Chametz
Chametz is any food product derived of wheat, barley,
rye, oats, spelt or its derivative.
During Passover there is a Biblical obligation to get rid of chametz: "You shall
eat nothing leavened, in all your settlements you shall eat unleavened
bread." (Ex. 12:20)
Another place mentioned in the Torah implies communal responsibility for the destruction of chametz: "Throughout
the seven days [of Passover]
no leavened bread shall be found with you, and no leaven shall be found
in all your territory." (Ex.
13:7)
The prohibition extends throughout all eight days
of Passover (seven in Israel)
and matzah is used as a replacement.
Sources: Telushkin, Joseph. Biblical
Literacy: The Most Important People, Events, and Ideas of the Hebrew
Bible. NY: William Morrow and Co., 1997. |