What is Chometz?

B”H

There seems to be major confusion online when the thrilling and exhilarating movie trailers totally mislead the viewing public. When they actually see those movies after previewing the trailers such as Superman Returns or The Beaver with Mel Gibson, they feel totally deceived, duped, and angry, since the movies are terrible.

When this happens the general consensus after the movie is usually the same with everyone. What a letdown! The trailer looked so good how could it be that the movie was so awful?

In reality, this happens to us on a daily basis as well when we look at the cheesecake or pizza and our mouths start to salivate at the attraction to devour that scrumptious food. An hour or so later we are beating ourselves up about how come we keep falling into the same old traps.

According to Chasidus, this is all included in the concept of Chometz.

Chometz is the fake blown-up lure that causes our imagination to run freely, hiding its true face and reality.

Chometz pretends to be the answer to all of our problems, the one thing that will make our lives complete and in the end, it turns out to be just a bunch of hot air!

The yeast in bread makes the bread rise. It takes the same flour and water that is in flat matzos and turns the bread into something many times the size by filling it with air.

Chometz is the friends in one’s life who pretend to care about you, just until you really are in need of true friends. Chometz is the quick fix that solves an immediate problem but causes an even bigger one as a result.

Our job over this holiday is to look around and remove these stumbling blocks to our growth and development. When we clean out the clutter and the false fantasies in our lives we are left with quality; quality of friends, and quality of mind, which in return leads to quality of life.

Matzos on the other hand resemble the beauty of simplicity. It says I am exactly what you see, flour and water. No additional fanfare to distract you from reality.

I may not be as attractive or tasty, however, I am authentic and I have the ability to provide you with sustenance, and nourishment for a healthy future. I am the food in your system that humbles you. I am the food in your body that allows you to learn from rejection and rebuke and build off of it.

?I am the food in your body that allows you to ask for and accept help from others that care for you. I am not complicated, and I will tell you what you need to hear because I really care about you and you really need to hear this.

Matzah says if you learn to live with more of me in your life you wouldn’t be so dependent on so many other things for happiness. Matzah says that when it's only bread and water and no one and nothing else we can have a truly deep and meaningful relationship!

Have a wonderful holiday.

Yitzchok Friedman