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Ĥametz refers to any one of the five grains (wheat, barley, oats, rye, and spelt( that ferments after coming into contact with water. These grains are used to make bread, the staff of life. The Sages instituted the special blessing "Who brings forth (Ha-motzi) bread from the earth” before eating bread (23:7 above), and Birkat Ha-mazon afterwards (23:8-9). Fermenting dough is meant to improve it, by making the bread tasty and easy to digest.
Two types of leaven are forbidden on Passover: ĥametz and se’or. Ĥametz is standard dough, which rises and is made into bread and cakes. To produce higher-quality bread, se’or (sourdough) is added to the dough. Se’or is produced by letting dough ferment for so long it becomes sour and inedible, but it can be used as a catalyst to cause dough to rise faster. (Nowadays, yeast is usually used for this purpose.) In other words, ĥametz is leaven meant to be eaten, while se’or is a leavening agent used in preparing baked goods. Colloquially, both types are referred to as ĥametz.
The Torah treats ĥametz on Passover so seriously, it lists four commandments to restrict it:
- It is forbidden to eat ĥametz or derive any benefit from it.
- It is forbidden to see ĥametz.
- It is forbidden for Ĥametz to be found in our possession.
- It is a mitzva to destroy our ĥametz before Passover.
A Jew who owns ĥametz on Passover transgresses, even when deposited with a non-Jew. However, if ĥametz is owned by a non-Jew who is responsible for it, it may be kept in the home of a Jew, as long as it is stored in such a way there is no chance a Jew will accidentally eat it.
