Kosher For Passover!

The supermarket was a mess and it was hard to navigate my shopping cart through the narrowed aisles. It took me a few minutes to understand why. Then I remembered Passover would be here in about 2 weeks time. From here through Passover week, all items not "Kosher for Passover" would be removed from the normal shelves and transferred to a special place in the store that would be papered off so customers would not buy the items.

I'm always surprised at the items not available for purchase at Passover. All items that are allowed for Passover are stamped in Hebrew "Kosher for Passover" which is especially important for those households that have worked so hard to make it clean and acceptable for the week-long biblical celebration.

My neighborhood has been hard at work radically cleaning and preparing their households for Passover since just after Purim. Professional cleaners are often hired. Our elderly neighbors, a Rabbi and his wife, hired a young Yeshiva student to come and clean their apartment top to bottom. They will be inviting their sons and their families to spend the night of Passover, celebrating the special meal long into the night.

All the stores and markets - large or small - are preparing to make their shopping environment free of hametz (rising agents) so all products sold will be "Kosher for Passover."