Basic Halachic Guidance For Pesach 5780, Reviewed By Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky

Reviewed By Maran Harav Shmuel Kamenetsky

Lichvod all our dear B’nei Hakehilla,

I hope this letter finds you all in good health. We are currently in trying times, and the nisayon we are all faced with is multi-faceted. One of the elements of the nisayon is the fact that the monumental task of making Pesach at home has been thrust upon many of us unexpectedly.

We are also faced with limited ability to shop, tovel keilim & access many of the conveniences which typically aid those who make Pesach. Some of us rely on outside help with koshering and cleaning which is unavailable to us this year. And many of us have little children at home which confounds our efforts.
In an effort to address the many facets of the Pesach preparation, I compiled a list of the most basic fundamentals of preparing for Pesach, and tried to address some of the potential issues which are unique to this year’s situation.

As is common with inyanei halacha, there may be divergent opinions and shitos, and as always “nahara, nahara u’pashtei”. These halachos were reviewed via phone (and edited) by the Rosh Yeshiva – Mori V’Rabi Maran Harav Shmuel Kamenetsky shlit”a, and reflect his halachic opinions. Hopefully this will aid with the avoda of preparing for Pesach.

With tefillos for rachmei shamayin and hope for yeshuos & besuros tovos,

Daniel Osher Kleinman

Cleaning for Pesach:

Where

1. The obligation to clean for Pesach only applies to areas which you are liable to have entered with chometz. Therefore, if you’re careful never to bring food to certain rooms, i.e. bedrooms, clothes closets, bathroom etc.; those places are exempt from a thorough cleaning, however it is kedai to do a cursory cleaning.
2. In homes with little children who are liable to bring chometz to all areas, the entire house needs to be cleaned.

3. Areas which you plan on selling in the mechiras chometz can be exempted from the cleaning.

4. If you sometimes eat while learning, any sefarim which you may use on Pesach must be shaken out of chometz. Any sefarim which you will not use on Pesach need not be cleaned.

5. Vehicles must be cleaned

6. Pockets of any clothing which may be worn on Pesach must be cleaned.

7. Offices, classrooms, vacation homes etc. should be sold in the mechiras chometz.

What

1. Areas which will not be used for eating or food storage on Pesach only need to be cleaned of significant pieces of chometz. There is no Halachic requirement to clean & remove crumbs in these areas.

2. Areas which will be used for eating (i.e. Kitchen & Dining Room, tables, chairs etc.) or food storage (Pantry, Cabinets, Fridge/Freezer) or Pesach utensils (Cabinets, Drawers) must be cleaned very well to ensure the removal of any vestiges of chometz.
3. Any chometz which cannot be totally removed should be sprayed with a cleaning agent until it is totally inedible [בלכ תליכאל יואר ו יא].

Preparing the Kitchen

1. It is recommended to line the shelves of pantries, cabinets, drawers, fridge & freezer (i.e. with paper, silver foil etc.).

2. Countertops & backsplash must be lined well.

3. Tables should be cleaned thoroughly and covered with a double covering.

4. High chairs should be thoroughly cleaned and covered well.

5. Towels, tablecloths, bibs etc. should be washed with detergent & may be used Pesach.

6. Heavy appliances – i.e. oven, fridge & freezer – need not be moved to clear chometz from underneath if they were in place and haven’t been moved from before Purim. Clean underneath as far as you can reach.

7. Benchers from all year round should be checked thoroughly to ensure that there is absolutely no food stuck to them. It is preferable to have Pesachdike bentchers.

8. Garbage cans should be cleaned.

Tevilas Keilim

1. It is not so safe to go to keilim mikva’os as the surfaces may be contaminated. In fact many keilim mikvaos are closed. Therefore for tevilas keilim you should go to the bay, and tovel in the ocean water. The bay can be easily accessed via Burnett St. off Ave. U. Opposite the courtyard of the apartment building there is a path to the water (right behind the guardrail). The area is open, quiet & safe.

2. B’sha’as hadchak, i.e. if you have no access to a natural body of water fit for tevila within a 72 minute drive from your home, you can sell a share in the k’li to a non-jew, thus exempting the k’li from tevila.

3. B’sha’as hadchak gadol if you cannot do any of the aforementioned options, you can be mafkir the keilim in front of three people and then use without tevila. This is only b’sha’as

hadchak gadol where one of the other options are absolutely unfeasible.

Kashering

1. Sink basins

Stainless steel/Aluminum:

A. Kashering & no sink insert:

a. Don’t use sink with hot chametz for 24 hrs.

b. Boil water in a pot which is kosher l’Pesach.

c. Dry the sink, then pour the boiling hot water directly from the pot over all areas of the sink. The water must directly hit all areas of the sink, including the walls.

d. The pot does not need to be kashered afterwards.

B. Sink insert:

a. When using a sink insert or lining the entire sink with silver foil etc no koshering

is necessary.

