Mishneh Torah, Leavened and Unleavened Bread 2-4

Hook

"On the first day, destroy leaven from your homes"—but when is "the first day"? In the Sephardi and Mizrahi tradition, the answer is not found in the literal calendar of the holiday, but in the intimate, inherited wisdom of the Sages.

Context

• Source: Rambam (Maimonides), Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Chametz U’Matzah 2:1–4.
• Era: 12th-century Cairo, crystallizing centuries of oral tradition into clear, actionable law.
• Community: The Sephardi/Mizrahi emphasis on Mishneh Torah serves as a primary pillar for legal practice across North Africa, the Levant, and the Iberian Peninsula.

Text Snapshot

"What is the destruction to which the Torah refers? To nullify chametz within his heart and to consider it as dust, and to resolve within his heart that he possesses no chametz at all... According to the Sages' decree, [the mitzvah involves] searching for chametz in hidden places and in any holes [within one's house], seeking it by candlelight, at night."

Minhag & Melody

The tradition emphasizes the bittul (nullification) as the primary Torah-level fulfillment. While we perform the physical search (bedikat chametz) with a candle and a feather, the heart of the practice is the internal resolve. Many Sephardi communities recite the Kol Chamira nullification declaration with a specific focus on the Aramaic phrasing, emphasizing that the "dust" of the earth is a thing of no value, effectively detaching our souls from the burden of the leaven.

Contrast

While many Ashkenazi traditions place a heavy emphasis on the physical "finding" of the ten pieces of bread hidden during the search, the Rambam—followed closely by Sephardi authorities—stresses that the search is primarily a safeguard. If a person nullifies their ownership, they have fulfilled the Torah commandment; the search is a Rabbinic extension to ensure we are not negligent.

Home Practice

The Heart’s Nullification: Before you begin your physical cleaning, take a moment of stillness. Whether or not you have found every crumb, close your eyes and genuinely resolve in your heart that any chametz remaining in your home is now ownerless, worthless, and no longer yours. This internal shift is the ancient, essential core of the mitzvah.

Takeaway

The destruction of chametz is a journey from the external to the internal. We search the corners of our homes with candlelight, but we purify our lives by nullifying our attachment to the "leaven"—the ego and the excess—within our hearts.