I. INTRODUCTION
In an effort to ease your Pesach preparations this guide has been produced. The views presented in this guide are mine. Whereas there are varying practices with regards many of the issues published here you are encouraged to follow your family custom(s). All times provided in this guide are exclusively for Bala Cynwyd and are only accurate for this year. Please feel free to contact me with any specific questions with regards medications or other matters, please contact me either by phone, (610) 664-5626, or by email:
rabbi@lowermerionsynagogue.org
Many Hebrew words and phrases are utilized in this guide, rather than their sometimes
cumbersome English translations. We therefore provide at the end of this guide a glossary of terms. All italicized words in the text of this guide are individual entries within the glossary.
II. KASHERING
The laws of
kashering
are many and varied. It is, of course, best to use dishes and
utensils especially set aside for Passover use. However, under certain conditions, some of the
utensils used throughout the year may also be used on Passover if they are
kashered
and
prepared in a special manner for Passover use. All
kashering
of utensils for Pesach should be
completed before Pesach.
Kashering
methods vary, depending on the manner in which
chometz
entered those vessels. The procedures delineated below are definitive
guidelines to follow for the specific items mentioned and should not automatically be applied to
other situations without rabbinic consultation.
cooking utensils
- Pots and other utensils used to cook
chometz
in liquid may be
kashered
with
hagalah
(the process explained in the glossary). Pot covers and handles also require
hagalah
. These should preferably be unscrewed before
kashering
. Baking pans and other utensils which were used with heat or fire but without water require
libun
kal
(see glossary) to burn out the
chometz
.
countertops
- Stainless steel, solid granite or marble counters may be
kashered
. After a
thorough cleaning the counter should not have any hot
chometz
come in contact with it for a 24
-hour period. Prior to
kashering
the entire surface should be totally dry. Boiling water should be poured in a continuous flow directly from the kettle or pot over the entire surface.
Treated stone surfaces, Corian, Formica, plastic and porcelain countertops are unkasherable.
They should be thoroughly cleaned and subsequently covered.
dishwashers
- Dishwashers are extremely difficult to
kasher
. They should be sealed and not
used during Pesach.
glass
- In Europe, where glass was expensive and hard to obtain, it was customary to
kasher
drinking glasses by immersing them in cold water for three (3) twenty-four (24) hour periods in
the following manner. The glasses were submerged for twenty-four (24) hours. The water was
then emptied and refilled. This procedure was repeated two (2) more times for a total of
seventy-two (72) hours. This procedure, however, was never applied, nor should it be, to Pyrex
or to a glass that is put on the fire or in the oven. In general,
kashering
glasses is only
recommended in cases of extreme need, but whenever glasses are readily available for purchase, special glasses for Pesach are the best and preferable solution.
hotplates
- Ceramic and glass hot plates cannot be kashered. All other hotplates should be cleaned, left for 24 hours, then turned up to full heat for half an hour. Tinfoil should be placed over the hot plate before use on Pesach.
kitchen cabinets
- The pantry, cabinets, drawers, and closets which are used for food, silverware and dishes should be cleaned thoroughly and covered. Shelving paper is sufficient for this purpose.
kiddush cups
- Due to the fact that they are washed with
chometz
dishes in hot water,
hagalah
should be performed on kiddush cups after a period of 24 hours of non-use.
microwave ovens
- After a thorough cleaning and a 24-hour period of not being used, a large
kosher l’Pesach
glass of very soapy water should be boiled for ten minutes. This process should be repeated by placing the glass on another spot on the microwave. However, when using a microwave on Pesach, one should cover the food and replace (or, at least cover) the tray that holds the food.
ovens
- Conventional gas and electric ovens that have a self-cleaning function, along with their racks, will be fully
kashered
merely by self-cleaning them. (Care should be taken to see that the door of such an oven is totally clean after running the self-cleaning function.)A conventional oven that does not have a self-cleaning function should be thoroughly cleanedwith a caustic cleanser. Careful attention should be paid to removing any rust that may havebuilt up over time. The oven should then sit for a 24-hour period, after which the oven shouldbe set to its highest temperature for at least one hour. Should grease or dirt spots remain, theprocess should be repeated. Any spots remaining after two cleanings may be disregarded.Continuous-clean ovens require the same process as conventional ovens not having self-cleaning functions. Continuous-clean ovens should not have caustic cleaners applied to them. Instead, the continuous clean function is sufficient to clean such ovens. It is not, however, sufficient to
kasher
them. Once the oven is cleaned and 24 hours have elapsed without it being used, it should be run on its highest temperature for an hour.
