PASSOVER PURCHASE — Tracy Beaudin (left), a Roman Catholic, receives repayment from Jeremy Parnes, director of services at Regina’s Beth Jacob Synagogue, for the chametz he originally bought at the beginning of Passover. (Flegel photo)

Passover ends with repurchase of chometz

By Frank Flegel

REGINA — Passover begins and ends for Regina’s Jewish community with a simple but meaningful ceremony involving chametz, which is leavened grain, including not only bread but cookies, cakes, cereal, pasta and many alcoholic beverages.

“In order to fulfil the command that we should have no chametz during Passover, we sell what we can’t get rid of,” said Jeremy Parnes, director of synagogue services for Beth Jacob Synagogue.

Observant Jews search the house for any traces of chametz. “It amounts almost to a full spring house cleaning,” said Parnes.

What is found is destroyed and what can’t be destroyed must be sold to a non-Jew — in this case, Tracy Beaudin, a Roman Catholic who takes care of the synagogue and its environs. Beaudin has worked for the synagogue for 13 years and has served this role for all that time.

The Pesach goy, as he is called in Hebrew, seals the chametz away where it will not be visible, then sells it back to the original owners though their agent — in this case, Parnes — when Passover has ended. This practice, known as mechirah, allows Jews who own much chametz — bakers, for instance — to avoid heavy financial losses.

Money has to change hands in order for the process to be legal. In this case, Beaudin bought it all for $20 and received $40 when it was sold back to Parnes.

“It’s a bonus,” said Parnes with a smile.

Utensils are stored away as well, and a special set of utensils used only at Passover is brought out.

Passover is a commemoration of the time when Pharaoh released the Jews from Egypt after the country had suffered through 10 plagues. The 10th plague, in which the first born of every Egyptian was killed and the Jews were “passed over,” broke Pharaoh’s resolve and he acquiesced to Moses’ plea on behalf of God to “let my people go.” They left in such a hurry that the bread they baked for the journey did not have time to rise and they were left with unleavened bread.

Since that time, doing without anything that has to do with yeast during the eight-day Passover period is part of the commemoration of the Jews leaving Egyptian slavery.

Two seder meals are held during which special foods are consumed, including bitter herbs as a reminder of the bitter years of slavery.