(א) אוֹר לְאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר, בּוֹדְקִין אֶת הֶחָמֵץ לְאוֹר הַנֵּר. כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁאֵין מַכְנִיסִין בּוֹ חָמֵץ אֵין צָרִיךְ בְּדִיקָה. וְלָמָה אָמְרוּ שְׁתֵּי שׁוּרוֹת בַּמַּרְתֵּף, מָקוֹם שֶׁמַּכְנִיסִין בּוֹ חָמֵץ. בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים, שְׁתֵּי שׁוּרוֹת עַל פְּנֵי כָל הַמַּרְתֵּף. וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, שְׁתֵּי שׁוּרוֹת הַחִיצוֹנוֹת שֶׁהֵן הָעֶלְיוֹנוֹת:
(1) On the evening of the fourteenth [of Nissan] we check for leavened bread by the light of a candle. Any place which we do not bring leavened bread into does not require checking. And why did [the sages] say [that we must check up to] two rows in the wine cellar? [It is] a place which we bring leavened bread into. The House of Shammai say: Two rows upon the entire wine-cellar. The House of Hillel say: The two outer rows, which are the uppermost.
What is Chametz? What is the significance of searching at night before before Passover? Why do we search specifically by the light of a candle?
(א) אור לארבעה עשר בודקין את החמץ לאור הנר אין בודקין לא לאור החמה ולא לאור הלבנה אלא לאור הנר [לפי שבדיקת הנר יפה מרובה] אע"פ שאין ראיה לדבר זכר לדבר (צפניה א׳:י״ב) והיה בעת ההיא אחפש את ירושלים בנרות ואומר (משלי כ׳:כ״ז) נר אלקים נשמת אדם.
(1) On the evening of the fourteenth, we check for chamets by candlelight, not by sunlight, not by moonlight, but rather only by candlelight (since the candlelight is greater). Even though there's no explicit proof for this, it's a remembrance for that which is discussed (Tzefaniah 1) "And in that time I will look through Jerusalem by candle" and that which it says (Proverbs 20) "The candle of God is a human soul".
מתני' אור לארבעה עשר גרסי': ,לאור הנר - בגמרא (דף ז:) מפרש טעמא:,בודקין - שלא יעבור עליו בבל יראה ובבל ימצא:
The night of the 14th of Nissan
So that one does not transgress the Torah prohibitions of seeing and finding hametz.
(ז) מַצּוֹת֙ יֵֽאָכֵ֔ל אֵ֖ת שִׁבְעַ֣ת הַיָּמִ֑ים וְלֹֽא־יֵרָאֶ֨ה לְךָ֜ חָמֵ֗ץ וְלֹֽא־יֵרָאֶ֥ה לְךָ֛ שְׂאֹ֖ר בְּכָל־גְּבֻלֶֽךָ׃
(7) Throughout the seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten; no leavened bread shall be found with you, and no leaven shall be found in all your territory.
"Found" implies that a "search" was conducted.
מתני' אור לארבעה עשר בודקין את החמץ - פ"ה שלא לעבור עליו בבל יראה ובל ימצא וקשה לר"י כיון דצריך ביטול כדאמר בגמ' (דף ו:) הבודק צריך שיבטל ומדאורייתא בביטול בעלמא סגי אמאי הצריכו חכמים בדיקה כלל ונראה לר"י דאע"ג דסגי בביטול בעלמא החמירו חכמים לבדוק חמץ ולבערו שלא יבא לאכלו וכן משמע לקמן (פסחים דף י:) דבעי רבא ככר בשמי קורה וכו' או
From the Torah, annulment is acceptable to avoid the Biblical transgression. Why did the Hachamim require searching at all? It seems to the opinion of Rav Yitzchak the Elder that even though annulment is sufficient, the Rabbis were stringent to require the searching of hametz and to destroy it so that no person should come to eat hametz on Passover.
The search and seizure of chametz is not meant to be debasing, destabilizing or humiliating. It is a family project. It isn't done alone. It can be a creative, discerning, growth-minded project:
(ג) וּמִדִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים לְחַפֵּשׂ אַחַר הֶחָמֵץ בַּמַּחֲבוֹאוֹת וּבַחוֹרִים וְלִבְדֹּק וּלְהוֹצִיאוֹ מִכָּל גְּבוּלוֹ. וְכֵן מִדִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים שֶׁבּוֹדְקִין וּמַשְׁבִּיתִין הֶחָמֵץ בַּלַּיְלָה מִתְּחִלַּת לֵיל אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר לְאוֹר הַנֵּר. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁבַּלַּיְלָה כָּל הָעָם מְצוּיִין בַּבָּתִּים וְאוֹר הַנֵּר יָפֶה לִבְדִיקָה. וְאֵין קוֹבְעִין מִדְרָשׁ בְּסוֹף יוֹם שְׁלֹשָׁה עָשָׂר. וְכֵן הֶחָכָם לֹא יַתְחִיל לִקְרוֹת בְּעֵת זוֹ שֶׁמָּא יִמָּשֵׁךְ וְיִמָּנַע מִבְּדִיקַת חָמֵץ בִּתְחִלַּת זְמַנָּה:
(3) By rabbinic enactment, one must search for ḥametz in hiding-places and holes, and remove it from his entire domain. Also, by rabbinic enactment, one should search and remove the ḥametz by lamplight at night, at the beginning of the night preceding the fourteenth day of Nisan, because all the people are then at home and lamplight is best for searching. And we do not fix study at the end of the thirteenth day [of Nissan]. And likewise should a sage not begin to read at that time, lest he be drawn [by it] and be prevented from searching for chamets at the beginning of its time.
