- Burning the chametz on the 14th of Nissan
The Gemara on 4b asks what the source is that we burn the chametz on the 14th of Nissan? Abaye answers that we find two contradictory pesukim. One pasuk states שבעת ימים שאר לא ימצא בבתיכם – For seven days, leaven may not be found in your homes, and another pasuk states אך ביום הראשון תשביתו שאר מבתיכם – On the first day you must destroy the leaven in your houses. Abaye explains that these pesukim are contradictory because if chametz cannot be in one’s house for seven days, then how can one be supposed to burn it on the first of the seven days? Rather, says Abaye, the word ראשון here is referring to the day before, meaning that the pasuk is saying to burn the chametz a day before Pesach, on the 14th.
The Gemara brings another source for this that ראשון here means the day before, as the Beis Medrash of Rebbe Yishmael have a Baraisa that states that we find that the 14th day is called ראשון in the Torah, as it says בראשון בארבעה עשר יום לחדש – On the first, on the 14th day of the month.
A third source is brought from Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak, who says that the word ראשון means the day prior to, not the first day, of the chag, as it says in the passuk הראשון אדם תולד – Were you born prior to Adam?
- The reward of three mitzvos with ראשון
The Beis Medrash of Rebbe Yishmael brings a Baraisa that states - בשכר שלשה ראשון זכו לשלשה ראשון - the reward that Bnei Yisroel received for keeping three mitzvos where the word ראשון is mentioned with them in the Torah, was that they merited three outcomes where the word ראשון is mentioned. The reward for: 1. Keeping the mitzvah of not doing melachah on Pesach, of which it says ,ראשון was that they will eventually destroy the children of Eisav, of whom it says ויצא הראשון אדמוני כולו כאדרת שער 2. Refraining from melachah on Sukkos, of which it says ראשון, was that they built the Beis Hamikdash, as it says כסא כבוד מרום מראשון מקום מקדשנו – Like the throne of glory, exalted from at first, is the place of our sanctuary. 3. Taking the dalet minim on Sukkos, of which it says ראשון, is to receive the name of Moshiach, as it states ראשון לציון הנה הנם – The first of Tziyon, behold they are here.
- Why we need both pesukim of בל יראה ובל ימצא
The Gemara asks what the passuk of שבעת ימים שאור לא ימצא בבתיכם – For seven days, leaven may not be found in your homes, is teaching us, once we already know this from the passuk of ולא יראה לך שאר בכל גבלך – And you may not see leaven in your borders. The Gemara answers that since it is stated that leaven may not be seen to you, we might infer that we could hide chametz, or accept deposits from nochrim. The pasuk therefore states, לא ימצא – it should not be found. From the pasuk of לא ימצא בבתיכם, we might think that you cannot keep chametz in your house, as then the chametz will always be with you, but you may keep it in pits, ditches and caves. Therefore, the words בכל גבולך come to teach you that it is forbidden for one to keep chametz anywhere in one’s borders.
