Pesach 1 - 5774

Pesach - 5774

Rabbi Hal Miller

We have many customs. Some are limited to small groups, or just families,

others are widespread. Pesach seems to have collected more of these than

any of the other holidays. The danger is that many people seem to think

that these are halachic requirements from the Torah, not to be ignored or

bent. Where did these come from? This year we will look at a few examples.

Most are very recognizable, even widely observed, but what is the purpose

behind them? Are they actually requirements?

Today we look at the ten pieces of chametz, and the stealing of afikomen.

The Kol Dodi (Rabbi Dovid Feinstein) says, "A widespread custom calls for the

distribution of ten pieces of chametz through the house before the search." It

seems counterintuitive to put chametz out around the house just at the point

when one is making utmost effort to remove it everywhere, so there must be a

reason. The Ari and others write that this should be done in order to avoid an

unnecessary blessing: one says at the beginning of the search, "Who has

commanded us concerning the removal of chametz". The argument is that this

would be in vain if we do not find any chametz, thus we put some out there

intentionally to make sure.

Ra'avad calls this "a custom based on weak reasoning." The Taz says that one

should not purposely hide the chametz, and that the blessing refers instead to

the chametz that the person plans to dispose of the following morning, calling

the search merely the first step in the process.

Rav Hirsch cautions that, "Although some families have the custom of putting

out ten well-wrapped pieces of bread to be found in the search, this is by no

means a substitute for making a thorough search for all chametz present." The

Mishneh Berurah emphasizes the precautions to take to ensure that crumbs are

not lost throughout the house.

Rama says that the intent of the blessing is "if I find, I will remove and

destroy", thus not finding any does not invalidate the blessing. The Shulchan

Aruch goes to lengths to explain what happens if one does not find all the

pieces, or if one finds more than he put out.

Virtually all the commentators come to the same conclusion in the end. The

custom has no basis, it is somewhat dangerous and needs to be well guarded,

but a custom in Israel should be respected anyway. The poskim tell us that if

one has such a family custom they should honor it, but if one does not have

the ten pieces as a family custom, it is probably better not to add it to

their list.

What is afikomen? The Kol Dodi writes that "afikoman is a contraction of the

words 'afiku minei mitikah', 'bring assortments of sweets', referring to the

desserts that are conventionally brought at the end of the meal." Others say

that it represents the Paschal lamb today, when we do not have the Temple, so

cannot offer the sacrifice to eat the meat. The laws of the seder state that

we are not to eat anything after the afikomen, which ties it to the requirement

that the sacrifice was to be eaten only after we were already satisfied. In

any event, the custom of stealing this at the beginning of the seder does not

seem to be related to what it is.

The Gemara in Pesachim [109a] says, "We learned in a baraisa, R'Eliezer said,

We snatch matzos on the night of Pesach so that the little children will not

fall asleep." This one source has been used to create the custom of having

children 'steal' the afikomen early in the seder, and only give it back for

ransom at the end of the meal. But this is not what the Gemara means. Rashbam

tells us that we are supposed to 'snatch' matza away from the children before

they have a chance to eat their fill. The reason is to prevent their falling

asleep once they have satisfied their hunger. Rambam says it is to arouse the

curiosity of the children: why would we bring out bread, then take it away

without eating?

Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov explains that the real meaning of the baraisa is that we

should hurry the seder along so that the children will be able to fulfill the

mitzvah of afikomen before they fall asleep.

Mishneh Berurah suggests giving out nuts as treats to keep the children awake

and interested. Others give additional suggestions, all with this same intent.

Once again, the custom has no basis, and certainly no halachic backing, but

the commentators suggest that if it is one's custom, it should be honored, and

if it is not a family custom, it need not be adopted.