“Scrubs”  Parashat Tzav – Pesach 5785

Not all sacrificial offerings operate according to the same rules. Some offerings are eaten by the owners, some are eaten by the Priests (Kohanim), and some are not eaten at all. The offerings that can be eaten have two different use-by dates. Some of them must be eaten within one day and others have an additional day tacked on. The Sin Offering can be eaten only by a kohen and it must be consumed within one day. Any of the meat remaining after that time attains the status of “notar” – “left over” and must be destroyed [Vayikra 7:17]: “What is then left of the flesh of the sacrifice shall be consumed in fire on the third day[1].”

The leftover meat is only part of the problem. Offerings are cooked in pots and pans and eaten in dishes using cutlery – a fork, a knife, maybe the odd spoon. These vessels are also impacted by notar. The Torah rules [Vayikra 6:21] “An earthen vessel in which [the offering] was boiled shall be broken; if it was boiled in a copper vessel, [the vessel] shall be scoured and rinsed with water.” A metal vessel absorbs a certain amount of the essence – or taste – of the food with which it comes into contact. As long as the vessel is cleaned and then soaked in boiling water, the absorptions from the offering are considered to have been expelled and the vessel can be reused. Earthenware – clay, porcelain, terracotta – is different. Unlike metal, which is non-porous and can be thoroughly cleaned, earthenware is highly porous and absorbs substances deeply into its walls. Cleaning methods like washing or soaking can remove surface residue but they cannot extract what has become embedded in the porous clay. The absorbed taste cannot be fully expelled through any amount of cleaning and so the vessel inexorably becomes notar. There is no other recourse but to shatter the vessel so that it is never mistakenly used again[2].

After my father died, Rabbi Russ, my principal in Primary School, called to console me. He mentioned that he and my father, who was a world-class scientist, used to learn together the laws of kashrut, specifically the laws that pertain to the absorption of food substances into utensils. My father’s expertise was the physics of surfaces, how substances adhere and bind, and also, correspondingly, how they are absorbed through a surface interface. My father, said Rabbi Russ, wanted to understand how the Torah’s grasp of science meshed with what we know today. Having a certain amount of proficiency in these matters, I can state that the answer to my father’s query is “sort of”. There exists a scientific reality and there exists a halachic reality, and there is a certain amount of overlap between the two. For instance, metal pots do not absorb nearly as much as normative Jewish Law (halacha) would lead one to assume. Late Bronze Age pots might have been absorbent, as the quality of the cooking utensils was poor, but not today’s factory-made stainless steel pots. It has been proven[3] through extensive experimentation that modern pots do not absorb sufficiently to impart any taste into the food. My son told me that while Rabbi Nachum Eliezer Rabinovich, the Dean of Yeshivat Birkat Moshe in Maaleh Adumim, would not change the halacha, he stated there is most definitely room for leniency as far as absorption is concerned.

Passover is a holiday where the laws of absorption take centre stage. Over the seven days of Passover, the consumption of leavened food (hametz) is prohibited. According to halacha, pieces of hametz smaller than an olive are considered non-existent and are halachically negated when the holiday begins. That said, most people would shudder at the thought of finding even a crumb of hametz in their homes because a mixture containing even the slightest amount of hametz is forbidden for consumption. A pot has been used to cook hametz, has certainly absorbed at least a small amount of hametz, which will be exuded back into the food cooking in that pot, rendering it inedible over Passover.

The Arizal[4] asserts that one who is careful to avoid even the smallest amount of hametz is guaranteed not to sin throughout the year. This assertion is highly problematic. Scripture [Ecclesiastes 7:20] asserts that, “For there is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin”. Further, man has freedom of choice. If he chooses wisely, he will not sin. If he does not, then he will. There is no Divine Lifeline, no matter how scrupulous one is with hametz. The Lubavitcher Rebbe[5] suggests interpreting the Arizal metaphorically. According to the Esoteric Torah (Kabbalah), hametz is a metaphor for sin and the character traits that lead to sin. The entire idea of cleaning the house from hametz is to dispose of our bad traits. Accordingly, one should take extra precaution on Passover and during its preparations, to rid oneself of any bad traits that can lead to sin, especially haughtiness, anger, and hubris.

I would like to propose a modified interpretation for the Arizal’s assertion by implementing the laws of notar. When the Torah describes the way in which a utensil must be cleaned in order to rid it of notar, it uses the word “Morak” – “Scrub”. Before a pot can be soaked in boiling water to remove the absorbed notar, it must be scrubbed – not just washed – in order to clean the dried and potentially burnt surface layer of notar. This kind of cleaning requires elbow grease. The outer layer of the utensil must be perfectly clean. Otherwise, a physical barrier will prevent the water from penetrating fully to draw out the absorbed notar. This poses a problem. It is physically impossible to clean a pot in a way that every last molecule of grime has been removed. There will always be a micro-barrier preventing the water from completely penetrating the walls of the pot. If so, then why is it halachically possible to clean metal pots but impossible to clean earthenware? Why should we even bother scrubbing? In both cases, there is some residual absorption that can never be cleaned. Rabbi Yehuda Leib Eiger of Lublin[6] agrees that it is physically impossible to clean a pot from every speck of hametz or notar. It is only possible with Divine Assistance. But didn’t we just say that there is no Divine Lifeline? This is where the partial overlap between halachic reality and physical reality comes in. The impossibility of fully cleaning a pot does not absolve one from trying. One must exert himself, to do his best to clean off the gunk. He must scrub the pot as hard as he can, cognizant that some residual gunk will always remain. The Talmud in Tractate Sanhedrin [106b] states “G-d desires the heart”, highlighting the importance of sincere intention and heartfelt devotion in our religious observance. G-d values our inner intentions and feelings, not just our external actions. The physics matter less than the metaphysics.

With this in hand, we can now revisit the Arizal. True, the person who does not sin has not been created, but we must not become spiritual earthenware, allowing sin to become permanently embedded in the porous clay. We must become spiritual metalware. The grime that does not come off does not sully us, the taste is not transferred to our souls, but only if we scrub, only if we scour, only if we try diligently to clean ourselves of every last speck of hametz. We’re no supermen, but G-d doesn’t want supermen. He wants human beings, bound by our physical reality, to try to break our shackles. He’ll take care of the rest.            

Wishing one and all a Happy and Kosher Passover.

Ari Sacher, Moreshet, 5785

Please daven for a Refu’a Shelema for Shlomo ben Esther, Sheindel Devorah bat Rina, Esther Sharon bat Chana Raizel, and Meir ben Drora.