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

The Mitzvot of Pesach - Not eating Chametz

Hi,

The Torah's tenth mitzvah, as counted by the Sefer haChinuch, prohibits eating mixtures which contain chametz on Pesach. In addition to actual bread and cake, this includes foods of which some small part is leavened grain; the Torah instructs us to stay far away from leaven on Pesach.

This care may teach us a lesson regarding laziness, the year-round equivalent of chametz. Chametz results when a baker is slow to process his dough; when we are slow to perform a mitzvah, the resultant loss of the opportunity is considered chametz at any time of year. Just as we avoid any product with the slightest bit of chametz on Pesach, so we should avoid any degree of laziness all year long.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Mitzvot of Pesach - Eating Matzah

Hi,

Mitzvah 10, as counted by the Sefer haChinuch, instructs us to eat matzah on Pesach night. The gemara (Pesachim 116b) explains that we do this because we left Egypt in a rush, and our dough did not have time to rise, as recorded in Shemot 12:39.

This explanation is difficult, though; Gd had already instructed us not to have chametz for seven days (Shemot 12:19)! The dough didn’t rise because we could not let permit it to rise, and not because of our haste!

Among many who have approached this problem, the 13th century sage R’ Yeshayah diTrani (Tosafot Rid to Pesachim 116b) suggested a simple answer. He noted that when the Jews left Egypt, the prohibition against possessing chametz applied only for the first day of Pesach; the instruction regarding a seven-day holiday was for future generations (as indicated in Shemot 12:14). If so, then the dough the Jews took from Egypt could have been permitted to rise were it not for their haste, and this haste is what we have commemorated every year since.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Mitzvot of Pesach - Eliminating Chametz

Hi,

The Torah presents two separate mitzvot – one to eliminate chametz we find before Pesach, and the other to make sure we do not own any chametz throughout Pesach. The Sefer haChinuch numbers these as biblical mitzvot #9 and #11. Both of these mitzvot remind us of the miracles HaShem performed for us in removing us from Egypt.

The latter mitzvah includes avoiding responsibility for chametz; we equate guardianship with ownership. This creates practical difficulties for a Jew who keeps a refrigerator in his work cubicle and allows non-Jews to keep their food in his refrigerator. Aside from avoiding any chance that he might accidentally consume the chametz, the Jew would also need to make clear to the chametz-owners that he takes no responsibility for the fate of their chametz. For more on this see Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 340.

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Destroying Chametz, Eliminating Esav

Hi,

"In the merit of our eliminating chametz, Gd will eliminate Esav.

"It is written, 'Only, on the first day you shall eliminate leaven.' But it is not the first, it is the fourteenth [of Nisan]!

"Rather, in the merit of this [elimination of leaven], I will eliminate Esav, regarding whom it is written, 'And the first one, the red one, emerged.'"

(Rokeiach, Hilchot Pesach 271)

Have a great day,
Mordechai