Gemara Y17 2016-2017 Unit 6 ‫בס״ד‬

Source Sheet #12- The Light of Night for Sight of ‫ חמץ‬in Spaces Tight (1/30)
I. The Basis for ‫ בדיקה‬at Night
A. .‫גמ׳ פסחים ד‬
1. Background: We concluded that all agree that the word
'‫ 'אור‬means night and we use it instead of ‫ ליל‬to focus on
the positive light and not the negative darkness.
2. Q: Why do we check so early for ‫ ?חמץ‬Couldn’t we check
at the beginning of the 6th hour during the day?
(1) After all, ‫ ר׳ מאיר‬and ‫ ר׳ יהודה‬agree that ‫ חמץ‬is not
‫ אסור‬on a ‫ מדאורייתא‬level until the end of six
hours!
(2)‫רש״י ד״ה נבדוק‬: We say that ‫ חמץ‬is ‫ אסור‬at the
6th hour, and prior to that it should be burned.
Why so early? Isn’t it okay if it’s during the day? If
we said that ‫ אורתא‬was day, the you could do
‫ בדיקה‬at the 6th hour, but now that we say ‫אורתא‬
is at night, there’s a ‫ קשיא‬on that answer.
3. One answer is that we check early because of the idea of
‫( זריזים מקדימין למצוות‬be zealous & act with alacrity towards ‫)מצוות‬
a) This answer is rejected, because according to the logic of ‫זריזים מקדימין למצוות‬, you sufficiently could do the
‫ מצוה‬early the morning of the ‫ איסור‬and not the night before.
(1) The ‫ ברייתא‬quotes the ‫ פסוק‬of “‫ “וביום השמיני ימול בשר ערלתו‬in ‫ ויקרא‬to prove that a person can do a ‫ברית‬
any time of the day, but zealous people do it right away in the morning, as we can see from the ‫ פסוק‬of
“‫ “וישכם אברהם בבקר‬in ‫בראשית‬
(a) But how can “‫ “וישכם אברהם בבקר‬be a proof? ‫ ברית מילה‬is a ‫ מצוה‬that is supposed to be done during
the day, while the earliest opportune moment for ‫ בדיקה‬is at night!
(b)Also,“‫ ”וישכם אברהם בבקר‬is used to describe the ‫ !עקידה‬How could it be used as a proof for the ‫ מצוה‬of
‫?ברית מילה‬
4. ‫ רב נחמן בר יצחק‬gives the second answer and says that ‫ בדיקה‬is at night because:
a) The ‫ חכמים‬tried to establish a time when people are at home, which is at night (‫)שעה שבני אדם מצווין בבתיהם‬
(1) During the day, people might not be home because they’re rushing to prepare for ‫פסח‬.
(2) We also worry that people may come to be negligent at this time
b) The light of a candle is more effective for ‫ בדיקה‬at night than it is during the day.
(1) This could mean that the light of a candle is better for searching than the light of the sun.
(2) This could also mean that using a candle at night is much more effective than using a candle during the day,
where the sunlight would overpower the candle.
(a)‫רש״י ד״ה ואור הנר יפה לבדי‬: The candle is effective and illuminates at night, but during the day it is
ineffective and only creates shadows. If you say we should check with the light of day, that can’t be
because we learn later (:‫ )ז‬that the ‫ מצוה‬must specifically be done with a candle.
c) This means that:
(1) A person at home during the day can’t do it because they can’t rely on the sunlight & must use a candle.
(2) If it’s dark during the day because of an eclipse and you would think you could do it during the day, you can’t
because people aren’t home.
II. The Sources of Light for ‫ בדיקת חמץ‬and the Possibility of ‫בדיקה ביום‬
A. ‫ג‬:‫רמב״ם הלכות חמץ ומצה ב‬
1. ‫ וכן מדברי סופרים שבודקין ומשביתין החמץ‬.‫ומדברי סופרים לחפש אחר החמץ במחבואות ובחורים ולבדוק ולהוציאו מכל גבולו‬
‫ ואין קובעין מדרש בסוף‬.‫ מפני שבלילה כל העם מצויין בבתים ואור הנר יפה לבדיקה‬.‫בלילה מתחלת ליל ארבעה עשר לאור הנר‬
‫ וכן החכם לא יתחיל לקרות בעת זו שמא ימשך וימנע מבדיקת חמץ בתחלת זמנה‬.‫יום שלשה עשר‬:
a) ‫ רמב״ם‬broadens this interpretation by replacing the ‫’ר׳ נחמן בר יצחק‬s words of ‫ בני אדם‬to ‫כל העם‬, putting
emphasis that this a ‫ מצוה‬that is done simultaneously by the entire nation, which captures the idea of being ‫בודק‬
while everyone else is as well, as it’s a nationalistic and communal activity.

