by chametz that we don't find by other issurim of the Torah. By other issurim we find the din of ביטול בשישים, or במאה, or במאתים, that if the thing which is assur fell into other things which are heter, so if there is 60 times as much in the heter as the issur, then the issur is batel. Sometimes the din is that it has to be a hundred times as much; by other things the din is that it has to have be 200 times as much. But nevertheless, it is batel. Chametz is one of those issurim that is אסור במשהו. Any little drop of chametz is assur, even if it fell into something which is a thousand times as much, nevertheless it is אסור במשהו. And the question is why is it that chametz is so strict that it is אסור במשהו? We do find in another place where something else is also אסור במשהו, and that is the issur of avodah zarah. That if we have something which is assur because it belongs to avodah zarah, or it serves an avodah zarah, so then that doesn't become batel at all, and that is also אסור במשהו. So obviously there must be a similarity between the issur of chametz on Pesach and the inyan of avodah zarah. The truth is we find another similarity between the inyan of chametz and avodah zarah. By avodah zarah, there is a din that we must destroy the avodah zarah, we must get rid of the avodah zarah. Not only can we not eat anything that belongs to avodah zarah, not only are we not allowed to have any pleasure from avodah zarah—it's אסור בהנאה—but avodah zarah has the special din that we must get rid of it. By חמץ בפסח we find the same thing, that not only is חמץ אסור באכילה that we are not allowed to eat it, not only is חמץ אסור בהנאה that we're not allowed to have any use out of it, any benefit from it, but חמץ בפסח has a special din of תשביתו that we must destroy the chametz, and also the issur of בל יראה ובל ימצא that you are not allowed to own any chametz. Chametz is not allowed to be seen and found in the person's house. So here again we see a similarity between chametz and avodah zarah. But the question is why is chametz similar to avodah zarah? L'chorah, avodah zarah, we understand why there there is a issur even במשהו, because avodah zarah is the worst aveirah in the world. We know that among all the aveirot, we have three which are considered the worst: עבודה זרה, גילוי עריות, adultery, and shefichut damim, which is murder. And that is why even though we say פיקוח נפש דוחה כל התורה כולה, that if it comes to a question of the person's life, then it pushes away all the aveirot of the Torah, and you have to do any aveirah in order to save your life, if that's the only way you could save your life, but when it comes to these three aveirot, we say ייהרג ואל יעבור. The person has to rather die than be over on these three aveirot. So we see that these three aveirot are the three most terrible aveirot, and avodah zarah is one of them. So we understand why by avodah zarah there is a special din it's אסור במשהו, why you're not allowed to own avodah zarah, why you have to destroy avodah zarah, etc. But why should חמץ בפסח be so strict? לכאורה חמץ בפסח is an issur similar to other issurim, and we don't find by other issurim the issur of mashehu, and we don't find by other aveirot the issur of בל יראה ובל ימצא and the chiyuv of תשביתו. Why is it that חמץ בפסח is so strict? And also, in which way is it similar to עבודה זרה?

