The Chumra

The holiday of Pesach is very much connected to the concept of “Chumra” or stringency. The reason why this is more prevalent on Pesach is because even a small amount of Chametz, can nullify a large amount of food.

In recent years, the “Chumra” has been associated with a way of practicing Judaism to the extreme.

There is a Halachic ruling that when one is in doubt about a matter of Torah origin, he should go “Le’Chumra.” If it is of rabbinic origin, one can be more lenient.

The problem in our current situation is that it has become unclear what is the strict letter of the law, and what is a stringency.

For example, many are taught that it is absolutely mandatory to have two separate oven, one for dairy, and one for meat. This is a Chumra, as my recollection of my earlier years, is that very few religious Jews could afford two ovens.

The motivation in taking on Chumrot should be for personal spiritual growth. It should not be based on peer pressure or ignorance.

There are times when things are carried to such an extreme, where there could be harm. When one is sick on Shabbat, one must violate the laws in order to save a life.

The Talmud speaks of the “righteous fool” who will not save a drowning woman, because he’s not allowed to touch a foreign woman.

One must take great care not to fall in the “holier than thou” trap. If one believes that he needs to take a more strict approach, he should not impose this on others.

We see this in matters of Kashrut, and we also see this in the interaction between men and women. There are clear laws that one must keep in all circumstances, that cannot be compromised. But the imposition of these Chumrot, can often cause financial loss, or can even turn people off to Judaism.

Therefore, as we make our Passover preparations, we should keep a clear head to follow the Halacha but not to an extreme.

I once heard of someone who covered the bumper of his car with aluminum foil, for a joke. Within an hour, a number of cars in the neighborhood put foil on their cars as well. Now that’s taking a Chumra to an extreme!