By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
SAN DIEGO — As soon as Purim draws nigh, my wife Judy begins to anguish about Pesach. Although Passover is one of her favorite holidays, it is quite labor intensive. Judy not only needs to change the dishes and prepare for the seder, she also has to rid the house of chametz. The Torah says that Jews are forbidden to have chametz in their possession during Pesach: “No leaven shall be found in your houses for seven days.” (Ex. 12:19)
Chametz is defined as five specific grains, wheat, rye, oats, barley, and spelt, that have fermented or have the potential of fermenting. Not only must these grains be removed from our possession, our houses and kitchens must be cleaned and scoured so that no remnants remain.
(Why is this arduous task Judy’s alone? As my congregants know, I am not allowed in the kitchen. My job during pre-Pesach preparation is to stay out of the way, a job at which I am minimally successful.)
Chametz!
Why are Jews so obsessive about chametz? Because unlike other forbidden foods which may not be eaten but may be owned, or can be “cancelled” if they are accidently included in a mixture of permissible foods, chametz is forbidden in any amount (chametz assur b’mashehu). You may not even have a grain of it in your house.
The Biblical punishment for having chametz in your possession during Pesach is karet, expulsion from the community: “For whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the community of Israel….” (Ex. 12:19) In Rabbinic times karet was redefined as “Divine punishment.”
The rabbis added a spiritual lesson to the Biblical law. They asked, “Why is the punishment for having chametz in your possession so severe? It is because chametz represents the yetzer ha-ra, the evil inclination. When grain becomes chametz, fermented, it puffs up and spoils. This is what the yetzer ha-ra does to human beings: it causes us to puff up with our own arrogance and self-importance and spoils our humanity.
Explains Rabbi David Zimra : “I didn’t understand why the rabbis made the prohibition against having chametz in your house so much more restrictive than the prohibition against other forbidden foods, until I realized that chametz represents the evil inclination. Just as one is forbidden to own even a miniscule amount of chametz during Pesach, so should one try to completely excise any vestige of the yetzer ha-ra from one’s life.” (Otzar Chaim, Bo, p. 46)
Just as our homes should be clear of chametz during Pesach, so should our hearts be clear of anger, jealousy, envy, pettiness, and all other negative energy the entire year.
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Rabbi Rosenthal is spiritual leader of Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Diego. Your comment may be posted in the space provided below or sent privately to leonard.rosenthal@sdjewishworld.com