Minister Yuval Steinetz announced, in response to a question asked in public, that while he respects tradition, he does in fact eat chametz on pesach.

That should not bother me. What he does in his own home is his business. I don't know why he felt the need to publicize it, but he was asked and he answered truthfully. I guess he could have left it ambiguous and said that what he does in private is nobody's business, but he answered straight and honest.

It does bother me a little though, and I do not know why. I think mostly because of the publication of the matter, but I am not sure.

What bothers me more is why does this revelation bother me less than when MK Ruth Calderon of Yesh Atid announced that she puts chametz on her seder plate to represent some oppressed society. She did not even eat it, just put it on display, but that bothered me more. Was it because of the person rather than the act? Was it because she put it on the seder plate in a demonstrative way and harmed the symbol of Pesach? Was it because of the method of publication? I am not sure.

Another interesting comparison is what I heard on some of the talk shows today - why is it ok for Steinetz to announce that he eats chametz on pesach, especially because he is a senior minister and is not really a private person, yet when someone Haredi barbecues on Yom Hazikaron it becomes a national crime? If Gafni or Litzman would announce a party or concert on Yom Hazikaron, would the country be as understanding and forgiving as it is with Steinetz's announcement?