You shall eat nothing leavened": On the Mitzva of Chametz in Beta Israel

Abstract

While still in Ethiopia and before their exposure to the influence of Jewish emissaries, Beta Israel observed a unique and stringent custom pertaining to the definition of chametz (leaven). According to this custom, any food or beverage that underwent a process of souring or fermentation (the vowel form in Hebrew of the noun "chametz") was ruled to have the status of chametz – leavened food that Jews are forbidden from eating on Pesach. Accordingly, they refrained from eating cheese produced from milk that had soured or from drinking wine made from fermented grapes. Moreover, every dish was to be consumed immediately after preparation so that prolonged exposure to the air would not cause it to sour or ferment. In practice, for the duration of the 7-day festival, Beta Israel ate only matzot, fruit, and vegetables and drank only water, other non-effervescent beverages, or fresh milk immediately after milking.

This article will examine written and oral evidence relating to the definition of chametz in Beta Israel and will trace the possible origins of their custom.

The article's conclusion is that there is no basis in the literal 'pshat' meaning of the biblical text, in Second Temple literature, or in later rabbinic literature for Beta Israel's stringent definition. Nevertheless, a solid basis for it can be found in ancient Karaite halakha that is documented in several ancient sources and practiced by Karaites to this day.

It can be reasonably assumed that the Beta Israel custom and that of the early Karaites preserve an ancient Jewish halakha that significantly expanded the definition of chametz forbidden on Pesach. Although this halakha was rejected in Midrashic literature and the Talmud, a faint echo of it can be found in the Sages' "Hava Amina" (lit: "I would have thought" – an assumption raised but ultimately rejected during a Talmudic discussion) that, as is well known, frequently reflects the views of rejected halakhot.