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 (1) This is very similar to the idea of ‫קרבן פסח‬, as we see in the ‫ משנה‬of .‫סד‬, which says that the ‫ קרבן פסח‬was
slaughtered in three groups: ‫ עדת‬,‫קהל‬, and ‫ישראל‬, proving that it was a nationalistic thing that everyone did
at the same time.
B. .‫ח‬-:‫גמ׳ פסחים ז‬
1. We don’t do ‫ בדיקת חמץ‬using the sunlight, moonlight, or a torch; rather we only use the light of a candle, because
it’s effective for checking. There is a hint as to why, but no proof. It says “‫ “לא ימצא‬and “‫וימצא‬..…‫ ”ויחפש‬and
“‫בנרות‬..…‫ואחפש‬,” and ‫“נר ה׳… חופש״‬.
a) We see ‫ אור הנר‬as well on .‫ד‬
2. (b) Question: In what case does the ‫ ברייתא‬forbid checking by ‫אור החמה‬/sunlight?
3. The 1st suggestion is that perhaps it forbids checking a ‫( חצר‬courtyard) using sunlight
a) This is rejected by ‫רבא‬, who taught that a ‫ חצר‬need not be checked, because ravens are there often, and we
assume that they’ll eat ‫ חמץ‬if it’s lying around.
4. The 2nd suggestion is that it forbids using ‫ אור החמה‬to check a ‫( אכסדרה‬a room open on one side).
a) This is rejected by ‫רבא‬, who permits checking an ‫ אכסדרה‬through its light (‫)אור החמה‬
5. The third suggestion is that it forbids checking an ‫( ארובה‬a room with sunlight entering via a skylight/window).
a) Which part does it forbid? The part under the skylight should definitely be permitted- it’s just like an ‫!אכסדרה‬
(1) It forbids checking the ‫( צדדין‬sides) of the ‫ארובה‬
with sunlight; you must use a candle for those. .‫גמ׳ ד‬ .‫ח‬-:‫ ז‬.‫גמ‬
(a) One might think that since it’s close to the
Gives two reasons Says it’s all about what you’re using
window they can use sunlight, but the ‫ברייתא‬
why night is better
teaches that they have to use a candle to
search it. Says night is Seems to suggest that you could be
6. It seems that this case would have to be during the day necessary ‫ בודק‬during the day because you
could use sunlight for an ‫אכסדרה‬
because that’s the only time that there would be sunlight
and next to the window in an ‫ארובה‬.
coming in.
7. ‫רש״י ד״ה לאורה נבדקת‬: In an ‫אכסדרה‬, you either check during the day with the sun, or at night with a candle.
C. Analysis
1. Solution: It’s possible that ‫ לכתחילה‬you do it at night, but if you don't then ‫ בדיעבד‬you could do it during the day.
a) The problem is that ‫ רבא‬simply says you could use sunlight for an ‫אכסדרה‬.
b) Also, Rashi says that something
c) It’s possible that the ‫ גמ׳‬on ‫ד‬. is the general rule: you should do it at night.
(1) However, there are some exceptions that you could do it during the day, like ‫ אכסדרה‬and ‫ארובה‬.
D. ‫ג‬:‫משנה פסחים א‬
1. ‫ ר׳ יהודה‬says: We search for ‫ חמץ‬on the night of the fourteenth
a) If not then, he may search in the morning of the fourteenth
b) If not then, he may search at the time of removal (i.e., the sixth hour of the day when all ‫ חמץ‬is destroyed).
(1) ‫רע״ב‬: After ‫חצות‬, however, he may not search, lest he find some ‫ חמץ‬and eat it, thereby transgressing an
‫איסור דאורייתא‬.
2. ‫ חכמים‬say:
a) If he did not search in the evening of the fourteenth, he must search on the fourteenth
b) If he did not search the morning of the fourteenth, he must search at the sixth hour when all ‫ חמץ‬is destroyed; if
he did not search at the 6th hour, he must search after the then [all day- we don't worry someone who is
searching for ‫ חמץ‬will come to eat it. because they’re coming to destroy it]
c) That which he leaves over for the morning meal (after the ‫ בדיקה‬of the evening of the fourteenth) he should hide
in a secure place (where no child or animal has access), so if he finds some ‫ חמץ‬missing, he should not have to
search again
3. What exactly is ‫ בתוך המועד‬and ‫?אחר המועד‬
a) ‫ תוס‘ ד"ה ואם לא בדק בתוך המועד‬on :‫גמ׳ מסכת פסחים י‬
(1) ‫ רש״י‬explains that ‫ בתוך המועד‬is in the sixth hour.
