{"id":4315,"date":"2021-02-17T11:21:28","date_gmt":"2021-02-17T11:21:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/passover\/?p=4315"},"modified":"2021-02-23T14:12:22","modified_gmt":"2021-02-23T14:12:22","slug":"make-pesach-in-five-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/passover\/articles\/make-pesach-in-five-days\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Pesach in Five Days"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yes, It CAN Be Done! <\/strong><\/p>\n

Make Pesach in 5 Days. NCSY\u2019s Meira Spivak\u2019s New Book Tells Us How.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>For many of us preparing for Pesach involves a lot of work and worry. This book is intended to take away the worry and simplify the work.<\/p>\n

Some start worrying about Pesach months in advance: nightmares, cold sweats, endless to-do lists. All this amounts to worrying about worrying. While it\u2019s true the work can be a bit frenzied at times, with this book you can create a serene, joyful Pesach in just five days\u2014without making everyone crazy.<\/p>\n

Honestly, my Pesach prep wasn\u2019t always stress-free\u2014in fact, it used to be just plain overwhelming. One year, an NCSY Shabbaton landed very close to Pesach. Since a caterer is not always available in our small Jewish community, we often cook for the entire Shabbaton ourselves. This meant that not only would I need to clean my home for Pesach, but in the middle of it all, I\u2019d have to cook five meals for eighty of my closest friends.<\/p>\n

Since there were about four weeks till Pesach, I had a choice: Would I spend the entire time cleaning and stressing out over Pesach, and in the midst of the chaos, spend two weeks working on the Shabbaton? Or would I concentrate on the Shabbaton for the first two weeks and risk first preparing for Pesach closer to the holiday? I chose the latter, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. You see, in previous years I would clean a room two weeks before Pesach, only to turn around and find Cheerios strewn all over the floor. It\u2019s frustrating to think you have finished a job, only to find that you need to do it again. And again. And again. But no more. I will not clean in advance only to have it destroyed!<\/p>\n

Here are some of the finer points from the book:<\/p>\n

Spray Cleaners<\/strong>
\n<\/em>Don\u2019t even think about cleaning until you have bought a ton of cleaning products and paper towels. Keep an all-purpose cleaner on hand.<\/p>\n

Remember, we are not aiming to remove every crumb of chametz<\/em>\u2014that is nearly impossible, and nobody\u2019s got time for that! However, a whole entity of chametz<\/em>, no matter how small, cannot remain in our possession, so Cheerios are a major threat. You are bound to come in contact with chametz<\/em> that is hard to remove, and by spraying it with a poisonous cleaning solution and rendering it unfit to be eaten, even by a dog, you have nullified the chametz<\/em> from your possession.<\/p>\n

Bring your bottle with you as you go from room to room, and as you encounter hard-to-reach pieces of chametz<\/em>, spray them until they are inedible, and then move on.<\/p>\n

The Toys<\/strong>
\n<\/em>As you approach the toys, make a quick decision. Discard them, lock them up, or clean them. I\u2019d suggest locking up most of them and including them in your mechirat chametz<\/em>. If you decide to
\nclean them, here are some options:<\/p>\n