433:19)
Back to top

amother
Wine


 

Post Wed, Mar 21 2018, 7:53 am
The women who are busy vacuuming their curtains don't care. Either they want to spring clean or they want to feel frum in an area where they outrank their husbands, but there's some motivation beyond halacha at work for the lady who's cleaning the top of her furnace with a toothbrush.
Back to top

amother
Cerulean


 

Post Wed, Mar 21 2018, 9:18 am
A lot of times the "motivation" is OCD or unawareness of the actual halachos. Sometimes people feel stressed out but because they don't know how to stop. Hopefully this can help spread awareness of what the halachos are and to help decrease tension and stress.
Back to top
Page 1 of 1 Recent Topics




Post new topic   Reply to topic    Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Pesach

Related Topics Replies Last Post
Kosher for Pesach vacation homes- please guide me!
by amother
7 Yesterday at 8:10 pm View last post
Pesach programs in the Poconos?
by amother
8 Yesterday at 7:17 pm View last post
For those who have a pesach kitchen…
by amother
9 Yesterday at 6:20 pm View last post
Pesach program suggestions
by amother
4 Yesterday at 3:46 pm View last post
Dekel counter covers for Pesach
by amother
7 Yesterday at 2:58 pm View last post