Breads and cookies. Photo: wiki commons.

Chabad – Chametz means “leavened grain.” On Passover, not only do we not eat chametz, we mustn’t even own it. If a food or drink contains even a trace of wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt or their derivatives, and wasn’t guarded from leavening or fermentation—it’s chametz. Which means that any processed food or drink today can be assumed to be chametz unless certified otherwise.

Problem is, our homes are infested with the stuff. That’s why we go on a full spring-cleaning search-and-destroy mission during the weeks before Passover. We attack any and all areas where food may enter (don’t bother with places where food never comes). We move the furniture, oven and fridge; search beneath the sofa cushions; and wipe chairs, cupboards and bookshelves clean. Then there’s the office, the coat pockets and the car.

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