Laws of the Calendar

Bedikat Chametz is the process of searching a home to ensure that it is free of chametz — that is, leavened products forbidden on Passover— performed before the holiday begins. Biur Chametz (literally, “burning of the chametz”) is the process of destroying any remaining chametz on the morning before Passover. Jewish sources abound with discussions of how exactly the chametz is to be eradicated, the timing of the process, and its spiritual significance.

The jubilee (yovel) year is the 50th year in the biblical agricultural cycle and occurs after seven cycles of seven-year shemittah cycles. During the jubilee year, a shofar is blown on Yom Kippur, land ownership resets to its original holders, and all Israelite slaves are set free. Like the shemittah (sabbatical year) year, the jubilee year is one in which the land is not worked.

The shalosh regalim are the three pilgrimage festivals discussed in the Torah: Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. When the Temple in Jerusalem existed, people would celebrate these festivals in Jerusalem.