refrigerators
- Refrigerators and freezers should be washed thoroughly, making sure to reach all areas where
chometz
could have spilled. Special care should be taken to ensure that no
chometz
adheres to the racks or around the rubber gaskets, which often collect crumbs. Allplaces that make contact with hot
chometz
need to be covered. When covering shelves, one may make openings to allow for air circulation.
silverware
- After 24 hours of non-use, spoons, forks, and knives may be
kashered
with
hagalah
, provided they do not have handles. Cutlery with handles, e.g. steak knives, cannot generally be kashered.
sinks
- China and porcelain sinks should be completely lined with contact paper or otherappropriate material. In addition, dishes that are to be washed in such sinks (china orporcelain), must be washed in a
kosher l’Pesach
dishpan and placed on a
kosher l’Pesach
rack.Stainless steel sinks can be
kashered
by the following method: Clean the sink thoroughly, then leave it dry and unused for twenty-four (24) hours. The sink should then be
kashered
by pouring boiling water over every part of it, from the bottom upwards, in a continuous motion.
This should be done from a Pesach kettle/pot. Care should be taken to cover every part of the
drain and the spout of the water faucet, after
kashering
. Due to the fact that pop-up stoppers
are extremely difficult to
kasher
, they should be removed or replaced.
stovetops
- On a gas range, the cast iron or metal grate on which the pots on the range sit, may be inserted into the oven after they have been thoroughly cleaned, and kashered together with the oven. For an electric stovetop, one need only turn on the burners on the highest heat setting until they come to a glow. The knobs with which the gas or electricity is turned on should be cleaned. No other process is necessary to
kasher
the knobs.
tablecloths, towels
- Where it is impossible or costly to purchase new ones, tablecloths and
towels used with
chometz
may both be made suitable for
Peasch
use by laundering them with detergent in hot water.
III.PARTIAL LIST OF KITCHEN ITEMS AND MATERIALS THAT CANNOT BE KASHERED
China, Porcelain, CorningWare, Porcelain-enameled pots, grater (any), Pyrex, knives with plastic handles, Silverstone, Melmac, Stoneware, Mixer, synthetic rubber, plastic, Teflon.
IV. GLOSSARY
arba kosos
– the four obligatory cups of wine that must be consumed at the
seder
. The minimum size of the cups of wine should be adequate to hold three ounces. Each participant at the
seder
should drink more than half the volume of this amount per cup. One incapable of drinking wine may drink grape juice.
bedikas chometz
- the candlelight search for leaven. On Tuesday, April 7th, after 8:13 p.m., all rooms of the house are searched for
chometz
. This search is preceded by a special blessing -
ברוך אתה ה' אלוקינו מלך העולם אשר קידשנו במצותיו וציונו על ביעור חמץ
Borukh Ato Hashem Elokeinu Melekh Ha-olam asher kiddeshanu b’mitzvosav al biur chometz
Blessed are you our G-d Master of the universe who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us on destroying Chametz. It is followed by a special prayer, known as
bitul chometz:
כל חמירא דאיכא ברשותי, דלא חזיתה ודלא ביערתה, ליבטיל ולהוי כעפרא דארעא
Kol chamira d’ika b’rshusi, d’lo chaziteh u’dlo be’artay, l’batul v’l’heavy k’afra d’ara.
Any bread or leavening that is in my possession that I haven’t seen and haven’t destroyed should be nullified and ownerless as the dust of the earth.
beitzah
- the egg placed on the
karah
. It commemorates the Festival Offering that
was brought in the days when the Temple stood.
bitul chometz
- the renunciation of ownership of
chometz
. This is achieved by recitation of a
special “Kol Chamira” formula. One form is recited immediately following the
bedikas chometz
.
An expanded version is normally recited after the
biur chometz
. The text is as follows:
כל חמירא וחמיעא דאיכא ברשותי, דחזיתיה ודלא חזיתיה, דבערתיה ודלא בערתיה, לבטיל ולהוי הפקר כעפרא דארעא
Kol chamira v’chamiya d’ika b’rshusi, d’chaziteh ud’lo chaziteh, d’be’artay u’dlo be’artay, l’batul v’l’heavy k’afra d’ara.
