Making Sense: What Really Needs to Be Cleaned for Passover?

Every year my husband and I argue about the level of cleaning needed for Passover. He says I go overboard with the cleaning, while I'm just cleaning the way I saw in my parents' home. I would appreciate if the Rabbi could guide us on this question: What and how much should we clean?

It is a positive commandment from the Torah to remove chametz before the time it becomes forbidden to eat, as it says (Exodus 12:15): "On the first day you shall remove leaven from your homes." The Sages instituted checking and searching for chametz in one's home and property at the beginning of the night of the 14th of Nisan (this year falls on Sunday night), so that if chametz is found - it can be eliminated before the time it becomes forbidden.

The early authorities wrote that one should clean and sweep the rooms of the house thoroughly before the time of checking for chametz. We will now focus on the practical details rather than the sources to provide useful guidance, especially for the righteous women who labor and toil in cleaning the house during these days.

Passover Cleaning vs. Spring Cleaning

First, we must distinguish between cleaning required by Jewish law and regular spring cleaning that can be left for other times. Often, excessive cleaning causes housewives to fail to properly fulfill the mitzvot of the Seder night, such as eating matzah, which is a positive commandment from the Torah in our time. The entire night becomes different from all other nights in that on this night, the woman finds herself falling asleep at the table right at the beginning of Kiddush.

How Should We Clean According to Jewish Law?

Polishing bedroom windows – The thorough cleaning of windows that takes several hours or days can definitely be left for Chanukah or another time, and there is no religious reason to clean them thoroughly before Passover. Nevertheless, regular light cleaning with some cleaning materials should be done, especially in children's rooms where chametz is likely to be found.

Whitewashing walls – This can also be skipped before Passover. Although the Ben Ish Chai wrote that there is value in whitewashing walls before Passover, other authorities have written that those who do so because of custom, and it doesn't involve excessive effort - that's fine. But those who do it without following a tradition, just to have freshly painted walls for Passover – it is definitely advisable to postpone this to a less hectic time.

Books – Some people remove dozens or hundreds of books from their bookshelves and spend many hours "cleaning books," while the majority ruling of authorities in practical terms is that books do not need to be checked, except for prayer books and benchers which must be cleaned or sold to a non-Jew. (Even those who are strict about this following the opinion of the Chazon Ish z"l should cover the books and include them in the sale of chametz to a non-Jew; merely shaking out the books will not suffice).

Washing a new tallit – Sometimes a housewife washes five or six prayer shawls, which takes a lot of time, especially since experience shows that people usually remember this at the last minute. One should know that dirt and stains are not considered chametz, and neither is oil. Therefore, one who cannot wear such a tallit during the holiday should follow one of these good suggestions:

a. A wise person acts thoughtfully - clean the tallit as early as this coming Sunday, and don't wait until the pressured time before the holiday, especially since a dirty tallit can sometimes cause a desecration of Hashem's name, and the Rambam has ruled that a Torah scholar should wear clean clothing.

b. If the tallit is usable even from an aesthetic perspective but you still desire cleanliness, send it to dry cleaning if you can afford it; otherwise, wait for another time.

Oven not used during Passover – Requires regular cleaning but doesn't need to be cleaned until the manufacturer's logo is no longer visible. If you use the oven during Passover, since there is a disagreement among authorities on this matter, you should consult a qualified rabbinical authority.

Rabbi Shai Amar is a rabbi in Hidabroot's Halacha department

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