מותר לך מותר לך מותר לך

One of the big dangers of pesach cleaning is that women tend to go a little bit overboard in their cleaning frenzy and say that a number of things that were actually permitted are forbidden. This doesn't seem like a big problem except that Judaism handles speech in a very severe manner. If someone says that something is forbidden to him then it becomes forbidden. For example if you say Bread is now forbidden to me then for you bread is treif as pork.

This can be a big problem with women running around assuring everything including the kitchen sink and that's why this is one time a year when men really have to use the power entrusted to them by God. One of the coolest things written in the Torah is that if a woman makes a vow and her husband (or father when she's younger) doesn't accept it, he just says מותר לך מותר לך מותר לך and it's as if the vow was never made.

This power vested in us should be used sparingly, as wives would take the frying pan to their husbands rather quickly if they revoked every word that came out of their mouths, but during this chag season it is especially important to have those words on your lips and as you are cleaning something that your wife just assured, remember to say מותר לך מותר לך מותר לך. It saves a lot of hassle and she will really appreciate it when she understands how you are saving her from herself.