Concerning אחרון של פסח, the last day of Pesach, the eighth day of Pesach, we find an interesting thing. Like this, throughout the whole Pesach, there are different minhagim concerning eating sheruyah, which means gebraks, which means the mixing of matzah with water. Some have a minhag that they are not makpid on it, but many communities have a minhag that they are makpid, they're careful not to eat gebraks, not to mix matzah with water throughout the whole Pesach. But on אחרון של פסח, everyone has the minhag to eat gebraks. And as a matter of fact, not only is there a minhag to eat gebraks that we are not makpid on gebraks, but in many communities, on אחרון של פסח, they're מהדר בדווקא to eat gebraks. Even though throughout the whole Pesach they're makpid, they're careful not to eat gebraks, but when it comes to אחרון של פסח, not only are they not careful, but they're מהדר בדווקא to eat gebraks. What is the reason for them to be makpid all Pesach of eating gebraks? The reason is, as it is explained in a teshuvah of the Baal HaTanya, the Alter Rebbe, סימן ו׳, he writes that being that the people started making the matzah much faster than they used to, so they don't knead the dough so much, mimeila not all the flour gets actually mixed with the water. So even after you bake the matzah, there could be some flour left that was not made into dough and it's still there. When you put the matzah into water, so then the water will mix with that flour, the flour that didn't become part of dough before and wasn't baked, and then chas v'shalom it could become chametz. Now even though this is a very, very far chashash, it's very far suspicion that this should happen, but on Pesach, since chametz is such a strict din, we know chametz is b'mashehu, by chametz there is no din of bitul b'shishim, as if it's mixed in sixty or in a hundred or in a thousand it doesn't become nullified, it doesn't become batal. Chametz is a mashehu, even one small drop in a million times as much still is asur. So therefore, on chametz we're always makpid more than by everything else, and we're mehader in the furthest chumrot possible, and therefore the minhag of these people is to be mehader in sheruyah. Now we are not getting into the discussion here whether this is a important minhag, not an important minhag, every community has its minhag, and we know נהרא נהרא ופשטיה, everyone should stick to his minhag, and every minhag of any community is holy because they're all established by גדולי ישראל and tzadikim, etc., etc. But what we're trying to explain now is according to those who are careful with sheruyah, who are chosheish this chashash and are afraid that maybe some of the flour will get mixed with water, and therefore throughout Pesach they're very careful that the matzah should not come in contact with water. So the question is, why is it that on אחרון של פסח they are not makpid? But the main question is, not only why are they not makpid, why are they mehader on אחרון של פסח בדווקא to eat sheruyah? Now, we can't say that the reason is, as it says in that same teshuvah that we mentioned before, he says there that on the last day of Pesach, if a person is מיקל משום שמחת יום טוב לא הפסיד. If a person is mikel on the last day, you don't lose, and the reason a person would be mikel is because of שמחת יום טוב. Since to eat gebroks tastes better, mimela there is more שמחת יום טוב in eating gebroks, eating knaidlach for instance. So since it's only the last day of Pesach, which is only miderabbanan, if you're mikel, it doesn't matter. But lichora, this only explains why it doesn't matter if you're mekel, but why should it be that you're mehader bedavka to eat gebroktz? Now, on one hand we might say, since you're allowed to be mekel on the last day of Yom Tov, on the other hand, if you do eat gebroktz, there is more simchat Yom Tov, so the reason you are mehader to eat gebroktz is not because of the inyan of gebroktz, you're mehader because of simchat Yom Tov. By eating gebroktz you have more simchat Yom Tov. And since there is no problem mitzad the inyan of חמץ, because it's only אחרון של פסח, it's only mid'rabbanan, that's why you're mehader. But that can't be. If that would be the peshat, so it has nothing to do with אחרון של פסח. Then the minhag should be that we should eat kneidlach on Shavuos, we should have to eat kneidlach on Sukkos. If eating kneidlach is a inyan in simchat Yom Tov and that's why we're mehader to eat it on אחרון של פסח because of the inyan of