That's a question many of us ask every year.
There are homes in which people (and pets) take food all over the house, including in bed, and I'm not referring to walking around with apples and bananas. The furthest I get from the kitchen/diningroom with food is drinking my coffee by the computer in the morning. And considering that I've been on a low carbohydrate regime for years already, I don't eat the forbidden chametz at all. So practically speaking, I do not have to do a super-cleaning, search and destroy the chametz all over the house. The only items to be removed are the toothpaste.
Now, to be honest, my big problem is that I'm an awful housekeeper and my house is a mess, cluttered, dusty etc. Yes, that's not chametz, it's just not pretty, attractive or inviting. So if we're going to have overnight guests for the Holidays, we'll have to do some cleaning so they'll feel comfortable.
There have been years when my house was totally turned upside down and cleaned thoroughly. That's when I had a large staff of offspring who took the initiative and cleaned like the neighbors do. I didn't make major demands on them. The big rule was:
Once you're Bar/Bat Mitzvah and responsible to G-d, you are responsible for your own room!
Now, we're an old couple with limited time, money and energy. And neither of us could ever win a "home beautiful" award. So, I must make my cleaning priorities to suit reality. I'll be concentrating on cleaning the kitchen.
Shalom!
ReplyDeleteWould you like a well-respected rabbi's opinion? In one of the pre-Passover classes Rav Schreiber (K'far Darom may it soon be rebuilt in our days) said that much of the Passover Cleaning that we do is Spring Cleaning. We should start our Spring Cleaning well in advance so that we have time and energy for the most important part of Passover Cleaning: the kitchen.
This does not minimize the need to check all places to which young children have dragged or scattered hametz, genuine hametz.
My grandchildren haven't even been over this past winter, so food shouldn't have strayed.
ReplyDeleteI want to switch the kitchen Tues before Pesach, so I will only work on the kitchen from late the week before no matter what I've gotten done in the rest of the week. I work and I'm no longer a teacher.