Kasher L’Pesach — Rabbi Jon’s Guide to Kosher for Passover 5784 (2024)
(Including — How Not to Overspend Because You Can Actually Buy Many Regular Things)
During Pesach, there are two practices around food: we eat matzah, and we rid our diets and our homes of chametz, anything leavened. The Torah says that we must eat matzah on the first day of Pesach, but avoid chametz throughout the festival.
Matzah, according to the Torah, is both the bread eaten by slaves and the bread of the first moments of freedom, baked on the run out of Egypt when there was no time for bread to rise. Chametz (leavened or fermented grain) symbolizes what is old and spoiled, in our lives and our world. The Exodus from Egypt is the Torah’s rejection of old but still tenacious ideas about the oppressive power some people wield over others. In biblical times, Pesach was a festival when grain from the previous year’s harvest would be swept out, and we would begin eating grain that is fresh and new. Thus in Jewish thought, the fermented chametz came to be understood as a symbol of decay in a metaphorical sense. Chasidic teachings compare chametz and matzah to characteristics of our soul. Chametz represents arrogance and a self-centered attitude — being “puffed up”, as we say in English. Matzah stands for humility, simplicity, and a sense of proportion.
There are only five species of grain that matzah can be made from or that can become chametz: wheat, barley, rye, oats, or spelt. Matzah can be made of any of these, and any other form of them is chametz.
The halachot (Jewish ways, paths, or laws) regarding what may or may not be eaten on Pesach are meant to remind us through our bodies and mouths that we all are descended from freed slaves, and that we are all every day seeking continued redemption and renewal.
If eating Kosher for Passover is new or new-ish for you, think about how you could avoid eating bread, pasta, cereal, pizza and the like during the festival. It’s actually not particularly difficult to create a unique week of eating that is both delicious and spiritually rewarding.
For those following the traditional practices, this year’s guidance is as always based on the teachings of Conservative Judaism’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards as I interpret them, as well as other Jewish religious authorities with knowledge of how food items are manufactured and processes. This year’s guidance also reflects continued limits on supplies of many foods in our region, which while not as severe as during the height of the pandemic does contiue.
There are two main ways to make the observance of Pesach simpler, as well as less costly:
Fruits and vegetables, fish and meat and poultry, even plain rice and dry beans (see below) require no special kosher certification ever. Indeed, a week spent simplifying what we eat and paying close attention to our food and where it comes from opens a window on the many choices we face as we eat throughout the rest of the year.
For those who are interested in the ins-and-outs of kosher certification, read on further in the guide.
If you have any questions about food during Pesach, or how to prepare your home for Pesach, please do not hesitate to call me (even from the store!) at (603) 809-9736.
Wishing you a zissen (sweet) and kosher Pesach,
Rabbi Jon
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Where to Find Matzah, Kosher Meat and Poultry Nearby
Many local supermarkets carry matzah and at least a small number of Passover items. Make sure to thank the management for stocking these items so they will continue to do so in the future!
Hannaford, especially in Nashua and Manchester, carries a good variety of Passover products including matzah, matzah meal, snacks, salad dressings, and kosher grape juice.
Market Basket in many places stocks matzah and other Passover products.
Trader Joe’s in South Nashua and Bedford has kosher meat/chicken, Israeli feta cheese, and wine available. Contact them in advance to place orders for meat/chicken since quantities this time of year might be limited. Try not to buy meat/chicken too many days in advance even if the use-by date is far off, or freeze if you do.
Stop and Shop in Chelmsford and Lexington, MA has the largest Passover section with a variety of treats, snacks, tomato sauces, and soda. Matzah tends to be cheaper at Stop and Shop than at Hannaford.
New Hampshire State Liquor Store in Nashua at Exit 6 carries some kosher wines.
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The following is particularly valuable as a guide to which regular, year-round products can be purchased so as not to pay a “Pesach premium.” Any food not listed here specifically can be eaten if it has a Kosher for Passover certification from a qualified rabbi or supervising organization.
What about kitniyot (legumes, rice, beans, etc.)?
Recently the Conservative Movement’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards approved a change in the practice for Ashkenazim (Jews of Eastern European descent). It has been a long-standing custom for Ashkenazim to avoid these foods on Pesach, even though they bear only a passing resemblance to chametz. Sephardim (Jews whose origin traces back to Spain and the Mediterranean) have always eaten kitniyot. The Conservative movement now permits Ashkenazim to eat kitniyot and recommends it especially this year in order to make observance of the laws of Pesach easier. Read further for more specifics.
Foods you can purchase before or during Pesach without any Kosher certification at all:
(Explanation: These are items with no chametz in them or in their manufacture and processing.)
For those who eat kitniyot (legumes and rice) during Pesach, these may also be eaten without certification if purchased before or during the holiday. They should be inspected before use and any grains of chametz discarded:
Foods you can purchase before or during Pesach without special Kosher for Passover certification but with regular Kosher certification:
(Explanation: These are items that involve more processing, but are known from supervision to have no chametz in their manufacture.)
Foods you should purchase preferably before Pesach without Kosher for Passover certification, but may also purchase during Pesach without a Kosher for Passover certification. (Explanation: These are items which may have at most traces of chametz in their additives or processing. Before Pesach begins, the ta’arovet chametz or “mixing in of chametz” is considered to be batel b’shishim, nullified by sixty times its quantity.)
For those who do eat kitniyot:
Medicine — Although many medications are made with binders derived from kitniyot and even chametz, the preservation of life (pikuach nefesh) and health are overriding principles. Medicines can and should be taken during Pesach as needed.
Baby food and infant formula — For those who adhere to the restrictions on kitniyot (legumes), these restrictions do not apply to infants. Pure fruit or vegetable baby food with regular kosher certification is acceptable for Pesach. Any kosher infant formula is as well.
Diet restrictions — If you do not eat grains, or if you have any condition or allergy that makes eating on Pesach difficult, please be in touch. I am happy to consult and advise.