simchat Yom Tov, every Yom Tov we should be mehader to eat sheruyah, to eat gebroktz, מצה with water or bread with water, and we don't find such a thing. So obviously this is not the reason why we're mehader. So we're back to the question, why is the minhag by many people that are makpid on gebroktz throughout the whole Pesach, but on אחרון של פסח they are mehader bedavka to eat gebroktz? Definitely there must be הלכהדיקע reasons for this, but we're not going to get into it. In this shiur we're going to try to explain it also more על דרך הדרוש and על דרך המוסר. We know that there is a chiluk between Pesach and Shavuos concerning the inyan of chametz. Pesach chametz is assur, chametz is forbidden, and not סתם forbidden, but בתכלית, completely. It's אסור במשהו, אסור בבל יראה ובל ימצא, אסור בהנאה, it's assur completely. Shavuos, on the other hand, not only is chametz mutar, not assur, but more than that, there is a chiyuv, there's an obligation to bring chametz. The שתי הלחם on Shavuos that they used to bring in the Beis Hamikdash, the special two breads which was a korban on Shavuos, had to be דווקא חמץ, as the pasuk says in פרשת אמור, כ״ג פסוק י״ז, חמץ תאפינה. They had to be chametz. And not only that, that this itself is chametz, but this is a מתיר for all the מנחות which are matzah. Like this the כלל is כל המנחות באות מצה. Any מנחה, any korban that they would bring of flour had to be matzah. The only thing that was chametz was the שתי הלחם, and the שתי הלחם allowed all the מנחות to be brought. You couldn't bring a מנחה from the new crop of that year unless you first brought the שתי הלחם. But the שתי הלחם was the מתיר, but the one that allowed all the other מנחות to be brought on the מזבח, and all of them were matzah, but the שתי הלחם itself was chametz. Now the truth is the שתי הלחם did not itself go on top of the מזבח, but on the other hand, it was connected to with the שתי כבשים that went on the מזבח, and it's considered as if this was also part of the korban put on the מזבח. So the שתי הלחם was דווקא חמץ.

What is the reason that on Pesach chametz is asur completely, בתכלית, on the other hand on Shavuos chametz is allowed, not only allowed, there is a chiyuv to bring chametz? And the explanation to this is given, because chametz, which rises, shows on הגבהה והתנשאות, on gaavah, it shows on somebody who holds himself great, who is arrogant, that person has a big ego. That's what the ענין of chametz is. And chametz is the מקור for כל מיני רע. We know that the source for all evil is gaavah. If a person is not a baal gaavah, then he won't do aveirot, and if he does chas v'shalom an aveirah, he'll do teshuvah. But if a person is a baal gaavah, then he only does what he likes, what he wants. So definitely he doesn't care what the Torah says, he doesn't care what other people say, he does what he wants because his ego is so great. So we know that gaavah is the source of all evil. And that's why on Pesach chametz is asur, because chametz, which represents gaavah, is asur. Matzah represents bitul, anavah, humility, because it's flat, it doesn't rise itself. There's a mitzvah to eat matzah, but to eat chametz it's asur, because chametz shows on gaavah and it's the source of all evil. The truth is that even gaavah could also be used to serve Hashem. There's a famous story that somebody said that he used to serve Hashem with ga'avah, because whenever the yetzer hara used to come to him and say: Do this aveirah, do that aveirah, the way he would get rid of his yetzer hara is by saying to him: You know, you're telling me to do an aveirah? You know who I am? I learned so much, I did so many mitzvot, I'm so great, I'm so smart, I'm this and I'm that, and how could you expect me to go do an aveirah? So ga'avah held him back from doing an aveirah, from following his yetzer hara. So he actually served Hashem with ga'avah. And there's a pasuk that says: ויגבה לבו בדרכי השם, that his heart became high in the ways of Hashem. So ga'avah can be utilized for kedushah, for holiness. But you have to be very, very careful. And therefore, in the beginning, on Pesach when it was the beginning of the birth of Klal Yisrael, then you have to be very careful. And therefore, then chametz is asur, because the level the Yidden are in the beginning is not so great that they could take the risk of take you having ga'avah and utilizing that for kedushah. And therefore chametz is אסור בהנאה, and בל יראה ובל ימצא, all the isurim of chametz. But after they already