Abundance of Kosher L’Pesach Products
QUESTION:
Today there are hundreds and thousands of products that fill the kosher supermarkets which are labeled as “Kosher for Pesach”, listed as mehadrin (the strictest standards of kashrus). What should be the inner attitude towards this? Are we supposed to be bringing all of these products into our homes so that the family can have more simchah (for, as the Rambam says, that one gladdens his children on Yom Tov by giving them candies, nuts, and sweets)? Or, are we supposed to cling to the custom of the previous generations, by not bringing in anything from the outside into our homes [as in the dictum, “Chadash (in this context, ‘new items’) is prohibited by the Torah”]?
ANSWER:
It is proper to live as close as possible to the way that the previous generations lived. At the same time, one also needs to act according to his current madreigah (spiritual level), and he must also take into account the madreigah that his family is on, and to cater to their personalities.
Kids During Cleaning
QUESTION:
Many parents are unable to cope with the tasks of Erev Pesach, when cleaning for Pesach is in full swing. Little children run around "between their parents' feet" and don't pay attention to what is going on. How can we deal with this?
ANSWER:
During all these days, a special day must be allocated for proper activity with one's children. In addition, each day should have a certain amount of time, in the midst of cleaning, allocated solely to the children. This "rest period" is not only for the children but also for the parents themselves.
