Bitul Chametz

From Halachipedia
  1. After the bedika at night one should say the text of bitul chametz, and should say it again in the morning before the sixth hour of the day. [1]

Procedure of Bitul Chametz

  1. Everyone should make his or her own Bitul Chametz. [2]
  2. If one recites the bitul, but doesn't understand what he is saying, that chametz has not been nullified. Rather, he should say it in a language that he understands. [3]
  3. A good custom is to say the Bitul Chametz three times to strengthen the point.[4]

Bitul at Night

  1. According to Ashkenazim, the text of the bitul which is said after the Bedika is: "כל חמירא וחמיעא דאיכא ברשותי, דלא חזיתיה ודלא בערתיה, לבטיל ולהוי הפקר כעפרא דארעא" meaning, "All chametz or leaven in my possession that I have not seen, and have not destroyed, shall be nullified and become ownerless, like the dust of the earth." [5]
  2. The Sephardic text is: "כל חמירא דאיכא ברשותי, דלא חזיתיה ודלא בערתיה, לבטיל ולהוי כעפרא דארעא" meaning, "All Chametz in my possession that I have not seen, and have not destroyed, shall be nullified like the dust of the earth." However, it is preferable to insert הפקר meaning "become ownerless" as in the Ashkenazic text above, for at least one of three times one says the Bitul.[6]

Bitul During the Day

  1. The nullification done after the burning in the morning includes all remaining chametz. Therefore, the text is: "כל חמירא וחמיעא דאיכא ברשותי, דחזיתיה ודלא חזיתיה, דבערתיה ודלא בערתיה, לבטיל ולהוי הפקר כעפרא דארעא" meaning, "All chametz or leaven in my possession that I have seen and that I have not seen, that I have destroyed and that I have not destroyed, shall be nullified and become ownerless, like the dust of the earth". [7]
  2. The Sephardic text is: "כל חמירא דאיכא ברשותי, דחזיתיה ודלא חזיתיה, דבערתיה ודלא בערתיה, לבטיל ולהוי כעפרא דארעא" meaning, "All chametz in my possession that I have seen and that I have not seen, that I have destroyed and that I have not destroyed, shall be nullified like the dust of the earth". [8]
  3. The nullification during the day should be done before the sixth hour, so that the chametz that you nullify is still yours when you nullify it. [9] but after the burning. [10]

References

  1. ↑ Shulchan Aruch 434:2. Rashi Pesachim 4a "bi'bitul bi'alma", the Ritva Pesachim 4a, Ran Pesachim 4a and Rambam chametz u'matza 2:2 say that this declaration is a mental destrcution and fulfills the requirement of tashbitu recorded in Shemot 12:15. Tosafot Pesachim 4b "midiorayta" says the bitul makes the chametz hefker, or ownerless. The gemara in Pesachim 6b writes that really physical destruction is enough to fulfill the torah obligation to destroy chametz but we are concerned that somebody may find chametz during pesach so the rabbis established bitul. The gemara also says that from the torah bitul alone would be enough, but Tosafot 2a writes that we are worried if somebody has chametz in his house, even though it is not really his, he may come to eat it. The Ran there explains that we fear that the person will on do the bitul half-heartedly and that would not be enough.
  2. ↑ Rav Schachter on OU Kosher Pre-Pesach Webcast 5770 between minutes 4:30 and 5:00 explaining that nowadays it’s common that children, wives, and husbands all have their own money and their own Chametz.
  3. ↑ Rama 434:2, Mishna Berura 434:9. Rama in Darchei Moshe 434:2 explains that this is why the kol chamira was written in aramaic and not hebrew, because aramaic was the spoken language of that time. Chazon Ovadyah (vol 1, pg 54) agrees. Magen Avraham 434:5 and Baer Heitev 434:5 write that preferably one should use use Aramaic so that other people and angels will not understand, because the bitul involves somewhat of degradation towards the bread.
  4. ↑ Chazon Ovadyah (vol 1, pg 54), Nitai Gavriel (vol 1, 34:8)
  5. ↑ http://ph.yhb.org.il/en/04-05-01/. Mishna Berura 434:7 writes that this doesn't include chametz we know about because we still have chametz that we can eat the next morning and chametz that we find we burn. Shulchan Aruch 434:2 says this text without including the "vilihave hefker" but Mishna Berura 434:8 based on the Bach says to add that in because of the opinion of Tosafot. Nitai Gavriel (vol 1, 34:7) has a very similar text including the word Hefker.
  6. ↑ Chazon Ovadyah (vol 1, pg 52)
  7. ↑ http://ph.yhb.org.il/en/04-05-01/. Shulchan Aruch 434:4
  8. ↑ Chazon Ovadyah (vol 1, pg 59)
  9. ↑ Shulchan Aruch 434:2
  10. ↑ Rama 434:2. This is because according to tosafot pesachim 4b the bitul makes the chametz ownerless and then you wouldn't be burning your own chametz. Rav Yaakov Emden in Mor U-ketzia 434 says that one can say the bitul before burning the chametz even lechatchila.
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