All chametz and leaven that may still be in my domain which I have or have not seen and which I have or have not destroyed or whose existence I have or have no knowledge of, shall be nullified and be deemed null and disowned and deemed valueless like the dust of the earth.
biur chometz
- the destruction of
chometz
that has not been sold, plus the crumbs and containers used in the
bedikas chometz
the night before. In most years the destruction of
chometz
is ordinarily achieved through burning. This year there will be no public burning. Absolutely no one is allowed to make their own fire for the purpose of burning
chometz
.
Before this time a
kezayis
of
chometz
(34 grams) should be broken into crumbs and flushed down the toilet. All paper which contained this
chometz
and all other
chometz
should be doused with bleach and discarded.
The
biur chometz
must take place on Wednesday, April 8th, no later than 11:46 a.m. Following biur
chometz
the bitul formula should be recited.
charoses
- paste made of wine, apples and nuts with the appearance of mortar. It is symbolic of
the bricks our ancestors had to build for Pharaoh in Egypt. It is one of the items placed on the
karah
.
chazeres
- bitter herbs, usually romaine lettuce, placed on the
karah
. It recalls our exile that began in a pleasant manner but ended in bitter slavery. The
chazeres
is eaten together with the
maror
and included in the
korach
sandwich.
chometz
- any of five types of grain (wheat, barley, spelt, rye, and oats) allowed to remain in
contact with water for a period of time before baking.
erev
- eve, day before. Erev Pesach is the day before Passover. This year that date is Wednesday, April 8
th
.
eruv tavshilin
– literally "blending of dishes".
Eruv Tavshilin
is a ritual that permits cooking and food preparation on the second day of the holiday (Friday) for use on Shabbos. Ordinarily on Jewish holidays Jews are permitted to prepare only the foods necessary for that same day. At the same time, Shabbos meals must be prepared before Shabbos begins. When the second day of a holiday is Friday and Shabbos follows immediately at the holiday’s end, like the first two days of Pesach this year, April 10
th
and 11
th
, the Rabbis instituted a special ceremony called
Eruv Tavshilin
to address this problem. One performs
Eruv Tavshilin
before a holiday so that one can prepare food for Shabbos on the holiday. For
Eruv Tavshilin
, symbolically single out food for the Shabbos on the eve of the holiday. Set aside a
matzah
and some cooked food (such as a hard-boiled egg). Then recite the blessing:
“Baruch Atah … Melach HaOlam, Asher Kidishanu B`Mitzvosov, Vitzivanu, Al Mitzvas Eruv”.
The
matzah
and egg should be saved and eaten on Shabbos. Once done, the
eruv
covers all household members and guests.
haggadah
- the book which contains the special liturgy recited at the
seder
meals.
hagalah (hagalas keilim)
- the process by which utensils made of metals, bone, wood, marble, granite and natural rubber are purged of their
chometz
and made suitable for Pesach use. This process, known as
hagalas keilim
, is achieved by fully submerging clean and rust-free utensils, previously used with
chometz
in combination with hot water, in the presence of direct heat, e.g. pots, into a pot containing water heated to a rolling boil. Prior to
hagalah
the utensils being kashered may not be used for a 24-hour period. After being immersed in boiling water, the utensils should be dunked in cold water.
Click here
for Hagalos Keilim instructions at
LMS. The final
Hagalos Keilim is scheduled for Sunday, April 5th from 10 AM through 2 PM.
karah
-
seder
plate. The plate contains six items:
beitzah
,
charoses
,
chazeres
,
karpas
,
maror
, and
zeroah
.
karpas
- vegetable placed on the
karah
. It is symbolic of our potential for growth and rebirth.
kashering
- process(es) by which utensils are rendered fit for Passover use.
Kezayis
– literally “like an olive”.
Kezayis
is the minimum amount of volume of
matzah
and
maror
to be
consumed.
kitniyos
- legumes that can be cooked and baked in a fashion similar to chometz grains, yet are not considered in the eyes of halacha to be in the same category as chometz. Some examples are rice, corn, peas, mustard seed, and the whole bean family (i.e. kidney, lima, garbanzo, etc.). Sefardim eat
kitniyos
on Peasch. Askenazim do not eat kitnyios on Pesach.
koreich
- the
matzah
,
maror
and
charoses
sandwich consumed during the
seder
meals to recall
the ancient instruction of eating the Paschal offering with
matzah
and bitter herbs. The great
sage Hillel introduced this custom.
kosher l’Pesach
- designation indicating that a food, utensil, or establishment is “kosher for
Passover”, or suitable for use on Passover. Make sure when purchasing products for
Pesach
use that they are marked accordingly.
libun
- process for kashering utensils used with
chometz
without hot water, e.g. baking pans.
