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What is ?ץמח תקידב ‐ Jacob Plumb (8 grade)
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Many know the main idea of bedikat chametz: to clear your house of all chametz. But do we even know why or
how we are supposed to do this?

ץמח תקידבis done as a precursor to biyur chametz, the destruction of the chametz. The reason given by Tosafot
is that bitul chametz is referred to as the mental nullification of the chametz, so the sages say that the bedikah,
physical searching, is necessary in case the bitul is not sincere and you find chametz during Pesach and eat it
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absentmindedly. The search is to be done the evening of the 14 of Nissan until midday so that the search tech-
nically takes all of the night and into the next day. During this time you are supposed to refrain from all other
activities, even Torah learning. You are expected to search using a candle to light your way because during the
customary time for the bedikah, which is during the evening, you can’t see very well and you are not supposed
to do it during the day because a corner is not very visible in that time due to shadows, per Eliyahu Kitov. You
are to search anywhere that chametz is usually brought or suspected to be found. In the case that one failed to do
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the search on the 14 , they may do it after that, even on Pesach and destroy any chametz immediately, however
if you fail to do that then you must do so after Pesach and make sure nobody benefits from it.

A lesson that we learn from this is how devoted to G-D and meticulous the preparation for Pesach really is. In
addition to this lesson, another one that I took away from this topic was how much more devoted I can be to G-
D.

How Do We Ful ill The Mitzvah Of Bitul/Biur Chametz? ‐

Orly Lashak (8th grade)

Bitul is the statement that we say, after bedikat chametz, that renounces the ownership of any chametz that be-
longs to us, whether it is hidden, or not even in our house at all. The reason we say bitul, is so that the chametz
will become subsequently ownerless. Therefore, if there is any chametz found on our property, we are declaring
it's not ours. For the declaration to be valid, it’s necessary for us to understand every single word we are saying
and actually mean every word. We should say bitul in the language we understand the most. Our sages recom-
mend repeating the bitul three times so that we become more conscious of it.

Biur is the physical elimination of the chametz. The morning after the bedikat chametz, we eliminate our cha-
metz, usually by burning it. When we burn our chametz, we are not only eliminating our chametz physically,
but also spiritually. After this, we repeat the statement of bitul, this time saying it much more comprehensively,
with a change in text.

From this, we learn that our words have a very big impact. The reason that we choose which language we say
bitul in, and we don’t just say it in Hebrew, is because we need to understand everything we say, and the way we
say it. We also learn that Hashem wants us to spend the holiday with a cleansed spirit.