The Mitzvot of Pesach - Not eating or owning Chametz

Hi,

We have already listed our obligation to destroy Chametz before Pesach, and to ensure that we own no Chametz during Pesach. Mitzvah 19, according to the count of the Sefer haChinuch, adds that we may not eat Chametz on Pesach, and Mitzvah 20 states that we may not even see Chametz in our homes ( בל יראה ובל ימצא ).

As Tosafot notes (Pesachim 2a אור), the requirement to avoid visible Chametz in our domains is one reason why we search for Chametz, rather than simply declare it ownerless. Since the Torah went so far in distancing us from Chametz, we go this extra step of searching for Chametz and destroying it. [The Spring Cleaning, of course, is a bonus…]

Chag kasher v'sameach,
Mordechai