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KosherQuest is a free service. All our work is accomplished through your donations. This year more than ever, KosherQuest, needs your support. Click here to to donate today! 1 PASSOVER - PESACH APRIL 2020 - NISAN 5780 2 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS sell their Chometz for Pesach, but Chometz on Pesach ...............................................................................3 prefer to dispose of it instead. The Kitniyos & Matzo Ashira ........................................................................3 following are actual Chometz: bread, Bitul of Chometz .....................................................................................4 cake, cereal made from wheat, oats Consumption of Chometz .................................................................... 5 or barley, cookies, farfel mix, some licorice, pasta, pretzels, rolled oats, Selling Of Chometz ................................................................................5 wheat gluten, wheat protein. Some Chometz She’avar Alav Hapesach ......................................................5 have the same custom concerning Kashering Utensils .................................................................................6 beer and whiskey. Erev Pesach ..............................................................................................7 STANDARDS OF KASHRUS Fast of the First Born ..............................................................................7 With over 1,000 Kosher certifying Eating on Erev Pesach ...........................................................................7 agencies and individuals competing Selected Laws & Customs .....................................................................8 in the Kosher certifying business, it is expected that standards will The Seder Plate .....................................................................................8 vary. While most keep to a basic Mitzvos at the Seder ............................................................................. 8 acceptable standard, some do not. Medicine .................................................................................................9 We still see gelatin from non- Kosher Internet Sites .......................................................................................10 animals being used, (often listed as “k-Gelatin”), corn syrup as an Pet Foods ..............................................................................................12 ingredient in Passover products Items that may be used without Passover Certification ............ 15 (with a long reference attempting to Items that are reliably certified for Passover ................................ 22 legitimize it), carmine (from bugs) used as red coloring, as well as many Products to be cautious of for Pesach use ..................................... 30 other questionable ingredients. New Products for Pesach ................................................................... 34 With the vast number of products Alerts ...................................................................................................... 37 being certifed by reliable agencies Times to Remember ...........................................................................39 and individuals, it would seem to be much less tempting to allow for CHOMETZ ON PESACH these lenient opinions to lessen Chometz is any substance from one of fve cereal our observance of Pesach. Additionally, some grains (wheat, barley, oats, spelt, or rye), that establishments only ofer “Kosher style” products for contains leavening, caused by its prolonged contact Pesach, while the lenient word “style” is missed by with water or other liquids. It is important to note many. Some food establishments ofer a Passover that Chometz/Se”or does NOT translate into “yeast”. taco bar, ham on Matzah special and Passover It refers to leavening: namely self-rising from a “challah”, among other things. The only protection sour-dough starter type of process. The prohibition as far as the government is concerned is from of Chometz on Pesach includes “Chometz Gomur” Assembly Bill 295, section 1329.29, passed in March (unadulterated Chometz) and “Ta‘aruvas Chometz” of 1993. It states: “No person shall do any of the (a mixture containing real Chometz). There are three following: Make any direct statement, either orally areas with which we must be concerned when or in writing, display the words “Kosher”, “Kosher evaluating Chometz. First, there is “Isur Hana’ah”. style”, “Kosher type”, “Kosher for Passover”, “Jewish”, This means that one may not derive any pleasure or “Hebrew” in any language or display any insignia, or beneft whatsoever from Chometz (e.g. feeding six pointed star, or other mark that might reasonably Chometz to one’s pets, etc.). Secondly, a Jew may be calculated to deceive or lead a reasonable person not own Chometz. This prohibition extends to to believe a product is “Kosher” or sanctioned by possession of Chometz anywhere in the world (such Orthodox Hebrew religious requirements, if it is as in a boat, ofce, mountain retreat, etc.). Thirdly, not”. Obviously one needs to be vigilant in carefully there is a prohibition against having Chometz in watching for proper certifcation. one’s possession. One must be careful to remove all KITNIYOS Chometz, not sold, from their premises. Chometz Due to the stringency of the prohibition of not that was sold should, preferably, be stored in eating Chometz on Pesach, Ashkenazic Jews, as an inaccessible area. Jews may not leave unsold well as many Sephardim, have developed a custom Chometz in their possession on Pesach, even if they not to eat kitniyos (legumes) on Pesach other than do not intend to use it. One should be careful not to for infants and under other special circumstances send a package which contains Chometz too close provided that the foods are prepared in separate to Pesach, as it may arrive during Pesach. Due to the utensils. Kitniyos includes beans, soy, rice, peas, severity of Chometz many have the custom to not 4 and corn among others: (see below). GOING AWAY FOR PESACH Sephardim, whose minhag (custom) One must sell his/her Chometz regardless of where permits them to eat rice on Pesach, must be careful they are for Pesach. This is the case even if one left to determine that the rice is additive-free. Many home 30 days before Pesach and no one will be in Sephardim have the minhag to check the rice three the house during Pesach. It is necessary to inform times, as well as to check for other grains that may the Rabbi selling your Chometz as to the location of be mixed in. In any case, open bins in stores should the Chometz and to your location during Pesach so not be used. This year, again, the Star-K Kashrus that he can know the proper time zones of selling organization is certifying Carolina Mehadrin Rice for and buying back the Chometz for you. use for Sephardim on Pesach. If a person leaves home before Pesach, within 30 Ashkenazim refrain from eating peanuts as well. days of Pesach, the night before his/her departure However, this restriction regarding peanuts may should do a regular Bedikas Chometz without a not include peanut oil (according to the opinion of Bracha and recite “Kol Chamira” for the Chometz Rav Moshe Feinstein ZT”L.) Legumes are permitted found in the house. Note: Kol Chamira should for some Sephardic Jews who, for various historical always be said in a language that one understands, reasons, did not adopt this custom of refraining as this is not a Teflla, but a declaration. The from kitniyos consumption on Pesach. A reliable alternative to an early Bedika is to appoint a source of acceptable products following this Shaliach (messenger) to do a regular Bedikas Sephardic custom is the Sephardi division of the Chometz with a Bracha on the proper night of J.S.O.R. at (732) 531-4872 or WWW.JSOR.ORG (be Bedikas Chometz. aware that a number of lists exist for Sephardim that are extremely misleading and erroneous). A guest in a hotel, who has Chometz in the hotel on the night of Bedikas Chometz should conduct For this reason the Kosher consumer is confronted themselves as they would at home, performing a full every year around Pesach time with a confusing Bedika with a Bracha. It is the minhag to carefully array of Kosher certifcations found on candy, jam, put out pieces of Chometz before beginning the mustard and other products containing legumes. In Bedika. reality, these products are edible on Pesach by only certain groups of Jews. Many, but not all, will state It is preferable to empty a stocked hotel fridge of “Leochlei Kitniyos - only for those who eat kitniyos”. beer, cookies etc. before Pesach begins. If this is not Some examples of this are sunfower seeds, canned possible, minimally, the fridge should be taped or vegetables, halva etc. Every Jew, however, is locked shut. The guest should inform the hotel that permitted to derive beneft from kitniyos (such as they do not accept responsibility for those items. pet food, glue, baby formula etc.). A guest for Pesach at a relative’s house should hear The following are considered kitniyos or treated as the Bracha from the owner of the house and then kitniyos according to many opinions: make his/her own Bedika in their room. Alfalfa Sprouts, Anise, Ascorbic Acid (May be BITUL (ANNULMENT) OF CHOMETZ Chometz), Asparatame (Nutrasweet), Beans, During the year, any non - Kosher ingredients which Black Eyed Peas, Buckwheat, Calcium Ascorbate, are inadvertently mixed with Kosher ingredients Canola