Why the Spoon and Feather?

Question:

When searching for leavened foods, chametz, on the night before Passover we carry a candle, a spoon and a feather. I understand that the purpose of the candle is so that we can see the bread, but is there a good reason for the spoon and feather?

Answer:

There are reasons for both the spoon and the feather.

We search with a wooden spoon so that we can burn it later. We read in the Code of Jewish Law1 that if one does not find any leavened foods during his search, he should burn the vessel with which he searched.2

This can be easily accomplished with a wooden spoon. Even nowadays, when we put out ten pieces of bread (so we always find something leavened), there is still significance to burning the bread specifically in a wood-fueled fire.3

The feather serves a practical purpose. We can use it to sweep up any crumbly bits of leavened food that we may encounter.

Please see Chametz’s Final Moments.