6. The Search

Note: Steps 6 through 9 of this Wizard are for a year on which the day before Passover falls on Shabbat -- such as this year, 2008 -- causing the search and burning of the chametz to be moved ahead 24 hours. There are also other significant differences in the getting-rid-of-chametz process. For instructions pertaining other years click here.

On the Thursday night before Passover, we conduct a solemn candle-lit search for any remaining or forgotten chametz. You'll need: a candle (to illuminate the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies), a feather (to sweep up the small crumbs), wooden spoon (to hold the chametz and facilitate its burning), and a paper bag (to hold all of the above).

By this time, the house should be completely cleaned for Passover; hopefully there's no chametz to be found. It is therefore customary to prepare ten carefully wrapped pieces of bread to be hidden throughout the house for the searcher to find (the kids love this part!) in order that we can fulfill the mitzvah of searching out and destroying our chametz before Passover.

Gather the family, light the candle, and recite the blessing:

Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments, and has commanded us to remove the leaven

Carefully search the entire house for any chametz that may have been missed in the cleaning, and collect the ten hidden pieces. Put the chametz, the feather, the wooden spoon and the remains of the candle in the paper bag, tie securely, and store in a safe place for burning tomorrow morning. Now recite the "nullification statement" renouncing all ownership of any chametz you may have missed:

All leaven and anything leavened that is in my possession, which I have neither seen nor removed, and about which I am unaware, shall be considered nullified and ownerless as the dust of the earth