(2) But ‫ ר׳ יהודה‬calls this same period 'the time of ‫'ביעור‬, so why does the Gemara change the expression?
(3) ‫ תוס׳‬defines ‫ בתוך המועד‬as from the beginning of the 7th hour until the end of ‫פסח‬, and the obligation to
search after the ‫ מועד‬is based on the worry that forbidden ‫ חמץ‬might get mixed up with permitted ‫חמץ‬, and
one will eat the forbidden ‫ חמץ‬thinking it is completely permissible food.
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 (4) ‫רש״י‬, however, did not want to explain it like this, because he say in the ‫ משנה‬that the reason for ‫ בדיקה‬is to
avoid transgressing the ‫ איסור‬of ‫בל יראה‬.
E. :‫א‬-.‫ירושלמי פסחים א‬
1. This source specifically focuses on the line “‫”אור הנר יפה לבדיקה‬
2. The ‫ גמ׳‬asks, why do we use ‫?אור הנר‬
a) ‫ ר׳ שמאול בר רב יצחק‬says because it’s the item that can most effectively search for everything
(1) This supports the idea that ‫ אור הנר יפה לבדיקה‬means that using a candle to search is better than using the
sunlight to search.
3. They then ask why we use the candle at night and not during the day and answer that a candle is more effective at
night.
a) This supports the idea that ‫ אור הנר‬is most effective at night.
b) ‫ רש״י‬says that we use ‫ נר‬and not ‫ אור החמה‬because we learn out from the idea of ‫ חיפוש‬that the ‫ מצוה‬is with the
‫נר‬. You can use a candle during the day because it makes shadows, which lessens it’s effectiveness.
4. Even a house that has light must use candles to light during the day.
5. How can the ‫ ברייתא‬tell us to use candle light instead of sunlight? The sun doesn’t shine at night!
a) The answer is that you shouldn’t use sunlight during ‫שחרית י״ד‬, you should even use candlelight then.
(1) This disagrees with ‫ רש״י‬on .‫ ח‬which says that the case you would use ‫ אור הנר‬would be at night.
b) Additionally, this doesn’t only apply to a house with no light, it even applies to a house full of light, that you have
to do it with a candle.
(1) It could be that a house with light is different than an ‫ אכסדרה‬and ‫ ארובה‬because those aren't really part of a
house, so then the ‫ בבלי‬and ‫ ירושלמי‬don't specifically disagree on that point.
6. Analysis on the ‫ירושלמי‬
a) It’s clear that ‫ רש״י‬blatantly disagrees with the ‫ירושלמי‬
(1) A question on ‫ רש״י‬is that then why would there be an exception for ‫ אכסדרה‬and ‫ ארובה‬because according
to ‫רש״י‬, the use of ‫ אור הנר‬has nothing to do with effectiveness.
7. Why do we search at night?
(1) ‫( שעה שבני אדם מצויין‬timing)
(2) ‫( אור הנר יפה לבדיקה‬method)
F. ‫ ד״ה אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק‬.‫חידושי הריטב״א ד‬
1. ‫יש שפרשו‬: There’s 1 reason why we search at night: because people are home and a candle helps you do ‫בדיקה‬.
Those two reason above are the same reasons
a) The second part comes to answer ”How can you do ‫ בדיקה‬at night?”- We can infer from here that a person who’s
always home can be ‫ בודק‬during the day
(1) NAH- 1. the language seems to suggest that this isn’t so. 2. The ‫ ירושלמי‬seems to suggest that it can only be
at night, because this is the time that people are at their house and this is the time for them to do it and
candlelight for ‫ בדיקה‬is best at this time, as otherwise they’d just be stumbling into walls.