(17) Learn to do good. Devote yourselves to justice; aid the chamotz [wronged]. Uphold the rights of the orphan; defend the cause of the widow.
Who are the Chamotz in our society today?
(י) כל מקום שמכניסין בו חמץ צריך בדיקה. ר"ל שצריך כל אחד לבדוק במקום שדרך היצה"ר הוא החמץ לשכון שם כ"א לפי ערכו מי שדרכו לפגום בבריתו ח"ו או בעיניו ח"ו לראות במקום שאין רשאין לראות צריך לבדקם ולבער ולשוב בתשוב' ובחרטה גמורה שאל יעשה עוד עבירה ועל מה שעשה יחזור בתשובה שלימה ובוודאי ימחול לו הקב"ה. וכל מקום שאין מכניסין בו חמץ אין צריך בדיקה. נראה הרמז דהנה יש ב"א שאינם משגיחין על מעשיהם רק על מעשים של ב"א אחרים ולזה מזהיר התנא מקום שאין מכניסין כו' אין צריך בדיקה. כלומר שאין (לעשות) כך שישגיח על מעשיהם של אחרים רק שיתקן וישגיח על מעשיו:
(10) All places where one does bring chametz in, need to be searched ~ meaning, one needs to search every place where their yetzer harah, which is the chametz, usually resides. And this place is different for each and everyone: the one whose yetzer resides on finding fault on others, God forbid, or whose eyes are always turned to that that should not be seen, God forbid, they need to search, and destroy, and completely return from that path so they won’t do it anymore, and if they return from what did in the past in a complete return (teshuvah) obviously the Holy One of Blessing will forgive them. And in places where one does not put chametz in, there is no need to search ~ and it appears to me that this is a remez, hint: there are those who do not notice their own behavior, but only the behavior of other people. And the warning of our mishnah is regarding this: and in places where one does not put … there is no need to search, meaning, one should not investigate other people’s behavior, but should investigate their own, and fix their own behavior.
What are the components of chametz within our homes, our hearts and our society that we can strive to seek out and eradicate in memory of Ari, living out the values and teachings of his music and his life's message?
All hametz—all selfish tendencies; that exists in my property—surely, they exist within my soul; that I have seen and have not seen—I think I have seen them, but, in truth, I have not seen them; that I have destroyed and have not destroyed—I think I have destroyed them, but in truth I have not destroyed them; may they be considered nulliBied—may You, God, nullify them and destroy them. (in The Chassidic Haggadah, translated by Rabbi Eliyahu Touger)
In a world rid of Spiritual Chametz, we can connect with the mission of
One Gold Nation:
Love
One glorious chain of love, of giving and receiving,
unites all living things.
All things exist in continuous reciprocal activity-
one for all, all for one,
None has power, or means for itself;
each receives only in order to give, and gives in order to receive,
and finds therein the fulfillment of the purpose of its existence
Hashem-
“Love” say the sages,
“love that supports and is supported in turn”-
that is the character of the Universe.
- Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, from The Nineteen Letters
Teaching in Ari's Memory Delivered by Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavi:
אֲבָל צָרִיךְ לְפַנּוֹת אֶת הַמֹּחִין מֵחָכְמוֹת חִיצוֹנִיּוֹת וּמִמַּחֲשָׁבוֹת זָרוֹת. מֵחָמֵץ, שֶׁלֹּא יַחְמִיץ אֶת חָכְמָתוֹ בְּחָכְמוֹת חִיצוֹנִיּוֹת וּבְתַאֲווֹת...
But it is first necessary to clear the mind of secular wisdom and undesirable thoughts—of chametz. A person must not sour his wisdom with secular wisdom or passions…
“And such is the evil inclination like yeast in dough, because it enters into the insides of a person, slowly, slowly, and then it multiplies and grows more and more until all of the body becomes enmeshed in it.
-The Zohar
Clearing out internal Hametz isn’t easy. Often we feel resistance: we don’t want to let go of an old story, or to forgive someone who’s hurt us, or to believe that we ourselves can be forgiven for our missed marks. It requires some scrubbing, metaphysically speaking. Our work is discerning which of our old stories still serve us, and which have become Hametz that we need to shed in order to move toward liberation.
-Rabbi Rachel Barenblatt