A Rationalist Approach to Pesach Cleaning
Mystical mumbo jumbo or a sacred temporal hygiene measure?
Irrationalist Modoxism is pleased to report that our journalist happygoluckypersonage has obtained exclusive access to material from Natan Slifkin’s new series, The Rationalist Benefits of Religion, which was obtained through a leak from sources familiar with the matter. The following is allegedly an installment from Slifkin’s series. We do NOT vouch for its authenticity.
Pesach cleaning is one of the most polarizing Jewish customs. To some, it is a deeply meaningful religious experience, to others, it is doleful drudgery. However, it is unfortunate that few can articulate a rational reason for the practice. Of course, there are all sorts of mystical explanations that creative minds have developed, usually along the lines that hametz is some sort of malevolent, supernatural force that must be expunged. Some religious extremists have even gone so far as to compare it to the "evil inclination", an imaginary bad angel that tempts people towards wickedness (a common belief in haredi circles.)
This mystical approach is also the source of "bittul" or "kol chameira", a magical incantation that one is supposedly required to mutter to keep the evil forces of hametz at bay. Although this formula is from the Talmud, it undoubtedly stems from the primitive, gullible mindset of the Sages who believed in witchcraft, demons, and the wisdom in kidneys, and who no doubt imagined Pesach cleaning as some sort of supernatural purification ritual as well. This mystical viewpoint also assumes the literal historicity of the Exodus and all of the supernatural miracles that allegedly transpired, something rejected by most self-respecting scholars.
While the mystical perspective certainly has entertainment value, the rationalist school of thought that is shared by most educated, intellectualy honest people puts very little stock in such magical explanations, and demands a realistic, empirical approach that is both firmly rooted in ancient practices and is still relevant to the modern age. Why so much cleaning? And why specifically hametz?
One possible approach is that the ritual of Pesach cleaning has little to do with Pesach itself, or the alleged Exodus, but is rooted in the practice of annual spring cleaning. This would mean that it is not hametz per se that we are trying to eliminate, but rather, that by cleaning for "hametz", we effectively end up cleaning the entire house. As Wharton behavioral economist Katherine Milkman explains, spring cleaning has important psychological benefits, or as she calls it, a "temporal landmark"
The basic idea is that we have ebbs and flows in our motivation, and the ‘fresh start effect’ gives us insight into times when our motivation is likely to be particularly high. We all have intuition that the start of a new year, for example, is a fresh start or new beginning—a time to kick-start new things. New Year’s resolutions are widely adopted. There’s, of course, a social pressure element to that as well, but part of it is you feel as if last year’s failures are behind you—that you have a clean slate, a fresh start, an opportunity to achieve the things the old.
Some narrow-minded individuals may object that this explanation would render the entire commandment a mundane springtime chore, disconnect it from the holiday of Pesach, make the prohibition on hametz itself meaningless, and make it no different than the non-Jewish practice. However, this fundamentalist objection assumes the mystical paradigm, that the fine details of halacha have some sort of significance, and that there is some supernatural quality to the Jewish people, assumptions that rationalism roundly rejects. According to the rationalist approach, there is no special significance to hametz, or lulav, or tefillin, or any of their details, and no magical quality to the Jewish people, but rather by fulfilling these practices, one reaps the benefits of religious ritual that psychologist Jonathan Haidt has informed us about.
Although the source of this idea is science and empiricism, one can find traditional support for it as well. In Shulchan Arukh Orach Hayim 442:6, it states
נהגו לגרר הכתלים והכסאות שנגע בהם חמץ ויש להם על מה שיסמוכו
It is the custom to scrape the wall and chairs that hametz touched, and they have what to rely on.
Since the substance on the walls and chairs is obviously not hametz, it is clear that according to this enlightened opinion, Pesach cleaning has nothing to do with hametz, but is an annual hygienic practice, similar to netilat yadayim and mikva. In addition, the phrase yesh al mi l'smokh (there is what to rely on) is a sure sign of a rationalist approach, familiar to us from every area of halacha, from women's hair coverings to kol isha.
Well said, but it's getting more and more difficult to satirize. This is actually a very good representation of what they actually think. Look out for RJ's upcoming posts on the rationalist benefits of Jews For Atheism, and see if you can spot any substantiative differences.
Keep it up! You had me laughing quite a bit! You have a talent and are using l'chvod shamayim. I hope people appreciate this!