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Chametz (alsochometz,ḥametz,ḥameṣ,ḥameç and other spellingstransliterated fromHebrew:חָמֵץ / חמץ;IPA:[χaˈmets]) are foods withleavening agents that are forbidden toJews on the holiday ofPassover.
Chametz is a product that is both made from one of thefive species of grain and has been combined with water and left to stand raw for longer than eighteen minutes (according to most opinions) and becomes leavened. This law appears several times in theTorah; according tohalakha (Jewish law), Jews may not own, eat or benefit fromchametz during Passover. The penalty for eatingchametz on Passover is thedivine punishment ofkareth (cutting off).
The adjectivechametz is derived from the commonSemitic rootḤ-M-Ṣ, relating tobread,leavening, andbaking. The related nounchimutz is the process of leavening or fermenting. It is cognate to theAramaicחמע, "to ferment, leaven" and theArabicحَمْضḥamḍ, "acid",حَمُضَḥamuḍa "to be sour", "to become acidic", "to acidify".[citation needed] This root relates to acidity and sourness in Hebrew as well, as the wordchometz -חומץ - means vinegar, and the wordchamootz -חמוץ - means sour.[1][2]
TheTorah has several commandments governingchametz duringPassover:
The prohibitions take effect around late morning on the eve of Passover, or the 14th of the month ofNisan, in theJewish 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). Traditional Jewish homes spend the days leading up to Passover cleaning and removing all traces ofchametz from the house.
Chametz is a product that is both made from one offive species of grain and has been combined with water and left to stand raw for longer than eighteen minutes (according to most opinions) and becomes leavened.[1][4]
All fruits, grains, and grasses for example naturally adhere wild yeasts and othermicroorganisms. This is the basis of all historic fermentation processes in human culture that were utilized for the production ofbeer,wine,bread andsilage, amongst others.Chametz from the five species is the result of a naturalmicrobial enzymatic activity that is caused by exposing grain starch—which has not beensterilized, i.e. by baking—to water. This causes the dissolved starch to ferment andbreak down into sugars that then become nutrients to the naturally contained yeasts. A typical side effect of thisbiological leavening is the growth of the naturally adhering yeasts in the mixture, which produce gaseouscarbon dioxide fromglycolysis, which causes the fermented dough to rise and become increasingly acidic.[1]
According to theTalmud,chametz can only be present in the five species of grain. Other species are considered not to undergo "leavening" (chimutz), but rather "spoilage" (sirchon), and thus cannot becomechametz.[5]
At least four of the five grains contain high levels ofgluten. The fifth grain (shibolet shual) is translated in Ashkenazi Jewish tradition as "oats" (which are low in gluten), but many modern scholars instead understand it to be a variety ofbarley (high in gluten). If the latter opinion is correct, then all five grains are high in gluten. That suggests that gluten is a necessary component ofchametz, as it holds the dough together while rising, allowing the formation of a fluffy bread loaf.[6]
Leavening agents, such asyeast orbaking soda, are not themselveschametz. Rather, it is the fermented grains. Thus yeast may be used in making wine. Similarly, baking soda may be used in Passover baked goods made withmatzoh meal and inmatzoh balls. Since the matzoh meal used in those foods is already baked, the grain will not ferment. Whether a chemical leavener such as baking soda may be used with flour in makingegg matzoh is disputed among contemporarySephardic authorities.[7] In accordance with those who permit it, cookies made with Passover flour, wine and a chemical leavener (the absence of water would make them similar to egg matzoh under thechametz rules) are marketed in Israel under the name "wine cookies" toSephardim and others who eat egg matzoh on Passover.
The Torah specifies the punishment ofkareth, one of the highest levels of punishment in Jewish tradition, for eatingchametz on Passover (Exodus 12:15).[8] During Passover, eatingchametz is prohibited no matter how small a proportion it is in a mixture although the usual rule is that if less than 1/60 of a mixture is notkosher, the mixture is permitted. If the dilution happened before Pesach, the usual 1/60 rule applies;Ashkenazi Jews apply this leniency only if the mixture is liquid.[9]
Also,hana'ah (any benefit, such as selling) from some forms of non-kosher food is permitted, but no form of benefit may be derived fromchametz during Passover. Mixtures consisting of less than 50%chametz that are not usually consumed by people (such as medicine or pet food—even if perfectly edible) may be owned and used on Passover but may not be eaten.[10]
In addition to the Biblical prohibition of owningchametz, there is also a positive commandment to remove it from one's possession.[11] There are three traditional methods of removingchametz:
It is considered best to use bothbi'ur andbittul to remove one'schametz even though either of these two methods is enough to fulfill one's biblical requirement to destroy it.[14]Mechirah, which averts the prohibition of ownership, is an alternative to destruction.
In many Jewish communities, the rabbi signs a contract with each congregant, assigning the rabbi as an agent to sell theirchametz.[15] The practice is convenient for the congregation and ensures that the sale is binding by both Jewish and local law.
Forchametz owned by theState of Israel, which includes its state companies, theprison service and the country's stock of emergency supplies, theChief Rabbinate act as agent; during the 2000s, the Rabbinate sold itschametz to Jaaber Hussein, a hotel manager residing inAbu Ghosh, who puts down a deposit of 20,000 shekels forchametz worth an estimated $150 million.[16]
According tohalakha (Jewish law), ifchametz is found duringShabbat orYom Tov, it must be covered over untilChol HaMoed, when it can be burned.Chametz found during Chol HaMoed (except on Shabbat) should be burned immediately.
After the holiday, there is a special law known aschametz she'avar alav haPesach (chametz that was owned by a Jew during Pesach). Suchchametz must be burned, since no benefit is allowed to be derived from it, not even by selling it to a non-Jew.Chametz she'avar alav haPesach may not be eaten by Jews after Pesach. If a store owned by a Jew is known not to have sold itschametz, a Jew may not buy any from that store until enough time has passed in which it can be assumed that the inventory has changed over since Pesach.
Because of the Torah's severity regarding the prohibition ofchametz, many communities have adopted stringencies not biblically required as safeguards from inadvertent transgression.
Among Ashkenazi Jews, the custom during Passover is to refrain not only from products of the five grains but alsokitniyot (lit. small things), which refers to other grains or legumes. Traditions of what is consideredkitniyot vary from community to community but generally includerice,corn,lentils, andbeans. Many includepeanuts as well.[17]
The custom ofkitniyot is observed by Ashkenazi Jews. Some Sephardi Jews from Spain and North Africa (for example, Moroccan Jews) have different restrictions, such as avoiding rice during Pesach. In recent years, there is some movement amongConservative as well as some Orthodox Ashkenazi Jews to cease to observe the tradition ofkitniyot.[18]
Matzo is generally made from flour and water. If made from flour and a different liquid, such as fruit juice or eggs, it is not consideredchametz. Ashkenazi custom is generally to avoid such products, in case some water was mixed into the liquid, which could cause the mixture to becomechametz.[19] This product is known as "egg matzo" or "enriched matzo".
At Passover, someHasidic Jews will not eat matzo that has become wet, including matzo balls and other matzo meal products although it cannot becomechametz.[20] Such products are calledgebrochts (Yiddish: broken), referring to the broken or ground matzo used for baking or cooking. Instead of matzo meal, they usepotato starch in cakes and other dishes. TheHebrew term forgebrochts ismatzah sh'ruyah (Hebrew:מצה שרויה, soaked matzo), but outside Israel, the Yiddish name is usually the one that is used.