2. Since the reason for doing ‫ בדיקה‬at night isn’t because of ‫ זריזות‬and is instead because of logistics, therefore it
would appear to be that:
a) An idle person would be able to do ‫ בדיקה‬during the day because he is always at home
b) ‫ שעה שבני אדם‬is just on a personal level and not on a familial or national level
(1) Therefore, If you personally are available you personally can do it
3. Rejections of the approach of the ‫יש שפירש‬
a) The language of the Gemara doesn't support this approach
b) The ‫ ירושלמי‬implies the only time for ‫ בדיקה‬is night, so a possible way to search in the daytime wouldn't work
4. The ‫ ריטב״א‬seems to suggest that:
a) ‫ נר‬at night is the best way of searching
b) The 2 reasons in the Gemara are equally weighted
5. Both are good, but even if you spend all day at home, the combination of availability and effective search is what
pushes the search to nighttime.
6. We use a candle for ‫ בדיקה‬because we search at night, not the other way around
G. ‫ ד״ה אמר רב נחמן‬.‫חידושי רבינו דוד ד‬
1. The main reason that we do ‫ בדיקה‬like this is because ‫שעה שבני אדם מצויין‬, not ‫אור הנר יפה לבדיקה‬.
2. The ‫ ריטב״א & רבינו דוד‬agree that the main reason is ‫ שעה שבני אדם מצויין‬but argue about the method of ‫בדיקה‬
Y.U. Kurz 3
 3. The ‫’רבינו דוד‬s ‫ חידוש‬is that ‫ אור הנר יפה לבדיקה‬means that candles>sunlight for ‫ בדיקה‬at all times, not necessarily
that you should do ‫ בדיקה‬at night.
4. Additionally, he says that you can do ‫ בדיקה‬the day before ‫[ ערב פסח‬the 13th] (because you’re doing it ‫קודם זמנו‬
and you won’t come to be ‫פושע‬/forget to do it before the ‫)זמן איסור‬, but you must use candlelight when you do it.
a) From here, it seems clear that there’s an obvious ‫ מצוה‬to do ‫ בדיקה‬with a candle
b) This contrasts the ‫’ריטב״א‬s opinion, as the ‫ ריטב״א‬holds that you can use ‫ אור החמה‬at times
5. The ‫ רבינו דוד‬says that the ‫ אור הנר יפה לבדיקה‬is another reason to do ‫ בדיקה‬at night, as ‫ רש״י‬adds the word “‫”בלילה‬
to the end of that sentence.
a) We do ‫ בדיקה‬at night because the candle works most effectively then.
(1) If you do ‫ בדיקה‬during the day of ‫י״ג‬, you’ve technically discharged your obligation, but your search for ‫חמץ‬
is deficient.
(a) Therefore, according to ‫רבינו דוד‬, if a person tries to do ‫ בדיקה‬during the day of ‫י״ג‬, he will be prevented
from doing so.
H. .‫גמ׳ פסחים ח‬
1. Why shouldn’t an ‫( אבוקה‬torch) be permitted for ‫ ?בדיקה‬It illuminates more light than a ‫נר‬.
2. ‫ רבא‬asks, What does the ‫ פסוק‬in ‫ חבקוק‬that says "‫ ”וְנֹגַּה ּכָאֹור ּתִהְיֶה ַקְרנַיִם מִּיָדֹו לֹו וְׁשָם חֶבְיֹון עֻּזֹו‬mean?
3. The radiance of future ‫ צדיקים‬will be like the light of creation
a) ‫רש״י ד״ה וְנֹגַּה‬: “Its radiance will be like the light” means that the light awaiting ‫ צדיקים‬will be like the light of
creation before it was concealed by ‫ה׳‬.
b) ‫רש״י ד״ה ַקְרנַיִם‬: “Brilliant rays will be from his hand to him” means that rays will be from ‫’ה׳‬s hand to the ‫צדיקים‬.
That radiance will illuminate the ‫ צדיקים‬and cause them to shine and we’ll see ‫’ה׳‬s real strength.
c) Their radiance compared to the hands of ‫ שכינה‬will be like a candle compared to a torch.
4. Also, ‫ רבא‬taught that ideally a person should say “‫ ”בורא מאורי האש‬on fire of an ‫ אבוקה‬in ‫ הבדלה‬on ‫מוצ״ש‬
a) This may mean that a torch offers more light than a candle.
5. Why is ‫?נר < אבוקה‬
a) ‫ ר׳ נחמן בר יצחק‬says that a ‫ נר‬can be put into nooks and crannies, unlike a torch.
b) ‫ רב זביד‬says that a candle illuminates in front, but a torch illuminates in back. [Can’t look towards it.]
c) ‫ רב פפא‬says that one who checks with a torch is afraid that his house will catch fire, which distracts him from
checking properly, while one who checks with a candle isn’t afraid his house will catch fire & will be focused.
