Dear Friends,                                                                                                        March 18, 2026

​

The Torah instructs us that we are to eat no leavened foods (chametz) during Passover, nor are we to even have those foods in our possession.

​

To fulfill the mitzvah of ridding ourselves of chametz, our custom is two-fold.

​

Most familiar is the pre-Passover cleaning. We perform a deep cleaning of our kitchens and pantries, stoves, and sofa cushions so that all traces of leavened foods are removed. This is often thought of as our Jewish Spring cleaning.

​

But what do we do with our stores of unopened leavened products? Must we rid ourselves of them as well? What will we eat after the holiday is over?

​

The Sages, not wanting to impose an undue burden on the community, developed a labor-saving workaround. Since the Torah states that we are not to have any leavened foods “in our possession,” the practice was established of storing our unopened chametz in a closed closet or cabinet in our home and then symbolically selling that chametz to a non-Jewish neighbor for a token price. That way, the chametz is no longer in our “possession,” and we have fulfilled the Biblical commandment. At the end of Passover, the neighbor “sells” the chametz back to us.

To make the practice of selling your chametz simple, Temple Beth Shalom will sell chametz on behalf of any congregant who wishes us to do so.

​

Please complete and submit the attached form by Monday, March 30, 2026. As your rabbi, I will be your agent for the sale of your chametz.

​

Wishing you a sweet Passover and a wonderful spring!

​

L’hitraot,

Rabbi Karen Tashman

​

Click on this image

to download form -------------->

​

​