The difference between chametz and matzah, as we see it physically, is that chametz rises. It is a dough that rose. So therefore, it says in many sefarim that the difference between chametz and matzah represents the difference between a person who has anavah, who's an anav, and a person who's a baal gaavah. Matzah represents bittul and anivut, because it is low, it's flat, it doesn't blow itself up, and chametz represents the inyan of gaavah, because it blows itself up, it makes itself big. So this represents a person who holds himself big, who in simple words would be a big shot, a person with a big ego. And this automatically explains the connection between chametz and עבודה זרה. Because a person who has a big ego is a baal gaavah, that person is similar to עבודה זרה. As we find in the Gemara that Hashem says that with a בעל גאווה, אין אני והוא יכולים לדור במדור אחד. Me and him cannot live in one מדור, in one dwelling place. And it is not only because the person who is a baal gaavah did something wrong, because we don't find the expression concerning other aveirot that Hashem should say that a person who did this aveirah or that aveirah, \"I can't live with him together.\" But when it comes to a baal gaavah, Hashem says, \"I cannot live with him together.\" This is also the meaning of the מאמר חז״ל as brought In the Rambam, that כל הכועס כאילו עובד עבודה זרה, that anybody who gets angry it is as if he worships עבודה זרה. Anger comes always as a result of gaavah. Why should a person get angry? Because he feels he was insulted. Something against him was done. He sees something that he cannot like. It's always the he, the person's own ego that makes him angry. And therefore it says, anybody who gets angry is like he worships עבודה זרה. Why is that? Because the true meaning of עבודה זרה is not only when a person bows down to a piece of wood or any other thing which we assume is עבודה זרה, but any belief that a person has in any being other than Hashem, that is in essence עבודה זרה. The only thing is we have עבודה זרה בגסות and we have עבודה זרה בדקות. We have avodah zarah in a very coarse way, and that is when somebody bows down to an idol. But we also have עבודה זרה בדקות, in a very fine way, but it's still avodah zarah, when a person feels that there is another power other than Hashem. And it makes no difference whether he thinks that the sun has its own power, or he thinks that he himself has its own power, his own power. As long as he feels that there is something other than Hashem, that is in essence avodah zarah. Because the truth is that אין עוד מלבדו, there is nothing but Hashem. השם אלוקינו השם אחד, השם is one and the only one. And not only that He is the only God, but He is the only true being. So if you believe in another being, then this is avodah zarah. So if you believe in yourself, this is avodah zarah. And this is the reason why chametz is similar to avodah zarah, and there's a din by chametz that it's assur b'mashehu, because since chametz represents gaavah, that's why even a drop of it is assur. Just like avodah zarah, we understand why even a mashehu of avodah zarah is assur. Because since avodah zarah is the complete opposite of אחדות השם, of the belief in the unity of Hashem, and therefore even a small drop of avodah zarah is assur, it is forbidden completely, so too is chametz which represents the inyan of gaavah, which is like avodah zarah, is also assur b'mashehu. And that is why, not only can't you eat it, can't you have any hanaah from it, but you have to destroy it, there's a mitzvah of תשביתו. And also there is an issur of בל יראה בל ימצא, it's not allowed to be seen and be found in the reshus of a person, of a Yid, because the inyan of gaavah, which is similar to avodah zarah, is 100% completely forbidden.

One might ask, then why is it only forbidden on Pesach? Why shouldn't it be forbidden all year round? And the answer is simple: because Pesach, that is the time when the Yidden started off as being a nation, as we find in Yechezkel that he refers to Yetzias Mitzrayim as the birth of Klal Yisrael. Now we understand that in the beginning when a child is born, that's when the child is the most sensitive and you have to be the most careful. Later on, after the child grows up, there are certain things that if it would have been done to the child or if the child would have eaten certain things, it would have harmed the child, and sometimes would have harmed so much it would have taken the life of the child. But when the child grows up, the child could eat it, and it does no harm. The same thing here: all year round, which is already after we are an established nation, then we also have to be very careful with gaavah, but still, it is not as bad as it is in the beginning when we just started off. And therefore, by Yetzias Mitzrayim, when we just started off as