[Avodah] Bedikas Chometz BFOUR

[Cantor Wolberg via Avodah]

The number four plays a very important role in the observance of Pesach
and the Seder ceremonies. There are the arba parshios, the four special
Sabbaths before the holiday. There are the arba kosos, the arba kushyos and
the arba bonim. There are the four characteristic foods essential to the 
Seder ritual: 1) the Pesach (shank bone)  2) the matzah  3) maror, and
4) charoses             Finally, the holiday has four different names:
1) Chag hamatzos  2) Chag HaPesach  3) Chag Ha’aviv 
4) as well asZ’man Cheyruseynu

There is yet another “four” associated with the preparation of Pesach and 
that pertains to the ceremony of bedikas chometz which has four distinct
steps. 1) recitation of the b’rocho before commencing the search 
2) the bedikah itself (looking for any traces of chometz)  3) the bitul, which
is the relinquishing of ownership, and 4) the biur chometz, the burning of
leftover chometz.

It is very interesting to note that the four terms involved all begin with the letter beis, 
suggesting that the four steps are all interrelated and closely connected.`



"Actually, I don’t even like parties. I would much prefer a room with FOUR friends
who sit around and have dinner. I detest nightclubs. And I don’t like places where
the noise is so loud you can’t talk to people."
Salman Rushdie
British Indian novelist and essayist

P.S. I feel the same as Salman Rushdie. I would have added I would much prefer a room with
four friends and ask them four questions.   rw