Reading time 3 mins
Thursday Evening, April 10th 2025 – 7:50pm: Bediqat Hames (Searching for Hamess)
Friday morning, April 11th 2025 - 11:45am – Last time for burning/selling Hamess
Saturday Morning, April 12th, 2025:
By tonight the entire house will have, hopefully, already been checked for hames. That is why many have the custom of hiding ten small pieces of bread wrapped in foil to have something tangible to search for and find. The person who hides these should write down on a piece of paper all the places they have hidden the pieces to ensure none are lost. They should be hidden in areas one should check, for example, coat pockets and draws where hames are sometimes placed.
Cnadle. You can use a small flashlight or candle for the search. The flashlight app on your phone is perfectly acceptable. You don't need to turn off the lights for this search. The flashlight is to see areas that are harder to see.
Before beginning your search, gather the family together, and in preparation for the search, one of the family members recites the following berakha:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל בִּיעוּר חָמֵץ
“Barukh Ata A-donay, E-lohenu Melekh ha’Olam, Asher Qiddeshanu beMitSvotav veSivanu Al Bi’ur Hamets”
After the search, recite the declaration indicating that any hames left that you did not find you consider ownerless and have no desire to have any connection or use of it. You should exclude items of hames you plan on eating through Shabbat morning before NYC time of 10:20 am. You must understand the phrase below, and therefore, it is best that you also say it in English.
כל חמירא דאיכא ברשותי דלא חזיתיה ודלא ביערתיה להוי בטיל וחשיב כעפרא דארעא
“Kal Hamira Deika Birshuti, Dela Haziteh Vedela Biarteh, Libtil Veleheve Hafquer Ke’afra Dear’a.”
All hames in my possession that I have not seen and not removed are hereby nullified and considered ownerless as the dust of the earth.