by Asher Schechter

Shabbat Hagadol — the Great Sabbath before Passover — carries its own weight of preparation. The chametz must be searched, found, disowned. But why search at all, if disowning suffices? In March 1985, Asher Schechter of New York University posted this Dvar Torah to net.religion.jewish, the earliest religious discussion network on the nascent internet. Drawing on Tractate Pesachim and the medieval commentary of Tosfos, he traced a single problem — the seemingly redundant requirement of Bdika, the physical search — to two answers already hidden in one verse of Exodus. The post is a specimen of the living tradition: a young scholar transmitting talmudic reasoning to a small community of Jews scattered across university networks in the pre-Web era, wishing them a kosher Passover across UUCP relays.

This week is Shabbos Hagodol and therefore I will speak about Pesach.

I heard an interesting p'shat (explanation) from Rabbi Kirzner and I would like to tell it over. In the beginning of Messeches (tractate) Pesachim the Mishna discusses the requirement for each family to search their house for chametz (leavened bread) on the eve of the fourteenth day of Nissan (the first month in the Jewish year). The question is raised in Tosfos that since one can fulfill his obligation of "Tashbisu" (to destroy) by being Mevatel (consciously disowning or considering it like dirt) his chametz, why must we then search our homes for chametz? Let us just be Mevatel our chametz by saying Kol Chamira (the traditional text which is used to be Mevatel chametz) and not worry if we have chametz in our possession.

Tosfos' question follows from the following assumption. The Lav (transgression) of Bal Yeroeh and Bal Yimozeh (not to see and not to find) chametz applies only to chametz that belongs to you. Chametz that was disowned, through Bitul (by being mevatel), is not included under this Lav. Therefore Tosfos asks: if we are just mevatel our chametz, that should suffice, and we should not need an additional Bdika (search) for chametz.

Tosfos gives two answers to this question.

The first reason: Since people eat chametz all year round, they may by mistake eat the chametz that is left around the house on Pesach. So the Rabbonon (Rabbis) required a Bdika. Although all other forbidden foods one may keep around the house, they are different from chametz because they are forbidden all year round — so people don't usually eat them.

The second reason: Since the Torah was so stringent with chametz on Pesach, giving two additional prohibitions — Bal Yeroeh and Bal Yimozeh — the Rabbonon saw fit, in the spirit of the importance of the law, to add an additional requirement of Bdika.

Rabbi Kirzner explained that both of these reasons of Tosfos are hinted at in the Torah. The posuk (verse) Shimos (Exodus) 12:15 reads: "Shivas yomim matzos tochelo ach bayom harishon tashbiso saar mebotechem ke kol ochel chametz venichresa hanefesh hahee miyisrael mayom harishon ad yom hashviey." (Seven days you shall eat matzoh, but the first day you shall destroy chametz from your house, because whoever eats chametz will be cut off from Israel, from the first day to the seventh day.)

Now the requirement of Tashbiso as explained before refers to the act of being Mevatel chametz. However, we could use it in another sense also — to refer to the act of Bdika that the Rabbonon required. So both of the reasons are hinted in the posuk.

Tashbiso — why? "Ke kol ochel chametz venichresa..." (because whoever eats chametz will be cut off). This is the second reason above: it is because of the strictness of the chametz laws that we make a Bdika, for the Torah tells us that the reason for the laws of Bal Yeroeh and Bal Yemozeh is because of the punishment of kares (being cut off) for eating chametz.

Then the posuk continues and gives another reason: "mayom harishon ad yom hashviey" (from the first day to the seventh day). So people are not used to refraining from chametz, because it only lasts for seven days. Therefore it was necessary to make a Bdika so that people would keep away from chametz. This is the first reason of Tosfos above.

So both of Tosfos' reasons are hinted in this posuk.

I would like to wish everyone a "Kosher Pesach" and Lishono Habo BiYerushalayim Habnuya.

Colophon

Written by Asher Schechter ([email protected]), New York University, and posted to net.religion.jewish on March 26, 1985, in time for Shabbat Hagadol — the Great Sabbath immediately preceding Passover. The Dvar Torah draws on the Talmudic tractate Pesachim, the medieval Ashkenazic commentary collection Tosfos, and an oral teaching from Rabbi Kirzner.

Preserved from the Usenet archive (UTZOO batch b42, news024f1) for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Original Message-ID: [email protected].

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