“Before the first day, remove all leaven from your homes.” (Shemos 12:15)
We are forbidden to eat chametz on Pesach. In order to be sure that our houses are chametz free, we are commanded to clear away and destroy all chametz on the fourteenth of Nissan, erev Pesach. We also nullify all chametz that we do not know about in our possession.
The Sages also instituted a search for chametz at the beginning of the night before Pesach.
The evil inclination is compared to the yeast in the dough, which enables the dough to rise and become tasty (Berachos 17a). We clear away chametz to remind ourselves to clear out our arrogance and become more humble, and also to remind ourselves to avoid over indulging in our desires.
Text Copyright © 2007 by Rabbi Moshe Goldberger and Torah.org.