All of us know the basic story of Passover. There are things that may not be common knowledge.
Let’s start with a trivia question
How many times is Moses mentioned in the Haggadah?
Answer: Zero, Any ideas as to why?
Chabad offers a beautiful answer: Talking about Moses fixes the Exodus as a point in history. But Passover is not about what was. It is about what is, now.
Another explanation is that Midrash teaches us that Moses was the humblest among men (a fact not supported by the Moses of the Torah) and so the authors of the traditional Haggadah respect that fact.
Why does Ashkenazi tradition ban legumes and corn during Passover?
Hametz comes from five grains that can be used to bake Passover Matza: wheat, barley, rye, oats, and spelt.
In the 13th century, Rabbis in France prohibited consumption during Passover of legumes such rice, millet and beans. collectively known as kitniot. The actual reason is lost to history. Possibly, they were trying to erect a “fence” around the prohibited items (in the way that the prohibition of meat and milk is expanded to include poultry and milk). Possibly they feared people may confuse these ingredients with hametz. More likely, they were traditionally stored with hametz and so they may mix with traces of the forbidden leavened grains, While Ashkenazi Jews have largely adopted the ban, Sephardim for the most part have not.
This is an issue of tradition, not Torah commandment or Rabbinic law. Rabbis make the argument that tradition, especially a 700-year-old custom has the effect of law. In recent years, many Conservative and even some orthodox rabbis have argued that it is time to lift the ban. In 2015, the conservative movement made this into in optional practice.
Curiously, corn also falls under this prohibition. The 13th century Rabbis could not have known about corn as it came from North America which wasn’t discovered yet! When corn was imported into Europe in later centuries, by coincidence corn is the Yiddish word for rye! And so as not to cause confusion, corn joined the list of prohibited kitniot. I remember in my family’s Jewish bakery in Brooklyn, large round loaves labelled “corn bread” were actually made with rye flour!
What about Quinoa? Like corn, it is native to to the western Hemisphere so the medieval rabbis would not have known about it. Orthodox rabbis are divided. According to the Israeli Chief Rabbinate it falls under the classification of kitniot. According to the Orthodox Union in America, it is permitted.
Coffee is an interesting subject. In early 20th century America, there was an argument as to whether coffee beans were berries or legumes. A panel of Rabbis sponsored by (you guessed it — Maxwell House) determined that coffee was a berry and so is fit to drink on Passover. Maxwell House then had the first Kosher for Passover coffee introduced in 1923 (before that, observant Jews had to settle for tea) and in 1932 began the custom of distributing the Maxwell House Haggadah,
Blood libels
For Jews in medieval Europe (and even in the small communities remaining in Arab lands today) Passover was and is a time of great fear.
There are several reasons: (1) Proximity to Easter – blame the Jews for rejecting Jesus (2) claim that Jews used the blood of Christian children to bake Matzah, or that their red wine was really the blood of Christian children.
The first recorded blood libel was in Alexandria Egypt in 40 BCE.
The first recorded blood libel in Europe was in 12th century England, particularly in Norwich and spread to France and then to Spain and Eastern Europe where the libel found fertile ground. Blood libels were prominent in the 17th century Chmielnicki Revolt in Poland, Rabbenu a leading commentator to the Shulchan Aruch ruled that in light of the danger, white wine may be used in place of red wine.
While blood libels declined in modern times, they have periodically reappeared, most notable; 1840 Damascus and 1903 Kishinev Pogrom in Russia,
Selling Chametz
Observant Jews must dispose of all chametz in their possession, including dishes, cocking utensils. etc., that have come in contact with chametz. This is an actual legal contract, selling the chametz to a non-Jew and reclaiming (“buying back”) after the holiday. In kosher establishments, especially in restaurants or supermarkets, if they are open during the holiday, the chametz must be in a sealed room or covered on the shelves and be “ off limits”.
For private homes and businesses. sale of chametz is generally handled through a Rabbi as intermediary. In Israel, the government, institutions. industries, etc. each sell chametz to a select prominent Christian or Moslem Arab. It is considered a great honor. There was once an embarrassing incident where for decades the Jerusalem municipality sold its chametz to a representative of an Arab family from Abu Ghosh. It turned out that he had a Jewish maternal grandmother! So, for years, the municipality was unknowingly selling its chametz to someone who was technically halachically Jewish.
