This drawing, called "Searching for Leaven," shows
Dutch Jews cleaning their homes for Passover 300 years ago.
Getting Ready for Passover
We begin getting ready for Passover before the day itself.
The entire house is cleaned. This is not just a spring
housecleaning. It is also an inspection to make sure that
there are no bits of leavened food, or hametz
anywhere. On the night before the seder, some families
hunt for crumbs, taking a candle for light and a feather
with which to brush up the crumbs. This ritual is called
the "inspection for leavened food,"
bedikat hametz. The next morning they burn
every last trace of hametz.
Many families keep a special set of Passover dishes and
pots, which have not been used for leavened food. Putting
away the everyday dishes and taking the Pesah dishes out
of storage is another part of getting ready for Passover.
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