Passover observance requires 'spring cleaning to the extreme,' rabbi says

LIBERTY

Rabbi Joseph Schonberger of Temple El Emeth likened the intense preparation for Passover to the spiritual and physical renewal that is the essence of the spring festival.

Passover begins at sundown Friday.

“It is a fresh start personally, spiritually and culturally,” the rabbi said. The eight-day Passover observance celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.

At the temple and in Jewish homes, all trace of chametz (leaven) has been removed. Leaven is any substance, typically yeast, added to dough to make it ferment and rise.

At the synagogue, that removal was accomplished through ardent cleaning in the kitchen including using a blow torch to burn away any bit of leaven material in the ovens. In the social hall, fabric on chairs and carpeting was steam cleaned twice. “This is spring cleaning to the extreme,” the rabbi said.

Read more about the observance in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.