Mishneh Torah, Leavened and Unleavened Bread 2-4

Sugya Map

• Issue: The timing and nature of tashbitu (destroying chametz).
• Nafka Mina: Does tashbitu require active destruction before the prohibition of bal yira’eh (seeing) or bal yimatzei (finding) kicks in, or is nullification (bittul) sufficient?
• Primary Sources: Exodus 12:15 ("On the first day, destroy..."), Exodus 34:25 (the Pesach slaughter prohibition), Pesachim 5a–6b.

Text Snapshot

• "What is the destruction to which the Torah refers? To nullify chametz within his heart and to consider it as dust." (MT 2:1)
• Nuance: Rambam emphasizes the internal psychological shift (bittul) as the primary Torah-level fulfillment. The physical search (bedikah) is a Rabbinic expansion to ensure the bittul is effective and to prevent accidental consumption.

Readings

• Rambam (MT 2:1): Bittul is the Torah-level mitzvah. The mental resolve to treat chametz as "dust" removes one’s ownership (kinyan), satisfying the Torah requirement.
• Ra’avad (ad loc.): While agreeing with the mechanics, he highlights that the bittul only works where the owner cannot physically destroy the chametz (e.g., hidden in a collapsed building or far away). If it is accessible, bittul is insufficient.

Friction

• Kushya: If the Torah tells us to "destroy" (tashbitu), how can a purely mental act (bittul) satisfy that command?
• Terutz: Rambam maintains that the Torah command is not for the physical incineration of bread, but for the removal of the status of chametz from one’s property. By nullifying ownership, the bread ceases to be "your" chametz (lechem she-shelcha), thus removing the prohibition.

Intertext

• SA Orach Chayim 434: Echoes the Rambam; bittul is the essential safety valve.
• Pesachim 6b: The Talmud compares the possession of chametz to a pit in a public thoroughfare—even if you "nullify" it, the Torah holds you liable for the damage if you didn't actually remove the source.

Psak/Practice

• Meta-psak: We perform both bittul (mental) and bedikah (physical search). If one finds chametz after the bedikah, bittul remains the legal fallback that prevents a bal yira’eh violation. However, relying on bittul alone is an admission of failure in the Rabbinic mandate.

Takeaway

• Bittul is the "legal" removal of chametz from your domain; bedikah is the "physical" removal. You need the mind to surrender the item before the hand seeks it.