counted the Sefirat HaOmer from Pesach to Shavuot, and counting Sefirat HaOmer does not mean just counting days, but it means purifying themselves, elevating themselves. So when they elevated themselves to such a high madregah that they are already ready for Matan Torah, for Shavuot, so then, since they are pure, now they could already take a risk of having ga'avah, and the ga'avah should be used for kedushah. And that's why when it comes to Shavuot, chametz is a mitzvah. Why is it a mitzvah? Because since you are able to utilize the chametz, the ga'avah for kedushah, we know anything a person is able to utilize for kedushah, you have to utilize for kedushah. Everything in the world was created for serving Hashem. If there is a koach or a certain midah a person could utilize for kedushah, he must utilize it for kedushah. Otherwise, why was that midah created? So now that a person is at a level that he is able to utilize the גאוה for kedushah, he must utilize it for kedushah, so he must have the גאוה. That's why when it comes to Shavuos, when a Yid is ready for it because he already went through the seven weeks of sefirah, so then he must have this inyan of גאוה in kedushah, and therefore there's a mitzvah of bringing chametz. As we said, what makes a Yid ready on Shavuos to have this inyan of chametz? Because between Pesach and Shavuos there are seven weeks. Seven weeks, we count seven times seven. We know every person has seven middot: חסד, גבורה, תפארת, נצח, הוד, יסוד, ומלכות. Each midah itself is made Up of all seven. חסד itself is made up of חסד, גבורה, תפארת, נצח, הוד, יסוד, מלכות. That's why the first week of sefirah is the week of חסד. Every day it's another midah within חסד. The first day is חסד of חסד, חסד שבחסד. The second day is גבורה שבחסד. The third day is תפארת שבחסד, etcetera. The second week is the week of גבורה, but within גבורה, all seven. So the first day of the second week is חסד שבגבורה, the second day is גבורה שבגבורה, etcetera, etcetera. So by the time the 49 days pass, a Yid worked on himself and elevated and purified all seven middot the way they are made up of all seven, which means all 49 middot. Now, when a person finishes with purifying all 49 middot, he is ready for the inyan of chametz. Similar to that is the inyan of Acharon Shel Pesach. By the time Acharon Shel Pesach comes around and we're ready to sit down to eat, the Yid already counted seven times Sefirah, which means the night of Acharon Shel Pesach is מלכות שבחסד, is the last of the first week. So even though he only went through one middah completely, only the middah of חסד, because the first week is חסד, but within חסד, he already went through a complete cycle, all seven middot within the middah of חסד. So to a certain degree, in a very miniature form, he accomplished the same thing that we accomplish in a complete form when it comes to Shavuos. When it comes to Shavuos, then you finish with all seven middot seven times. But the first week, by Acharon Shel Pesach, you only finish with one middah, but all seven levels of that one middah. So בזעיר אנפין, in a very miniature way, you already purified yourself to a point that you already to a certain degree don't have to be so far careful with the chashash of chametz. And that is the reason that even according to those that are choshesh, considering gebrokts the chashash of chametz, they do suspect. Those that don't suspect, and they have their reasons, so then there's no question. But those that don't eat gebrokts all Pesach, which means to them eating gebrokts would be a chashash of chametz, nevertheless, when it comes to Acharon Shel Pesach, not only are they not careful, they're mehader to eat gebrokts, because similar to what happened on Shavuos that then you are ready for chametz, so on Acharon Shel Pesach, not chas v'shalom that you're ready for chametz, but still to a certain degree the chashash of chametz doesn't have to be that far as it was throughout the other days of Pesach. Because the person is, to a certain degree, ready to utilize the inyan of the chashash chametz already for קדושה, and therefore you don't have to be that careful as you were before. And just like on Shavuot, not only is there no issur on chametz, but there is a chiyuv, an obligation to bring chametz, so here too, not only are they not chosheish, but they do something, they're mehader to do it, something which the other days to them was a חשש חמץ. And that's why they're mehader to eat דוקא שרויה on אחרון של פסח.