(1) ‫רש״י ד״ה בעית‬: Since he’s gonna be scared about lighting the house on fire, he’ll be distracted and
concerned so he won’t be able to focus on the search.
d) ‫ רבינא‬says that the flame of a candle stays in a consistent state, but the flame of a torch jumps around.
(1) Interestingly enough, only c) talks about the torch first
III. The Suspension of Other Activities Until After ‫בדיקה‬
A. .‫גמ׳ פסחים ד‬
1. ‫ אביי‬says that (since ‫ בדיקה‬should be done at night) Even if a ‫ חכם‬has a fixed time to learn at night, he shouldn't begin to learn
on the night of the 14th before being ‫בודק‬, as we worry that he’ll learn a lot and miss being able to do ‫ בדיקה‬at the
right time.
2. However, what if he’s already learning before the time of ‫ בדיקה‬arrives?
3. Possible concerns:
a) Absolute neglect
b) Delay- won’t be at the time that’s ‫מן המובחר‬
c) Distraction
(1) ‫רש״י ד״ה לא יפתח בעידנא‬: You shouldn’t begin a new ‫ סוגיא‬if the evening is your designated time to learn.
(2) ‫רש״י ד״ה באורתא דתליסר נגהי ארבסר‬: At the moment that the 14th of ‫ ניסן‬kicks in, the ‫ איסור‬begins.
B. ‫ ד״ה אמר אביי‬.‫חידושי הריטב״א ד‬
1. Since the reason isn’t because of ‫ זריזות‬and is because the light of a candle is good, and we should be sensitive to
learning, which would cause that time to be squandered, and doing ‫ בדיקה‬at an unideal time.
a) If the reason is because of ‫זריזות‬, then we could easily push off ‫בדיקה‬
b) The worry here is that you’ll delay the whole night and leave ‫ בדיקה‬to be done the next day, when the candle
wouldn’t be as good. However, if you push ‫ בדיקה‬off to simply later that night, then there is no issue whatsoever.
2. If you began learning, we don’t push you to stop learning and do ‫ ;בדיקה‬rather, we encourage you to cut some of
the learning out so you can engage in this ‫ מצוה‬of bring ‫בודק‬.
Y.U. Kurz 4
 3. We only stop him from learning if it’s his set time to learn. If he just happens to be learning at that time, then it’s fine
and we don’t stop him.
4. The ‫’ריטב״א‬s only concern is that you’ll push of ‫ בדיקה‬from nighttime to daytime, when the candles aren’t as ‫יפה‬. If
you’re learning now but you’ll do ‫ בדיקה‬later at night, that’s fine, because the idea of ‫ אור הנר יפה לבדיקה‬will still be
in place.
C. ‫ג‬:‫רמב״ם הלכות חמץ ומצה ב‬
1. We see that ‫ רמב״ם‬holds that ‫ בדיקת חמץ‬is ‫מדברי סופרים‬, and doing it at night is also ‫מדברי סופרים‬
a) Just like in the ‫ גמרא‬on :‫ד‬, we see that the reason we do ‫ בדיקה‬at night is to have the optimal time to do ‫בדיקה‬.
2. According to the ‫גמ׳‬, it’s ‫ אסור‬to begin learning at the end of ‫י״ג‬, lest the night get dark and you forget to daven.
3. The ‫ רמב״ם‬forbids two activities during this time: ‫קובעין מדרש‬, and ‫חכם מתחיל לקרות‬
a) These are prohibited at the end of ‫ י״ג‬lest it get dark and the ‫ מצוה‬be prevented because of the start of ‫זמן‬
4. According to the ‫רמב״ם‬, the ‫ עיקר זמן‬for ‫ בדיקת חמץ‬is at the moment of nightfall, so a person should be ready at that
very moment to do ‫ & בדיקה‬therefore a person can’t start learning at the end of ‫י״ג‬, even though that isn’t ‫זמן בדיקה‬.
5. ‫ רבינו מנוח‬says the reason the ‫ רמב״ם‬says you should do it at the beginning of the night is because of ‫זריזין‬.
a) Additionally, it’s possible that the reason you should do it at the beginning is because there’s a nationalistic
element of ‫ בדיקה‬and everyone should be doing it at the same time.
6. In the ‫ירושלמי‬, it says
a) The ‫גר״א‬: The ‫ ירושלמי‬says that the 14th should be ‫שמור‬. Therefore, we should do ‫ בדיקה‬at the beginning of the
14th so that the entire day is ‫שמור‬.

Y.U. Kurz 5