Pesach Laws 5785 Bedika/Bitul/Biur At Home and Away 5785

 

This year Erev Pesach is Shabbat, April 12.  Bedikah and Biur should take place on Thursday night and Friday before Shabbat.  However, you may continue to eat Chametz and must leave aside enough to make hamotzi for Shabbat meals.  Bitul takes place on Shabbat morning.  Please see below for details. 

 

If you will be at home for Yom Tov, you do Bedikat Chametz on Thursday night, April 10, as soon as possible after nightfall

(8:09pm this year) with a blessing, candle, and the 10 pieces of bread or other chametz (if that is your custom), and the night-time Bitul (nullification) formula. Most haggadot (and siddurim) have the liturgy and details. On Friday, April 11, chametz is burned and nullified by the end of the 5th halakhic hour of the day (11:22am this year). 

 

If you are traveling for Yom Tov, things may be different. See below.  Burning of chametz will take place this year in the Skokie Valley parking lot from 7:00 am to 11:30 am Friday morning, April 11. Chametz brought in plastic will not be able to be burned. Please bring all chametz in paper bags. 

 

We do not recite Kol Chamira because we may continue to eat chametz on Friday and through Shabbat morning.  We continue to do the burning by the proper time to be consistent and avoid confusion in the future.  

 

Chametz may be eaten until 10:10 am on Shabbat morning and you must dispose of any remaining chametz and nullify chametz by reciting kol chamira by 11:21am.  To dispose of the chametz it should be flushed down the toilet or made inedible by pouring dish soap or bleach into the garbage bag before placing it in your trash can.  These guidelines are the same if you are traveling but please check local times for last time to eat and be bitul Chametz where you are.

 

Regardless of your destination and intent to return home during Pesach, your house should be in condition that if you had to return home, you would not encounter any chametz. Clean for any significant pieces of food and put any chametz away and mark the areas. Fill out a sale of chametz form for your home.

 

 

Traveling for Pesach: Bedikat/Biur/Bitul Chametz in your Pesach location 

If you're in a hotel, or a rental, you need to do Bedikah there. If you are a guest in someone’s home, even if they are not there, you have no obligation (although you may wish to make sure before Friday morning that you won’t see any chametz over Pesach!) Just remember to say the second 'kol chamira' nullification formula on Friday morning, having your chametz at home in mind.

 

1) If you’ll be in your Pesach location by Thursday night, do the same Bedikah you would have done if you were at home: candle, 10 pieces of bread, say the blessing beforehand, and Bitul formula afterward. Do Biur in that Pesach location the next morning as you would if you were home. If burning is a big inconvenience, flush it down the toilet. Don't throw it in the garbage in case it won't be collected before Pesach. Remember to say the second 'kol chamira' nullification formula together with the Biur (all following what's in many haggadot in the beginning) having your chametz at home in mind as well.

 

2) If you won’t be in your Pesach location until Friday morning, the question arises whether you have an obligation to do a Bedikah in that location. If your rental agreement began by Thursday night and you had the keys by then, even if you were not in that location yet, you should check as soon as you arrive. Biur and Bitul must be done by the end of the 5th halakhic hour regardless of where you are.