Minchas Asher: Searching the Recesses of the Heart

We specifically put out and scatter ten pieces of chametz, just so they can be gathered, and destroyed with the rest of the chametz. If we think about it, the essence of Bedikas Chametz is to try to find bypassed chametz that was overlooked, or otherwise not found. What's the need to deliberately hide extra chametz in order to just gather it up? The Rama gives a possible answer that it's in order so that the Bracha isn't a bracha l'vatala, that we shouldn't make a bracha in vain, but in the end of the day, the Rama says that if the Chametz isn't put out, it's fine, because the Bracha is on the burning of the Chametz that happens the following morning.

This seems to be a Chumra and a stringency that follows the din of getting rid of Chametz, and other poskim try to figure out the nature of why having Chametz around on Pesach is so much more strict than other forbidden foods in Halacha.

The Radvaz, Rabbi David ibn Zimra, was one of the early Acharonim in the 16th century, discusses in his Responsa comparing Chametz on Pesach to other forbidden foods, and tries to figure out the reason why Chametz is more strict than basically all other forbidden foods. Let's play a little Ma Nishtana for a second. With all other forbidden foods, technically speaking, you are allowed to own it, but with Chametz, we have the prohibition of owning it, Bal Yeraeh and Bal Yimatzei, it has to be out of sight, and out of mind. With all other forbidden foods, if a little bit of it falls into a mixture of Kosher food, if it's small enough to be nullified, it's as if it doesn't exist in the Kosher food at all, and the food is still Kosher, but with Chametz, if a tiny crumb of a Bagel Town muffin falls into your matza ball soup, the entire thing is chametz, and it doesn't matter how small it is. On top of that, with all other forbidden foods, they will never ever become Kosher, but with Chametz, if you just wait a week, the moment that Pesach ends, pizza will become totally permitted for a Jew to eat.

The Radvaz then makes one last comparison. He says that there is a special mitzvah to seek out and destroy all Avoda Zara or any type of idolatry that one might find among us. However, that mitzvah only applies in Eretz Yisrael! We don't have the mitzvah to search and destroy Avoda Zara outside of Israel, instead, if we happen to conquer a place, only then are we commanded to destroy the Avoda Zara that's there.

The Radvaz says, I DON'T GET IT! How is it possible that Chametz is stricter than Avoda Zara?!

He finally reaches the conclusion that there can only be one explanation for how that can be. He says the following.

Where does the Radvaz get that from? I'm not sure, but a similar idea is found both in the Zohar, and in the Haggada of Rav Shlomo Alkabetz, who wrote Lecha Dodi. The Zohar compares Chametz and Avoda Zara by saying, that both must be destroyed by fire, as well as they can both be nullified by expressing disregard and disdain for them.

If one looks in the Gemara in the Masechtos of Shabbos, Sanhedrin, and Sotah, one would find that Chametz isn't the only thing that's compared to Avoda Zara.

So what does this have to do with anything?

Rav Asher Weiss explains that when Bnei Yisrael were given the Mitzvah to do the Korban Pesach, they were first told to draw out their hands, "משכו", before actually taking the lamb for the Korban Pesach. The Midrash Rabbah explains that the extra word of "משכו" is referring to Avoda Zara, that they should remove their hands from serving idolatry before doing the mitzvah of the Korban Pesach. Only then, could they do the Korban, which was the key to them leaving Egypt.

The Minchas Asher explains a fascinating idea. When Bnei Yisrael left Egypt they were lacking in any zechuyos, or really any reason to be saved at all. Not only were they lacking in merit, but midrash says that the angels were upset that the Egyptians were drowning in the Red Sea while the Jews were being saved, even though they were both idol worshippers!

Despite their faults, Hashem displayed his love and mercy for his children and believed in them. So too, the holiday of Pesach represents a similar idea for us, their descendents celebrating Pesach today, that we should use this opportunity to rise above our faults, and draw close to Hashem.

Whenever we say Kiddush, we say "תחלה למקראי קודש, זכר ליציאת מצרים", which literally translates as, "the first calling to holiness, a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt". Rav Naftali Zvi of Ropshitz, who lived in the 18th century, was a talmid of the Chassidic master, the Noam Elimelech. He once explained that the "first and foremost calling", that inspires a person to move up in his relationship with Hashem and his yiddishkeit, is Yetzias Mitzraim, because despite their lack of mitzvos, some of the greatest miracles were done for our forefathers. They had reached the lowest level of Tumah, and they were so close to the point of no return, yet in such a short time afterwards, they were standing at Har Sinai receiving the Torah from Hashem, and they built the Mishkan.

These thoughts could give us a lot of encouragement and chizuk, to never give up and say that it's too late for me to ever get closer to Hashem, the Torah, and the Mitzvos. Hashem can do miracles for us, just as he did for the Avos, and help us reach the highest point that we ideally want to be at.

The Baer Heitev in the Shulchan Aruch quotes the Arizal as saying a pretty bold statement.

According to what we established above, this makes perfect sense. Chametz represents the Yetzer Hara, and all of the evil personality traits that it brings along, and by ridding our homes of Chametz, we rid our hearts of the influence of the yetzer hara, protecting us from sinning.

With this in mind, why do we spread out the ten pieces of Chametz around the house for Bedikas Chametz?

Rav Asher Weiss in the Minchas Asher suggests that maybe we do it to remind ourselves of a sad but true fact, that although we blame the Yetzer Hara for our sinning, we are largely responsible for our own faults. He says, "with our own hands, we plant the seeds of darkness that sprout in our hearts. When we wantonly pursue our selfish pleasures or give free rein to our anger, we nurture the negative character traits, the 'Chametz of the heart', which we must later work so hard to destroy."

Only after we spread out the chametz during the bedika, do we remind ourselves how to carefully look for every crumb of Chametz, physically, and spiritually. We should be zoche this year to rid our hearts of the chametz of selfishness, falsehood, and arrogance, and replace them with generosity, kindness, and ahavas Yisrael.