The truth is, that there is a din that shows that there is a possibility of having even real chametz on אחרון של פסח. Now, how can we have real chametz on אחרון של פסח? The Magen Avraham and the Chok Yaakov write in סימן תצ\"א, and it's brought down in the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch also in תצ\"א סעיף ג', that מי שנמשכה סעודתו במוצאי יום טוב אחרון של פסח עד אחר צאת הכוכבים, if somebody ate a seudah on מוצאי אחרון של פסח, he started before the שקיעה when it was still Yom Tov, and the seudah, the meal continued till after צאת הכוכבים of יום טוב, מותר לאכול חמץ בסעודה, he's allowed to eat chametz in that סעודה, אף שעדיין לא התפלל ערבית ולא הבדיל כלל, even if he didn't daven maariv yet and didn't make havdalah yet. So it comes out that it's still the seudah of אחרון של פסח, and he's allowed to eat chametz in that seudah. And bifshitus, this din would be even if he didn't bentch yet, which means that when he is going to bentch, since he started his meal before the שקיעה, he'll have to say יום חג המצות הזה in bentching, and at the same time, he will be eating chametz in that seudah. So he will be saying that it's still חג המצות, פסח, and eating chametz. Now, the Mishnah Berurah there in סעיף קטן א' writes that if he did not bentsch yet, then certainly he's not allowed to eat chametz, because in bentching he's going to have to say יעלה ויבא, because as he says, it follows the beginning of the meal, so how will he be able to say יום חג המצות הזה when he ate chametz in the meal? So takeh, that's what the Mishnah Berurah says, but other poskim ask a kashya on the Mishnah Berurah, because this whole din only applies if it was before bentching. If it was after bentching, bichlal you're not allowed to eat. The din is you're not allowed to eat before Maariv and havdalah. And since this din is even if it was before Maariv and havdalah, and it says you're allowed to eat chametz, it has to be before you bentsch. And the truth is, the Mishnah Berurah himself, the way it was in the first print, he wrote this as an argument against the Magen Avraham. He writes there, ולעניות דעתי נראה פשוט, that if he didn't bentsch he couldn't do it. So it seems that if he takeh understood that the Magen Avraham meant before bentching, but he argued. But in the second print, which was fixed by the Mishnah Berurah himself, there he seems to be learning that this is the pshat in the Magen Avraham, that the Magen Avraham means that if he didn't, if he bentched already, but if he didn't bentsch yet, then he can't eat chametz. But lichorah, as we said before, other poskim say that the Magen Avraham is talking davka if he didn't bentsch yet, because if he bentched already, how can he? But whatever it is, it comes out that here we see a din, that it's possible that it's still אחרון של פסח, and still he's allowed to eat chametz. So takeh in halachah we understand the reason why: because the inyan of eating chametz has nothing to do with the day of Yom Tov. There are eight days when you're not allowed to eat chametz, seven mi-de'oraita and the last one mi-derabbanan, and when that day is up, then you're allowed to eat chametz. The fact that he didn't make havdalah yet, didn't daven Maariv yet, and mimela to him it's still Yom Tov, that's מצד the day of Yom Tov, but it has nothing to do to the issur of chametz. And therefore, he's allowed to eat chametz, and at the same time it's still Yom Tov of Pesach. But מצד the deeper explanation, not from the halachah part of it, but מצד what we see in the drush of it, we see that it's possible to have Acharon Shel Pesach and be able to eat chametz. What is the explanation, as we said before? Because when it comes to Acharon Shel Pesach, being that this is already the seventh day of sefirah, and it's already after you counted sefirah, so in a miniature way, in a זעיר אנפין way, the person already accomplished something similar to what you accomplished after all seven weeks of sefirah. In a very miniature way, but you accomplished it. And therefore, just like after the seven weeks of sefirah Shavuos comes, and then there is an obligation to have chametz, the same too in Acharon Shel Pesach there's a possibility to have chametz. And that is, is if after צאת הכוכבים and you still didn't daven Maariv, didn't make havdalah, and didn't bentsh, and you're going to say יום חג המצות הזה, you're still allowed to eat chametz. So that shows that in Acharon Shel Pesach there's a possibility of having chametz. And the reason is, as said before, because then already a Yid is in the level that he could take the risk of having the inyan of chametz, which is ga'avah, and utilizing it for kedushah.