Can you use a flashlight for Bedikat chametz?

It is best to use a candle to illuminate the areas; however, it is perfectly acceptable to use a flashlight or other light source.

Can you eat before Bedikat chametz?

If it is too difficult to fast until after Bedikat Chametz, it is permissible to snack before beginning the bedikah.

Why is chametz forbidden?

In Hebrew, that rising grain is called chametz. The Bible bans it during Passover as a reminder that when the Israelites fled Egypt, they left with unrisen dough in their packs. So these grains can be used to make matzo, aka unleavened bread, as long as the baking process is under 18 minutes.

Why do we burn the chametz?

The removal of chametz commemorates the exodus from slavery in Egypt, when the Jews left the land of the pharaoh with unleavened bread called matzoh. Jews cannot possess or have the food products inside their homes during Passover.

Can you eat chametz on Friday?

After completing the search, we recite the first kol chamira, a text found in any haggadah or Passover prayer book. We recite this passage to nullify any chametz that may not have been found. Chametz to be eaten on Friday and Shabbos is stored in a safe place, where it will not get mixed with the Pesach foods.

Why can’t Jews eat chametz?

On Passover, observant Jews shirk food that is leavened, called chametz, like bread and pasta. Instead, they eat matzah, a flat, crumbly cracker that is poorly suited for sandwiches. Thus, chametz represents that swelling of ego that enslaves the soul more than any external prison.”

When can you not eat chametz?

The prohibitions take effect around late morning on the eve of Passover, or the 14th of the month of Nisan, in the Jewish calendar. Chametz is permitted again from nightfall after the final day of Passover, which is the 21st day of the month and the last of the seven days of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 13:6).

Can you burn chametz on Shabbat?

When this night is a Friday, the search for chametz takes place one night earlier (on the 13th), since use of a candle and the act of burning chametz are forbidden on Shabbat.

What time can you not eat chametz?

Chametz may not be consumed after “the fourth hour,” on the eve of Passover, which is approximately 10:40 a.m. in New York City; check the OU Guide to Passover or consult your local Orthodox rabbi for the time in your area.

Is rice a chametz?

One of the prime ingredients used in making just about all of the items discussed above is “glucose” (a.k.a. sugar), and glucose can be created from any starch, which means that these items may be wheat (chametz), corn or rice (kitniyot), sweet potatoes (kosher for Pesach) or something else, depending on what is …

What is the meaning of the word chametz?

noun Hebrew. a food forbidden for use by Jews during the festival of Passover, especially a baked food, as bread or cake, made with leaven or a leavening agent. a dish, kitchen utensil, or the like used in preparing or serving such food and similarly forbidden for use during Passover. “Epidemic” vs. “Pandemic”: What Do These Terms Mean?

When do you search for chametz before Passover?

Bedikat Chametz. On the night before Passover, a final “ceremonial search” for chametz is performed by candlelight by the entire family. This search is called bedikat chametz ( בְּדִיקַת חָמֵץ) and there is an old custom that ten pieces of chametz are to be “hidden” in the rooms before they are searched.

What’s the difference between se’or and chametz?

Chametz is food and is edible. You can serve and eat chametz (and often want to!). On the other hand, nobody eats se’or, which is inedible fermented grain which has the function of fermenting other dough. What’s wrong with Chametz?

When to remove chametz in a Jewish Home?

In most Jewish homes the process of cleaning begins weeks before Pesach when the house is scoured from top to bottom to remove all traces of chametz. On the night before Passover, a final “ceremonial search” for chametz is performed by candlelight by the entire family.