A Brief Intro to “Kosher for Passover” and the Pesach Holiday

January 2025

Passover is a joyous eight-day holiday celebrated in early spring. The name Pesach is derived from the Hebrew “to pass over,” since G-d “passed over” the homes of the Jews during the tenth plague on the Egyptians.

Passover commemorates the redemption of the enslaved Israelites from Egypt and the forging of the new Jewish nation.  It has a distinctive set of laws and customs, the highlight being the Seder, a festive meal on the first two nights (only one in Israel) that includes many symbolic foods – matzah, bitter herbs, charoses – and four cups of wine. This family-centered holiday is widely observed, albeit with a diversity of beloved traditions passed down from generation to generation. Passover’s popularity is reflected in the kosher marketplace where, by some accounts, 40% of sales revolves around this holiday.

Passover involves a unique set of kosher laws, chief among them the prohibition to eat any food or drinks containing even a trace of edible fermented grain products known as chometz. Included in this category are wheat, barley, oats, spelt or rye which have been leavened due to contact with water. Jews are expected not to derive any pleasure or benefit whatsoever from chometz. The prohibition extends to owning or possessing chometz throughout the eight days of the holiday.

Ensuring that foods are Kosher for Passover is even more difficult than during the rest of the year because many of the ingredients that are routinely used and produced under kosher supervision are not Kosher For Passover. Barley, wheat, rye, oats, and spelt are permitted only for the baking of matzoh and matzoh meal products. Flour of these grains is mixed with water and baked in less than eighteen minutes under rabbinic supervision. Furthermore, during Passover Ashkenazi Jews avoid legumes such as soy, peanuts, and peas, along with corn and rice.

Not only do foods require special preparation to be acceptable for use during Passover, but all equipment used to produce Kosher For Passover items must also be Kosher For Passover. Even foods and household products which meet the strict, year-round dietary regulations and are considered kosher may be unacceptable, or require special preparation, for Passover use in the Jewish home to be considered Kosher For Passover.

For more information regarding Passover, click here.