Shmulik Greenberg, burn bread in the family
backyard late Monday morning. Called the Burning
of the Chametz, the tradition is part of ridding
Jewish homes of leavened products in preparation
for Passover, which began at sundown Monday.
As a smell reminiscent of a burning hot dog bun filled his backyard, Rabbi Shmulik Greenberg described the tradition of Burning of the Chametz.
In preparation for Passover, which began at sundown Monday, Jewish homes are cleared of all leavened products. Just tossing the leftover toast in the trash is not enough, explained Greenberg, rabbi of Chabad Lubavitch of Clark County, one of two Jewish congregations in Vancouver.
“It still belongs to us,” he said.
Big Egos Burn with Bread for Passover
Shmulik Greenberg, burn bread in the family
backyard late Monday morning. Called the Burning
of the Chametz, the tradition is part of ridding
Jewish homes of leavened products in preparation
for Passover, which began at sundown Monday.
Clark County, WA — Jewish homes prepare for celebration with Burning of the Chametz
As a smell reminiscent of a burning hot dog bun filled his backyard, Rabbi Shmulik Greenberg described the tradition of Burning of the Chametz.
In preparation for Passover, which began at sundown Monday, Jewish homes are cleared of all leavened products. Just tossing the leftover toast in the trash is not enough, explained Greenberg, rabbi of Chabad Lubavitch of Clark County, one of two Jewish congregations in Vancouver.
“It still belongs to us,” he said.
Burning the bread completely destroys it and makes the household ready for Passover. Passover celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.
The blessing recited as the bread is burned is:
“All leaven or anything leavened which is in my possession, whether I have seen it or not, whether I have observed it or not, whether I have removed it or not, shall be considered nullified and ownerless as the dust of the earth.”
Besides being a simple, practical act, the burning ritual has a deeper meaning, Greenberg said. The leavened products can be seen to represent the overinflated ego while the unleavened bread products, called matzah, represent a person’s humble nature, he said.
“It’s a time to get rid of the bad part of us,” Greenberg said.
Tzivie Greenberg, the co-director of Chabad, said the theme of Passover can be seen as a liberation of the true self and the cleansing of bad habits.
Passover continues for the next eight days, until April 10.