Preparing the house For Passover (Spring cleaning on steroids)
During the month before Passover, observant Jews need to assure that their house and all possessions are free of chametz prior to the holiday. Everything is thoroughly inspected, including each article of clothing (to assure that no crumbs remain in any pockets, etc.). Food containing chametz is either given away or “sold” (see above). Dishes and utensils that are used the rest of the year are ceremonially sold and preferably locked away. Once a room is cleaned and declared “Pesachdik” (free of chametz), and no non Pesachdik food is permitted until after the holiday. Stoves are koshered by running for at least an hour at the highest temperature, Microwave ovens must be run for more than 20 minutes with a bowl of water.
Bedikat chametz
The evening prior to the Seder, a final check of the house is made for any left-over crumbs. Some families deliberately leave a few crumbs behind to assure that the search is thorough (a “quality control” measure). The search is traditionally performed with a candle for illumination and a feather to sweep up the remaining crumbs. Then the crumbs are burned, and the house is declared chametz free.
Not all matzah are treated equal
There is matzah and then there is Matzah Shmura, handmade, rough round shaped. Regular matzah is machine made, square shaped.
Regular or machine-made matzah is only watched from the time of grinding of the grain until the baking to assure that no water and heat causes unwanted fermentation or leavening that would render it unkosher for Passover use,
Matzah Shmura (guarded matzah) is hand made, and everything from the actual harvest of the grain to the grinding, to the rolling of the dough by hand to the baking is closely inspected, The water used for the dough is well water (mayim shelanu — water that has “slept”) that is guarded overnight to assure that it cools down, traditionally drawn at sundown (believed to minimize sediment). Once the flour is mixed with water, the matzah must be fully baked within 18 minutes, baked at 1300 degrees in a coal or wood fired oven for 20 seconds. Between every 18-minute baking cycle, every tool and work surface must be carefully cleaned to remove any left-over dough. This labor-intensive matzah costs upwards of $20 for a one pound — 7-piece box. Matzah Shmura baked the day before Passover can cost upwards of $60 a box ($9 per piece!),
Many orthodox Jews use Matzah Shmura for the Passover seder and regular matzah for the holidays. More stringent (or wealthier) Jews may eat only matzah Shmura during the holidays.
What about egg matzah? Most orthodox Ashkenazi Jews would not eat egg matzah during the holidays, considering that the addition of egg and milk into the flour and water mixture renders the matzah as leavened. Exceptions are made for the elderly, inform, or children that cannot digest regular matzoh. Sephardic practice is generally more lenient, although it varies from congregation to congregation.
Agricultural origins of Passover
Passover is one of the three pilgrimage festivals introduced in the Torah. All three had pre-Israelite agricultural roots:
- Passover (Hag HaAviv — Spring Holiday): Beginning of the barley harvest, first sheaves brought to the Temple as an offering
Until the sacrifice was brought, It was forbidden to eat from the new crop, Cleaning out the old grain products to make room for the new and fresher grain corresponds to present day pre Passover arduous housecleaning to rid the house of hametz. During the holiday of Passover, no hametz, only matzoh is eaten, made from a portion of last year’s crop that was kept protected from dampness.
- Shavuot (Hag HaKatzir — ripening festival, Hag HaBikurim — holiday Of the first fruits)
Wheat connects Passover to Shavuot. Traditional Jews “Count the Omar” — seven weeks after Passover to the beginning of Shavuot. In the land of Israel, usually the winter rains have ended by now so it is now the correct time after the barley harvest to cut wheat and tend the summer fruit crops,
Why do we eat dairy foods during Shavuot? After the winter rains, the cows and goats have an abundance of milk.
- Succoth: The annual agricultural cycle ended in the fall on Succot (Hag HaAsif— Harvest Festival) marking the final harvest before the winter rains,
And in closing
Contrary to popular belief, “The Last Supper” as popularized in Michelangelo’s famous painting; was not the Passover Seder. The Seder did not come into being until after the destruction of the Temple in 70 ACE, where it replaced the sacrifice of the Pascal lamb. Compilation of the Haggadah as a distinct book (or rather codex) did not appear until around 1000 ACE.
Cary Hillebrand was born and raised in Brooklyn. After university (Stony Brook University School of Engineering) Cary went on aliya to Israel. Inducted into the IDF, he performed military service in the Israel Air Force followed by countless tours of reserve duty. In civilian life, he worked for many years on operations and control systems for regional and municipal water systems, both in Israel and in the US. Retired, Cary resides in Cherry Hill with his family, remaining active in the Jewish community. In the past, he chaired Adult Education at M’kor Shalom and then Lifelong Learning at Adath Emanuel. Cary’s interests and hobbies include hiking, reading, Jewish studies, and keeping up on current events. A secular humanist Jew, Cary has a passion for Torah study (go figure!).
Cary can be reached at carycnb@outlook.com
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