Page 16 - HaMizrachi #28 Pesach USA 2021

GLOBAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu ל“צז

Cleaning for Pesach

he excitement of Pesach begins five. Eight letters were added just so the light. LeHalacha, we say the time for
well before the actual holiday language would be clean. bedikat chametz is when tzeit haKo-
T– Pesach preparations are an chavim begins, since during bein haSh-
intrinsic part of this special chag. Rav We know we must check for chametz mashot, the light of the candle doesn’t
Mordechai Eliyahu z”l shared a few in the holes and cracks. Our commen- shine well, and the mitzvah is to search
thoughts on the importance and inner tators suggest that a person should also at the beginning of the night, ה ָ ע ָּ ב ְ ר ַ א ְ ל רֹוא
meaning of cleaning for Pesach and check his own “cracks,” his pockets. One רׂ ָ ש ָ ע, (the eve of the 14 ), which is why
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searching for chametz: should check if one’s money is ‘clean,’ the Mishna uses the word רוא and not
and whether one gave charity to talmidei ךשוח (darkness), to imply the very begin-
When there’s an argument between chachamim. As Yirmiyahu says, money
different groups of Jews, for example which is not clean and pure contains ning of the night when it is not yet fully
dark.
between different political parties, the no sign of blessing: “the man who gains
discussion should be conducted in a dig- riches by unjust means – when his life “In Nissan we were redeemed and in
nified, respectful and “clean” manner. is half gone, they [his riches] will desert Nissan we will be redeemed.” Chazal
The Gemara teaches this: “The verse did him…” (Yirmiyahu 17:11). say: we don’t want to wait, we want
not speak to the disparagement of [even] redemption immediately. As Rashi says,
a non-kosher animal, as it is written: The Shulchan Aruch writes: “In the the future redemption may occur even
‘From the pure animals and from the beginning of the eve of the 14 of Nissan, at night, and the Beit HaMikdash will
th
animals that are lacking purity’ (Bere- chametz should be searched for by can- descend, built and complete. We believe
ishit 7:8).” dlelight, in all of the places where one in the coming of Mashiach every single
In other words, the Torah wanted to regularly brings chametz. One should day. Yehi ratzon that we merit to sacri-
fice the korban Pesach in its set time,
teach us how to speak cleanly, and chose be careful not to begin any work or eat
a longer expression, “from the animals before he searches. And even if he has and we should merit the geula shleima,
speedily in our days, Amen.
that are lacking purity,” so as not to say a set time to study Torah at that time,
“from the impure animal.” he should not study until he searches. If
he started to learn while it was still day,
The commentators question this he need not stop. And there are those
though. In other places in the Torah, who say he should stop.” If he is hungry
“impure animal” is specifically used, so and wants to eat before searching for
why is the longer, ‘cleaner’ phrase not chametz, he may eat fruits or less than
used there like it is in the above verse, a beitza-worth of bread. We also do not
listing the animals that entered the set time for learning Torah at the end of
ark? They answer that when the Torah the 13 of Nissan, and a Rabbi should
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teaches us the laws of kosher food, not begin a drasha, lest he continue late
there is no reason to shorten its words, and prevent bedikat chametz from being
because this is Torah and halacha, but carried out on time.
when the Torah is only telling which
animals entered the ark, which is not The time for searching for chametz is
th
practical halacha, it is necessary to add at the beginning of the eve of the 14
extra words and avoid using unclean lan- of Nissan. The Kaf HaChaim says this
guage. Wise people should learn from means right before night begins. The
this. In the words of the Ran: הָּנֶני ֵ א ר ׁ ֶ ש ֲ א Magen Avraham says it means before Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu ל“צז served as the
ה ָ רֹוה ְ ט (“that are lacking purity”) contains tzeit haKochavim, before three stars are Rishon LeZion and Sephardi Chief Rabbi of
13 letters. ה ָ א ְ מ ֻּ ט ַ ה (“impure”) contains visible, even though there is still some Israel from 1983 to 1993.

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