Baal Tshuva - where do I start?

[chanie213]

This religious stuff in practice is very new to me. I have never cleaned for Pesach before. Plus I just had a baby 2 1/2 weeks ago. How do I even approach the daunting task of Pesach cleaning and preparation? Are there one or two most important things I should do?

[Yehudis]

Yes: 1) rest; 2) enjoy the baby.

You can rely heavily on selling chametz. So basically, everything you're not using on Pesach itself can be locked up in closets and cabinets and considered sold, and doesn't have to be checked for chametz.

If you never eat in the bedroom, it doesn't have to be cleaned.

Ask your husband to clean the table and chairs where you actually eat. Also the refrigerator.

Is your oven self-cleaning?

[sarahd]

If you do eat in the bedroom, all you (as in someone else, NOT you) need to do is vacuum thoroughly all over and maybe behind the beds too. You can take out the clothes you expect to wear over Pesach and make sure they're clean (no pieces of chometz stuck to them) and put the rest away.

As Yehudis said, put away all your dishes, pots, kitchen stuff, etc. and tape the doors closed. Get someone to wash down your fridge, stovetop, counters, sink. Ditto tables and chairs.

Thoroughly vacuum areas where chometz was brought, i.e. living room, den, dining room. Close off drawers, closets etc. and sell the contents.

When that's done, we can tell you how to get the kitchen Pesach-useable.

[Chavelamomela]

I had a baby 2 weeks before pesach (exactly 3 years ago).

I went away for yuntif to my parents & DH drove a (much) longer drive to work. But he knew it was non-negotiable to get me to clean, so he just did it without objection.

Can you go to parents? (sorry, I know, cop-out answer!)

[Dream]

btw, where do u live??


The main rule of Pesach is:

DO NOT LET OTHER PPL FEED YOU THEIR HUMROT (stringencies).
They all are more then welcomed to drive themselves nuts, but do not let them include you in their madness.

These sites have very good articles on the issue:

http://www.ou.org/chagim/pesach/default.htm

http://www.oukosher.org/index.php/passover

http://www.star-k.org/cons-pesach.htm

[chanie213]

Thanks ladies, your suggestions are very useful. I am hiring a maid, I think, (really, no other choice here) to clean up my apartment. Then I will dedicate a Passover drawer and tape everything else and sell it. Then put foil on my counters and stovetop/burners. Am I missing anything? I am not looking for any extra stringencies, please, just basic straight-forward law.

[Yehudis]

I think you need to kasher the burners, or the grates. Is it a gas stove?

Also, is your sink stainless steel? If it is, you can kasher it by pouring boiling water all over it. If not, you can get an insert, or cover it with heavy duty foil.

You might want to ask your rabbi about all this -- what's the minimum that you need to do in the kitchen.

[sarahd]

I second the suggestion to ask your rabbi.

If your stove is gas, then the flame that comes out of the burners will kasher the burners themselves (just turn the flame up high) but the grates on which the pots sit are more of a problem. Generally it's recommended to buy new ones just for Pesach.

If your stove is electric, you have to heat the elements hot enough that a paper placed on them bursts into flame instantly.

In both cases, you cover the stovetop itself in foil.

When you kasher your sink, don't forget to pour the boiling water over the faucet and taps as well. Also, remember that the sink can't be used for hot stuff for 24 hours in advance.

[Dream]

If your stove is gas, then the flame that comes out of the burners will kasher the burners themselves (just turn the flame up high) but the grates on which the pots sit are more of a problem. Generally it's recommended to buy new ones just for Pesach.

or put a blech on the stove and turn up the flame. In about 15-20 min they will be red hot & kosher for Passover use.