Burning chametz: Teaching kids to play with matches and fear carbs...It wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I saw someone burn chametz before Passover. In my house growing up, my parents would just box up all the cookies and crackers and flour and other naughty carbohydrates, and stick them in the basement.

I now know that this wasn’t really kosher, but that’s the way it was. And after all, we weren’t really kosher either.

So it wasn’t until I was working for Hillel that I was exposed to the odd practice of running around with a feather and an envelope and then playing arsonist in the front yard.

Which I thought was pretty fun!

And it was that same year that I discovered the practice of selling chametz, which is, I think, totally ridiculous (in the same way I find the shabbes goy ridiculous, and the eruv. Letter of the law more than the spirit...) but if that’s your thing, go nuts.

In any case, it’s nice to know what you’re supposed to do… or at least, it’s nice to know what you’re okay with doing wrong…

So here, for your reading pleasure, Passover Cleaning Made Easy! And here, at another site, is How to Search for Chametz. In case you want to observe the holiday traditionally this year, but you aren’t sure where to begin.

Just remember…

The mitzvah of Pesach cleaning is to remove chametz from our homes -- not dust. You don't gain spiritual reward for staying up until midnight sweeping the corners of your ceiling. Instead …

Which is good to know.

I don’t know about you, but my house is a sty!