Below is a sample chapter from the just released sefer Piskei Halacha of Harav Yisroel Belsky zt”l which is distributed by Israel Book Shop Publications:

Pesach Cleaning

One should appreciate how much effort his wife puts into the Pesach cleaning. One should help out in the house as much as possible. The Gemorah in Bava Metziah (32a-b) says if you see your friend with a heavy load you should help him out. All the more so when your wife is cleaning for Pesach and needs your help.

Bedikas Chometz

Anything that one has in his possessions requires bedika. The night of the fourteenth was reserved for one’s home. Your office can be checked before the fourteenth. It is not practical for one to take his car to the office the night of the fourteenth. The car should be checked when it is most convenient for you.

There is no reason why anyone who is healthy and not infirm, should be exempt from cleaning his house properly, and doing the required bedika, even if you are going away for Yom Tov. There is no need to wash out the pots etc, and there is no need to cover the sinks. One should not look for loopholes regarding this. There is no need to burn the feather and the spoon with the chometz the next morning. If people consider it a minhag then one should do like his minhag.

Ovens

If one has a self cleaning oven then it should be put on a full cycle and that would kasher it. One may place the grates of the oven in the oven while kashering, and this will provide the necessary kashering to the grates. Another method of kashering the burners would be to place a blech on the burners and leave the fire on for about five minutes. There is no need for placing a piece of silver foil on the inside of the oven door. The food particles that might have gotten stuck there have no affect on any food cooked later on.

Sinks

The best eitzah as to how one should make his sink kosher for Pesach is to put in an insert. Using a stone with boiling hot water is rather difficult, and one who is an expert in using it may kasher the sink with it if the walls of the sink are stainless steel.

Counters

Although there are many ways on how to kasher countertops, the best way is to put contact paper on the counter.

One should try to get rid of as much chometz as possible before Pesach, and not rely on selling it to a goy, unless you are in business and have to hold onto it. The products that are only mixtures of chometz should be locked up in the medicine cabinet for the duration of Pesach, and sold together with the rest of the chometz.

Products

Diet Coke– One is permitted to drink Diet Coke on Pesach. Granulated Sugar- This sugar does not need a hechsher for Pesach, but since today there are many that have a hechsher one should buy the one with a hechsher. Chocolate- One needs to buy chocolate with a hechsher for Pesach. Regular Orange Juice – Orange juice goes through pasteurization that is normally done on hot utensils, therefore, one should buy orange juice with a hechsher. Dishwashing Soap- One should only purchase dishwashing soap with a hechsher. Baby Cereal – Baby rice cereal contains many flakes of barley that are left over from the equipment, since it is not possible to clean out the equipment properly. Therefore, this cereal may not be used for Pesach. Baby Formula – Even baby formula that contains soybeans may contain a small amount of chometz in the form of vitamins but is butel many times over. Nonetheless, if one can he should purchase the formula from Eretz Yisroel for Pesach. If the child cannot handle this formula then one can be lenient. Mushrooms – there is no concern regarding the usage of mushrooms for Pesach. Paper Towels – there is no starch problem with paper towels, and one may place food directly on the paper towels. There is no chumrah, issur, or minhag to prevent a drop of kitniyos from falling into food. The Shulchan Aruch (453:1) says one can use a lamp filled with oil from kitniyos even though it’s certain that some of the kitniyos will be sprayed into the food. In the case of the paper towels, there is no certainty at all of any leaching into the food. No one has ever confirmed even a leaching of a molecule of starch from the paper towel into the food. The kitniyos starch is so firmly bonded to the paper towel that an iodine test won’t reveal its presence. Spices– In order to prevent the spices from sticking together an anti-caking agent is put in. All year-round cornstarch is used for this purpose, on Pesach potato starch is used, therefore, one should purchase spices that have a hechsher for Pesach. Lump Charcoal – one is permitted to use lump charcoal for a barbeque during Pesach since it is just burnt wood. The regular charcoals may not be used, since the ashes that make up the charcoal are stuck together with glue that might be chometz.

Starched Shirts

According to the basic premise of the law a person can wear starched shirts on Pesach as long as the starch was put on before Pesach. It is customary that we refrain from wearing them because during the meals some starch might fall into the food.

Licking Envelopes

Glue which is on the back of stamps and envelopes should not be licked on Pesach because the glue might contain wheat starch which would be chometz.

Using Glass Cups

In previous years glass would break when hot water was placed in them. Therefore, it was the custom to use the same glass cups throughout the whole year since it never absorbed hot liquid. Today, our glass withstands heat; therefore, one should not use the same glassware for Pesach that is used all year round, because they go through the dishwasher together with chometz.

Checking Romaine Lettuce for Bugs

If one were to put the lettuce up to the light, as most people do, it is very likely that they will miss seeing the bug. The bugs on romaine lettuce called aphids are the same color as the lettuce. One should have a lamp or light and hold the lettuce between you and the light. The lettuce is translucent and the bugs are opaque. This way you will be able to see the bugs clearly. Another way to check for bugs would be to use a light box. When purchasing Aleh Katif lettuce the aforementioned checking is not required. However, one should check this lettuce just like any other fruit is checked. When checking iceberg lettuce, if there are no bugs in the first 4-5 layers there is no bug in the rest of the head. This is not the case by romaine lettuce.

Pills

Pills which are not chewable are not considered edible items and are therefore permitted to be taken as medication on Pesach. This does not apply to vitamins. If there is an available substitute it’s always preferred. It is therefore worthwhile checking out the medicines for Pesach.

Tums

When there are no Tums® available, the best thing to do when experiencing heartburn is to take baking soda and mix it with water. The baking soda eliminates the heartburn immediately.