a nation, Hashem just chose us then and took us out of Mitzrayim, then we have to be very careful with the inyan of gaavah. Later on, we also have to be careful, but on the other hand, we can utilize gaavah for kedushah. It is a possible for a person to use the middah of gaavah and serve Hashem with gaavah, as the pasuk says: ״ויגבה לבו בדרכי השם״. You could pick up your heart, you could have a inyan of gaavah and serve Hashem. As they tell the story of this person, because of business, had to go to a certain place that had a lot of physical temptations, and nevertheless he stayed a yerei Shamayim as he was before. And they asked him: ״How did you manage to remain the same yerei Shamayim as before even though you were in these places which are great nisyonot?״ And he answered: ״Through the middah of gaavah.״ And they asked him: ״What do you mean through the middah of gaavah?״ And he said: ״When the yetzer hara came to me and said: 'Look over there, do this, do that,' I would answer my yetzer hara: 'Me? I? I am so great, I learned so much Torah, I did so many mitzvot, I am so special, I did so many things, you want me to lower myself and do these things?' And that's how I stayed away from listening to the yetzer hara.״ So you can serve Hashem with gaavah. But nevertheless, you have to be very careful because the middah of gaavah can lead a person complete opposite, lead a person to the inyan, as we said before, like avodah zarah. So therefore, even though you start off by using it for kedushah, you have to be very careful. So in the beginning, when the Yidden just started off as a nation, And every year when Pesach comes around, the same inyan repeats itself again, so we put ourselves again in the stage as it was that time when we became a nation. Then you have to be very careful with gaavah, and we can't say that we could use the gaavah for kedushah. Later on, after we are already grown up, so then we are able to digest, so to speak, the inyan of gaavah also, and utilize the gaavah for kedushah. You have to be careful, but we can take the chance, so to speak. And therefore חמץ is not forbidden. But on Pesach, when it's just the beginning of our birth, we're in ruchniyus like a little tiny baby, here we have to be careful and we cannot take the risk. And therefore chometz is forbidden בפסח במשהו, and chometz is forbidden with בל יראה בל ימצא, and there is a mitzvah of תשביתו. This also explains why sometimes we find that the word chometz is used for עבירות בכלל, for a person being bad bichlal, as we find in the Gemara in ברכות, כאן קודם שהחמיץ, כאן לאחר שהחמיץ, concerning Korach. And the Gemara wants to say that one thing is speaking in the time before he turned bad, or we turn sour, and one was after he turned bad, the lashon is chometz. Even though it means sour, but it all comes from the same expression as חמץ בפסח. Because the reason chometz is a dough that grows because it has a certain sourness to it. But nevertheless, we do see that the word chometz is used as a term for evil. And we also find that the term שאור, which is sour dough which is chometz, is used as a term for the yetzer hara. As the lashon in גמרא, מי מעכב? שאור שבעיסה מעכב. Who holds us back from doing good? The שאור of the dough holds us back. And that refers to the yetzer hara. So we see that the yetzer hara and evil bichlal is referred to with שאור and chometz. Why? Because since chometz is gaavah, and gaavah is the source for all evil, that's why evil and yetzer hara is referred to with the word chometz. Because it's self-understood that when a person is a baal gaavah, then it'll be much harder for him to do teshuvah, and it's much easier to get to do an aveirah. Because if all the person cares about is himself, so then certainly he will not bend himself, so to speak, break himself in order to do the right thing. So as long as doing the right thing will not hurt him, will not cost him anything, will not make him give up part of himself, he'll do it. The moment he'll have to give up part of himself, he won't do it. Because he cares about himself very much. And mimela, if he's a baal gaavah, he eventually will come not to do the things that he's supposed to do, and he'll do aveirot as long as it'll be for his benefit. So it comes out that gaavah is really the source of all evil. And also later to do teshuvah. If a person is a baal gaavah, he won't do teshuvah. If a person is an aniav, so even if by mistake or for whatever reason he did an aveirah, so then he will do teshuvah, because he knows he is nothing, and s'iz poshut, he won't mind to do teshuvah, which means to say חטאתי, I made a mistake. But if a person a baal gaavah, he won't say חטאתי. He won't say I made a mistake, after all, he made a mistake? And therefore, he will not do teshuvah. And therefore, chametz, which is gaavah, is the source of all evil.

