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Search for Hametz - THURSDAY NIGHT
We conduct our search for hametz after nightfall on Thursday evening. Before the search, recite the following blessing:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם,
אָשֶר קִדְשָנוּ בְמִצְוֹתָו, וְצִוָנוּ עַל בִעוּר חָמֵץ
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam,
asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav, v'tsivanu al bi’ur chametz.
Praised are You, Holy One, our God
who has made us holy with mitzvot
and commanded us to destroy hametz.
Please search according to your family tradition (Rabbi Silver uses her dog). At the end of the search, recite the following formula in a language you understand:
כָּל חֲמִירָא וַחֲמִיעָא דְאִיכָּא בִרְשׁוּתִי, דְלָא חֲמִתֵּיהּ, וּדְלָא בִעַרְתֵּיהּ, וּדְלָא יְדַעְנָא לֵיהּ, לִבָּטֵל וְלֶהֱוֵי הֶפְקֵר כְּעַפְרָא דְאַרְעָא
If there is any hametz I do not know about, that I have not seen or removed, I disown it.
I declare it to be nothing—as ownerless as the dust of the earth.
For more information about searching for hametz see here.
Burning the Hametz - FRIDAY MORNING
If you have the custom of retaining the hametz you found, it needs to be burned (in a baking tin, on your driveway, safely!) before 11.52 am.
Preparing for Shabbat and Seder - FRIDAY
All food for both Shabbat and your first Seder should be prepared on Friday (unless you want to wait to start cooking for the Seder until after Shabbat on Saturday night). Don't forget - now that your home is kosher, make hamotzi on egg matzah for Shabbat. And make sure to light a candle before you bring in Shabbat so that you have a flame to transfer.
Wishing you a happy, Kosher Pesach!
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