Passover 2019 Greetings from The Cohen-Gadol

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THE FIVE GRAINS.

This is the Torah that God gave regarding Passover and Unleavened Bread:
“And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to HaShem; throughout your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; howbeit the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses; for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. And in the first day there shall be to you a holy convocation, and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you. And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore shall ye observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance for ever. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses; for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a sojourner, or one that is born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.”
(Exodus 12:14-20).

The conclusion of that command specifies clearly:
“Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.”

So simply put,
1. We should not to eat any leavened bread; and
2. Nothing leavened, meaning, no item of food (bread and drink) that contains leavening properties should be eaten by us, for the number of days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

This commandment that we should not eat leavened bread, is commonly applied to bread, but it also applies to alcoholic beverages and drinks made from any of the five grains, or that contains any of the five grains.

Bread clearly is that which is made specifically from only a number of grains, namely, and as clarified by our Sages in the Mishna as these five:
* Wheat, barley, kusmin, shibolet shual, and shifon.

The last three grains, Kusim, Shibolet shual, and Shifon, are generally translated as:
* Spelt, Oats, and Rye.

Therefore, and also, only bread made from the species of grains is considered matzah. For clear understanding, the Five Grains are:

* Wheat
* Barley
* Spelt
* Oats, and
* Rye.

So if any of these five grains are used to bake bread, and the dough leavens; or such is found in any food, that food, bread or drink has been rendered unsuitable for Passover. Only these grains ferment, and therefore only they can become chametz. Therefore, dough from these grains are forbidden on Passover. This clearly shows that the key principle here is fermentation. So when any of these five grains are used in the making and preparation of food or drink, it renders the food or drink unsuitable for Passover/Unleavened Bread when the process of fermentation is allowed in the preparation.

Clearly from this understanding, products, bread and drinks made from any of the five grains are unsuitable for Passover. The general position when one is in doubt regarding whether a particular food or product contains leaven and therefore chametz, the rule of when in doubt don’t, should apply.

Furthermore, God instructs and commands that a day before Passover, which is the day of Preparation ~ Passover Memorial, we must search for chametz and remove same from our homes, it is written:
“Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; how howbeit the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses; for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.”
(Exodus 12:15).

Let us therefore put out all the five grains, all leavening ingredients, and anything leavened from our midst to keep this feast holy unto our God just as He has commanded.

Shalom!
Happy feast of Passover!
Let freedom reign!