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Connections of Pesach to Vayikra
Parashat Vayikra and Tzav
always proceed Pesach, except on leap years. What is their connection to
Pesach? Well, not only is chametz, the prohibition on leavened bread
mentioned in Vayikra, but it plays an important conceptual role.
Let's say I'm going on vacation today and I checked my house last night
for chametz, and now I wish to burn the chametz rather than carry it with
me in my suitcase for a week or two until erev Pesach. Can I fulfill the
mitzvah of destroying chametz, before Pesach? The question actually arises
in a normal case as well. We don't want to own chametz on Pesach, so we
burn it before Pesach. Can an act taken against chametz before
chametz is chametz, be effective? Can I get the mitzva of destroying
chametz at a time that the chametz is still not
forbidden? The author of the Mishna Berurah writes that 30 days before
Pesach, although there is no prohibition of chametz, since one is obliged
to get rid of chametz at that time, one can still fulfill the mitzva of
eradicating it.
Another approach would say that only on the eve of Pesach does the burning
have a significance. Alternatively, one could argue that chametz does
exist even before the onset of Pesach. It may not exist in my house as a
prohibition, but in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem chametz is always
forbidden for most sacrifices. Since chametz as a concept exists
somewhere in the world, one could argue that this renders my premature act
of chametz demolition to be a significant act of mitzvah. In this way,
Vayikra plays an important role in helping me rid myself of chametz. I
don't have to wait until Pesach to destroy chametz. Even before Pesach,
chametz is chametz. |
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