Chametz (חמץ) is the Hebrew term for "leavened bread". The word is used generally in regard to the Jewish holiday of Passover. Jewish law prohibits one from owning, eating or benefiting from any chametz during Passover. According to halakha, chametz is defined as any grain of wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt which has come into contact with water after having been milled, and subsequently left to ferment. The rabbis have defined the time needed for the grain or flour to ferment as 18 minutes. Therefore, matzo, which is the ...

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Passover, also known as Pesach or Pesah (פסח pesaḥ), is a Jewish holiday, beginning on the evening of the 14th day of Nisan, that commemorates The Exodus and freedom of the Israelites from Ancient Egypt. The three main applicable mitzvah associated with the holiday are: eating matzoh, or unleavened bread; the prohibition of eating any foods containing leavening during the holiday1; and the retelling of the Exodus (Mitzrayim). In ancient ti ...

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• Passover - Origins of the feast
• Passover - Observances
• Passover - Historical significance in Christianity
• Passover - Recent Gregorian dates

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Passover is a Jewish holiday central to Judaism. Before the holiday begins, observant Jews will remove and discard all food with leavening (called chametz) from their households. Although many do a thorough job, so that not even a crumb remains, the law only requires the elimination of olive-sized quantities of leavening from one's possession. There is a custom to conduct a formal search for overlooked leavening, on the evening prior to the start of the holiday. This tradition is called bedikat chametz ("search [for] leavened"). Throu ...

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Passover, Passover - Origins of the feast, Passover - Observances, Passover - Historical significance in Christianity, Passover - Recent Gregorian dates

Read more here: » Passover: Encyclopedia II - Passover - Observances

The term Passover comes from the Hebrew Bible, first mentioned in the Book of Exodus. It came into the English language through William Tyndale's translation of the Bible, and later appeared in the King James Version as well. The final plague of the Plagues of Egypt, the killing of all the firstborn like the other plagues, did not affect Israelites. The Torah goes on to state, that upon seeing the blood, God would pass over the homes of the Israelites. The original verb in the Hebrew Torah is posach. The noun form, pe ...

See also:

Passover, Passover - Origins of the feast, Passover - Observances, Passover - Historical significance in Christianity, Passover - Recent Gregorian dates

Read more here: » Passover: Encyclopedia II - Passover - Origins of the feast