BMG Poskim's Guidelines for Making Pesach 5780

Beth Medrash Govoha Poskim’s

Guidelines for Making Pesach 5780

By Rabbi Yaakov Forcheimer

Rabbi Shmuel Felder

Rabbi Shmuel Meir Katz

Rabbi Osher Chaim Lieberman

Download link

Selling Chometz
You can sell your Chometz by using the shtar from Rabbi Shmuel Blech, printed in the BP Weekly and Lakewood Shopper. Cut the two pages, fill out the Hebrew and English shtar, and submit to Rabbi Blech by fax at 732-367-5600, by email sellmychometz@gmail.com by mail 1060 Forest Avenue, or dropped off there. An article in the Lakewood Shopper explains more. You can call 732 364 9309 with questions.
You can also sell chometz by appointing any Rov over the phone as your שליח to sell your Chometz.

Selling Chometz Gomur
We suggest that even if you don’t ordinarily sell גמור חמץ ,this year you should evaluate your situation, as it will be difficult to obtain Chometz right after Pesach without exposing yourself and others to sakana from crowds attempting to purchase Chometz. If in the past you did not sell גמור חמץ and you choose to do so this year you do not need to make נדרים התרת to do so.

טבילת כלים
The Kailim Mikva is closed. Tevilas Kailim for dishes or appliances requiring tevilla may be done at Lake Carasaljo in an inlet that is not in the main flow of water (one such spot is area near Lakewood Avenue and 5th Street, as the Rosh Yeshiva Reb Aharon Zt”l allowed Tevilas Kailim along that area.) Extreme care should be taken to find a separate spot with full social distancing and to not be near anyone else.
Utensils and appliances in the BMG “PesachBox” distribution do not require tevilla, as it will remain
legally under the ownership of an יהודי אינו until after Pesach. (Before using those utensils next year,
they will require tevilla.)

Cleaning for Pesach

Areas in the home that will not be used for eating or for Pesach food storage only need to be cleaned to assure that there is no significant piece of chometz. הדין מעיקר you are not required to look for crumbs. Areas that may come in contact with Pesach food (e.g. Kitchen, Dining Room, Pantry) should be cleaned well. Any area that cannot be reached or well-cleaned can be sprayed with a cleaning agent (such as ammonia, Windex, Lysol, Pine Sol, or something similar) that will render any remaining chometz נפסל .מאכילת כלב

Pantries, Cabinets, and Drawers that will be used for Pesach items should be cleaned and many are
מחמיר to line with paper or cloth.

Garbage Cans in your home should be cleaned.

Outdoor Garbage Bins
There will be no extra garbage service this year before Pesach. In Lakewood township, the township
owns the garbage bins. Remove containers containing bags with chometz from your property by placing the bins in along the street curb before Pesach.
In townships where the bins might be owned by the homeowner, please include the garbage bins in
your Mechiras Chometz.

Refrigerators and freezers should be cleaned well, and many are מחמיר to line with fridge liners, foil, or paper towels. Caution: Do not cover fans and air vents. It may restrict air flow.

Countertops, Backsplashes should be well cleaned and lined with thick plastic, heavy duty foil or two layers of regular foil.

Kashering the Kitchen

Sinks should be well cleaned; Ammonia or bleach should be poured down the drain and on the crevices between the sink bottom and drain (Caution: Never mix ammonia and bleach. It is dangerous). You can kasher your sink using one of the two following methods.

1) Use a plastic sink insert. No kashering is required. If no insert is available, you can line the walls of the sink with foil or contact paper. Sinks made of ceramic or enamel cannot be kashered and one of these methods must be done.
2) Some Poskim allow stainless steel sinks to be kashered with ראשון כלי עירוי .After cleaning and not
using the sink with hot water for 24 hours, pour boiling water directly from a kettle, that was not used
for 24 hours into the sink. Hit all parts of the sink with water directly from the kettle. If you want to use a pot and not a kettle to kasher your sink, make sure to not use the pot for hot foods for 24 hours. Then kasher the pot first before using it to kasher the sink. If a Pesach pot is used, it must be kashered again after being used to kasher the sink. Note: Water must be poured directly from kettle or pot that was heated on the flame.

Faucets

Aerators on the end of the faucet should be replaced or kashered.
While running the hot water through the faucet, pour boiling water from pot or urn on the faucet.
Alternatively, cover the faucet with foil.
Sink knobs should be cleaned and preferably covered. Small plastic bags held in place with rubber bands are a simple way to cover.

Ovens

Self-cleaning ovens can be kashered by running the oven through a self- cleaning cycle. The racks in the oven will be kashered as well. Some Poskim require that even after self-cleaning you must line the interior of the of the oven door with foil. Caution: Be careful not to line the walls of the oven itself or the element as your oven may catch fire. Caution: Do not cover the oven vents.

Regular Ovens should be cleaned with an oven cleaner and not be used for 24 hours. The oven should
be heated on its highest temperature for 2 hours. Food should not be placed directly on the racks, only
in pans or on foil. The Rosh Yeshiva Reb Aaron zt”l endorsed this method. Some Poskim are מחמיר that when using this method, all food cooked on Pesach itself should be covered and foil should be placed on the oven rack under the pan.

The oven knobs should be well cleaned. Some are מחמיר to cover the oven knobs.
Broiler drawers and trays cannot be easily kashered and should not be used.

Stovetops

Gas stovetop grates should be kashered by covering them on top completely with a thick heavy-duty
foil, or a pot and turned on the highest flame for 15 minutes. Caution: Cover and kasher only one
burner at a time to prevent a fire, chas v’shalom.

Electric stove grates should be kashered by turning the coils on to their highest setting for 5 minutes.
(No covering required).
All stoves: The rest of the stovetop should be thoroughly cleaned and lined with foil. Caution: Do not cover oven vents. It can be dangerous.

Knobs and Control surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned.

Tables 

Tabletops should be well cleaned and lined with a tablecloth or heavy-duty foil or two layers of regular foil before covering with the Pesach tablecloth.

Highchairs

Clean and line the tray with plastic or foil.

Tablecloths, Dish Towels, Matzo covers, Aprons and Bibs

Wash with hot water and detergent. You don’t have to use new ones.

תענית בכורים

Bechorim should try to make their own siyum by learning and completing a short מסכתא such as תמיד .
You don’t need a minyan for a siyum. If learning your own מסכתא is difficult, join a siyum by phone and then eat something l’kvod the siyum you just heard.

שריפת חמץ

Due to the situation, the fire department will not conduct any public chometz burning sites. They insist that no private fires be made. Having thousands of fires made is definitely a real sakana and will cause a huge chillul Hashem. Since, unfortunately, this year we have no option of burning our chometz, after consulting with Harav Dovid Feinstein and Harav Shmuel Kamenetsky shlita, we ask everyone to be  מקיים the מצוה through crumbling and flushing away a k’zayis of chometz