Two forms of
libun
exist. Basic
libun
, or “libun kal”, requires that the utensil is heated until the
heat penetrates sufficiently throughout the utensil. When paper is placed on such a utensil it will
burn. Thorough
libun
, or “libun gamur”, requires that the utensil is heated until it becomes red
hot. Libun kal is generally achieved by heating up in ovens; libun gamur by use of a blowtorch.
maos chittim
– literally, money for wheat. Also known as
kimcha d’pischa
, these are monies collected for needy individuals. Anyone seeking to fulfill this important
mitzvah
can write a check to LMS Charity Fund and designate it for this purpose or
click here
. All checks should be mailed to the Shul office at 123 Old Lancaster Road, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004-6528. All monies raised will be distributed to needy individuals within our community.
maror
- bitter herbs, usually raw horseradish. These remind us of our “embittered” bondage in
Egypt. At the
seder
a minimum of a
kezayis
of
maror
should be consumed. Practically speaking this is equivalent to 19 grams or 7 ounces of horseradish, 80 square inches (8” by 10”) of lettuce leaves or 15 square inches (3” by 5”) of lettuce stalks.
matzah
- baked flour and water. To be suitable for Passover (kosher l’Pesach) it must be baked in less than 18 minutes. This hastily prepared bread is the kind the Jewish people ate when fleeing Egypt, because they had no time to allow their bread to rise. The opposite of
matzah
is
chometz
. At the
seder
a minimum of a
kezayis
should be consumed. Practically speaking this amount equals one-half of an average, machine-made
matzah
, or one third of a hand-made
matzah
.
mechiras chometz
- the sale to a non-Jew of all leavened products and leaven adhering to utensils prior to Pesach. Please return the attached form to me no later than 9:00 a.m. on
Wednesday, April 8th if you wish for me to act as your agent to sell your
chometz
.
For a form,
click here.
Pesach
- Passover. The Hebrew word refers to when G-d, at the time of the plague of the killing
of the first-born, “passed over” the houses of the Jews and spared them from tragedy.
seder
(sedarim)
- the name of the Passover meal and ceremony conducted on the first two nights of the holiday. The plural in Hebrew is
sedarim
.
siyum bechorim
- festive meal celebrating the conclusion of a Talmudic tractate intended
specifically for first-born males who would otherwise have to fast on the day immediately
preceding the first eve of Pesach.
This year a siyum will be conducted via zoom at 8:00 a.m., Wednesday, April 8th. To join
click here.
zeroah
- shankbone, or chicken neck. The
zeroah
is placed on the
karah
to represent the Paschal Lamb first sacrificed on the eve of the Exodus from Egypt.
V. PRE-PESACH CHECKLIST
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Conclude Pesach cleaning and utensil
kashering
.
Conduct
bedikas chometz
followed by
bitul chometz
after 8:13 p.m.
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Attend
Zoom Siyum Bechorim
at 8:00 a.m.
Submit your
mechiras chometz
to Rabbi Shmidman
before
9:00 a.m.
Stop eating
chometz
by 10:29 a.m.
Conduct
biur chometz
and recite
bitul chometz
prior to 11:46 a.m.
Prepare
Eiruv Tavshilin
Kindle Lights prior to 7:15 p.m.
Seder Preparations
Roast
zeroah
and place it on a burner to create grill marks.
Boil an egg for
beitzah
and place it on a burner to create grill marks.
Check the romaine lettuce (
chazeres
) to assure it is bug-free. Assure a
sufficient amount of lettuce is prepared for
koreich
.
Grind the
charoses
.
Prepare the saltwater in which to dip the
karpas
.
Grind horseradish (
maror
) and place in a sealed receptacle. Assure a
sufficient amount of horseradish is prepared for
koreich
.
Set up
karah
.
Open all
matzah
boxes and wine seals.
Adina and our boys join me in wishing you all a
chag kasher v’semeach
,
Rabbi Avraham Shmidman
