Passover Prep Guide
Clean
It Out.
A simple guide to what chametz is, why it matters, and exactly what to do about it.
Scroll
A simple guide to what chametz is, why it matters, and exactly what to do about it.
Chametz is not complicated. Torah gives us a simple formula.
Wheat, barley, spelt. The raw ingredient meets water.
Left alone, the dough ferments. It rises on its own.
It rose. It's leavened. This is what we clean out.
If grain met water and had time to leaven — it's chametz. This is what we clean out.
That's the whole equation. If it rose, clean it out.
The Whole Thing on One Page
Save this graphic and share it with your community.
Torah uses two different words. They both get cleaned out, but for different reasons.
Se'or is starter dough — flour and water left out until natural yeast causes it to ferment and bubble. Think of it as the "mother" that makes other dough rise. This is specifically what Torah tells us to clean out of our homes.
Chametz is anything made from grain that came in contact with water and was allowed to rise. Bread, cake, cookies, donuts. If it rose, it's chametz. The word is used broadly in Torah.
The obvious stuff. Don't overthink it.
These are the gray areas. Short answers, no drama.
This guide follows the commandments as written in Torah. Many faithful communities observe additional customs passed down through centuries of dedicated study and practice. We honor that dedication and encourage everyone to study and follow as they are convicted.
"Get rid of the old leaven, so that you may be a new unleavened batch — as you really are. For Messiah, our Passover, has been sacrificed."
1 Corinthians 5:7
