Cleaning my mind

Not only our homes must be cleaned, but our minds, too, and don't forget the out of doors. But all that mostly has nothing to do with Passover. To be prepared for Passover, the only thing we must get rid of, destroy, is "chametz." Now, what actually is חמץ chametz? And how does it differ from מצה matzah, which is permitted?

Linguistically, both words have the letters mem מ and tzaddi צ.

And time-wise the difference between the two is just seconds. Judaism is very concerned with time. Shabbat and holidays begin and end at specific times. The three daily prayers are also strictly within exact time frames. Days begin and end at pre-determined times. It's not "approximate." What amazes me is that these rules and regulations were determined without modern time-pieces, without advanced clocks and computers.

Matzah has to be prepared within 18 minutes. How were these 18 minutes determined a thousand years ago, or even a hundred or fifty when accurate watches and clocks were rare? I have no idea, honestly.

And back to those letters, mem מ and tzaddi צ. What other words have them? Mitz, מיץ, juice and l'tzamtzem, לצמצם, to reduce to minimum, the essence, like juice.

From the same linguistic root as chametz, we have chamutz, sour, chometz, vinegar and other negative words.

Does that mean that chametz and matzah are the essence of Judaism? That "fine line" between permitted and forbidden, holy and profane can be found in the production of matzah.

Chag Kasher V'Sameach