Ceramic/Enamel:

A. Cannot be kashered. Use sink insert or line the entire sink with silver foil etc.
2.
Sink Faucets & Knobs

A. Boil water in a kashered pot & pour over the faucet.

B. The faucet filter should be kashered as well by pouring boiling water on it.

C. Sink knobs should be thoroughly cleaned

3. Gas stove top

A. Grates should be kashered in a self-clean oven.

B. If you don’t have a self-clean oven, you can kasher the grates by covering them with a blech or pot & burning them on the highest flame for 10-15 minutes. DON’T
KASHER MORE THAN 1 BURNER AT A TIME WITH THIS METHOD, IT CAN BE A FIRE HAZARD.

C. Stovetop burners need not be kashered, it is sufficient to clean them thoroughly.

D. Stovetop surface should be cleaned & covered well. DO NOT COVER THE HOLES OF THE EXAUST VENT FROM THE OVEN (usually by the back of the stovetop).

E. Knobs should be thoroughly cleaned.

4. Electric stove top

A. Turn on coils to their highest setting for 10-15 minutes. No covering is necessary while burning the coils.

B. Stovetop surface should be cleaned & covered well.

5. Ovens

A. Self-clean: Run a full self-clean cycle and the oven is Kosher L’Pesach.

B. Non Self-clean

a. Clean the oven well.

b. Heat to the highest temperature.

c. Once the oven hits the highest temperature it should burn for a 1/2 hour.

6. Oven Racks

A. Kasher them in a self-clean oven

B. If you don’t have a self-clean oven you must cover the racks for Pesach.

7. Oven Knobs

Oven Knobs should be cleaned thoroughly.

8. Oven Hood

An oven hood should be cleaned thoroughly.

9. Urns

An urn may be kashered by pouring boiling hot water over the entire spout area.

10. Hot Plate & Crockpot

A. A hot plate may be used if cleaned thoroughly & covered well by multiple layers of silver foil.

B. Crockpots: Most crockpot inserts are made of ceramic or porcelain and therefore cannot be kashered. If it is made of metal it can be kashered and its base should be cleaned well & covered thoroughly.

11. Silver cups (Bechers)

Bechers which are used year-round and will be used on Pesach should be kashered.

12. Baby bottles, nipples & accessories

Baby bottles, nipples and accessories which come into contact with hot chometz (i.e. in the sink) cannot be kashered. Thus, one should have different ones for Peach.

13. Chometzdike Keilim & the Breakfront

A. Keilim which weren’t kashered for Pesach should be covered & obstructed, or put in a place designated for mechiras chometz.

B. If the breakfront has silver which is used year-round and hasn’t been kashered for Pesach, its shelves should be obstructed.

Mechiras Chometz

1. Appointing a shaliach

You may appoint a Rav via phone or email to be a shaliach to sell you chometz.

2. Chometz Gamur

3. Chometz in the fridge/freezer

Chometz in the fridge or freezer which is sold in the mechira should be sealed off and well obstructed, and the place of the chometz should be included in the mechira.

Cosmetics & Medications

1. Medications which contain chometz which isn’t fit for consumption [הליכאל יואר וניא] it is permitted on Pesach. In a situation of medications containing potentially edible chometz, a competent halachic authority should be consulted.

2. Solid, tasteless vitamins which contain chometz that isn’t fit for consumption are permitted on Pesach.

3. Creams, soaps, shampoos & cosmetics etc. which contain chometz which are not fit for consumption, are permitted on Pesach.

Kitniyos, Processed foods & Gebroks

1. Baby formula which is made of kitniyos and has no equivalent alternative may be used on Pesach.

2. Many people have the custom not to use processed foods on Pesach. In the event that someone is faced with making Pesach for the first time and is strapped and overwhelmed by the workload, they may be makil to use processed foods. No hataras nedarim is necessary.

Ta’anis Bechorim, Bi’ur Chametz & Miscellaneous Erev Pesach Halachos

1. Bechorim should make a siyum on a mesechta of mishnayos. No minyan is necessary for the siyum. A siyum via telephone is very questionable.

2. A bechor who cannot make or attend a siyum may rely on Rav Henkin who rules that a bechor may redeem the ta’anis by giving tzedaka equivalent to the value of his daily food intake.

3. Many government municipalities are prohibiting fires for bi’ur chometz, and we have an obligation to be sensitive to their needs. Therefore this year bi’ur chometz should be done via breaking a k’zayis of chometz into little pieces and flushing them down the toilet.
4. All garbage with chometz should be brought to the curb before the z’man biur chometz. Make sure there are no substantial pieces (larger than a k’zayis) of edible chometz remaining in your garbage cans.

Matza & Maror

1. If there are any shortages of hand shmura matza, one may use machine shmura matza regardless of his usual custom. No hataras nedarim is necessary.

2. One of the symptoms of Coronavirus is a loss of the sense of taste. Even if you lost your sense of taste, you may still make the brachos “al achilas matza” & “al achilas maror.”

{Matzav.com}