That is also the reason why we find that the word chametz and the word matzah are both the same letters: they both have a מ, they both have a צ, but the third letter which is a ח or a ה, that's where the difference is. And in truth, a ח and a ה are also the same. They're almost almost the same. There is a small difference between the ח and the ה, that is the opening that's there on the side, the left side, between the stick that goes down and the line that's on top. But otherwise, the shape of the ח and the ה are exactly the same. What is the meaning behind this? It says in sefarim that the ח is closed from all three sides and just has the opening on the bottom, that reminds us of the פסוק לפתח חטאת רובץ. To an opening, sin lies. So that opening represents the inyan of an aveirah. Now, the ח represents that when a person did an aveirah and he got in through the opening on the bottom, there is no way out. It's closed. You're closed completely. The ה represents that even if you got into the bottom, which is the petach, the door to the aveirah, nevertheless, there's a little opening on top where you could get out, and that opening represents teshuvah. And that's why chametz has no opening, because chametz represents gaavah. If a person is a baal gaavah, so then if he did an aveirah, he won't be able to get out of it, he won't be able to do teshuvah. Because they'll think, \"I should do teshuvah? I should admit that I did a mistake? Never!\" And he'll never get out. That's why chametz doesn't have the opening. The ח of chametz is open from the bottom, the place for the aveirah, and has no opening to get out, which is teshuvah. Matzah also has the opening on the bottom, which means that even if a person did fall in, so to speak, and did do an aveirah, nevertheless there is a little opening on top, and that is the opening that represents teshuvah, because if a person is like matzah, is an anav, is batel to Hashem, so that person will get out of his aveirot, because he will want to do teshuvah. He will want to admit, to say that I made a mistake, and I promise never to do again what I did before. And even though the opening by the ה is a very small opening, nevertheless this represents teshuvah, because for teshuvah you don't need a lot. With one second, a person can do teshuvah and change over from being a rasha gamur to a tzadik gamur. As the Gemara says in Kiddushin, that if a person is מקדש את האשה על מנת שאני צדיק גמור, even if he is a rasha gamur at the time, still we are afraid maybe the קידושין קידושין, because שמא הרהר תשובה בלבו, maybe he thought teshuvah. Even though from the time he was a rasha till the time we suspect maybe he did teshuvah is only a second, nevertheless, that second is enough to make the person change from being a rasha gamur to a tzadik gamur. Because all you need is the hirhur, the thought in the person's mind that he will never do the aveirah again, and feel bad what he did before, this itself is teshuvah. So the little opening by the ה, that represents teshuvah. Even though it's a small opening. And as the Chazal say on the פסוק, פתחי לי אחותי רעיתי יונתי תמתי, that Hashem asks the Yidden, please open up your door to me. So the Chazal say that Hashem says, פתחי לי כחודה של מחט. All I ask you is open to me the door as the tip of a needle, that's very small, ואני אפתח לכם כפתחו של אולם. I will already open to you a wide door like the width of the door of the אולם of the בית המקדש, which is very wide. But all Hashem asks when he asks to do teshuvah is only the פתחי לי כחודה של מחט, only even as the tip of the needle. And that's why teshuvah could take one second. As the famous peshat in when the Gemara says, יש קונה עולמו בשעה אחת. This Rabbi said concerning Elazar ben Dordia, who was a baal teshuvah, so Rabbi said that a person can be koneh his Olam Haba in one shaah, which means in one moment. The word shaah means also from the expression of turning, and it says, ואל קין ואל מנחתו לא שעה, it means Hashem did not turn to Kayin and to his korban. So the word shaah means a turn. So יש קונה עולמו בשעה אחת, a person can be קונה עולם הבא with one turn. All he has to do is think the thought of teshuvah in his mind, and turn away in his mind from everything he did before, then he is קונה עולמו. And that is the little opening by the ה, the opening of teshuvah. And this is only found by the matzah, because matzah, which is anavah, only through matzah, through anavah, a person will do teshuvah. And that is why matzah is also called לחם עוני, because oni means poverty. A poor man usually is an anav. And the inyan of matzah represents anavah, that's why the matzah is called לחם עוני.