DVAR TORAH
Part of the process of atonement for a person afflicted with "tzara'at" is that the person offers two birds as a sacrifice [Vayikra 14:4].
Why two? According to the Zohar, one bird atones for evil speech, and one bird atones for good speech.
Of course, the" evil speech" referred to by the Zohar is "lashon harah," for which the affliction "tzara'at" occurs. But what is "good speech" that requires atonement?
Rabbi Dov Weinberger, in his book Shemen HaTov, suggests that there are two reasons why a person was afflicted with "tzara'at" - both for improperly using the gift of speech. The first is the obvious, "lashon hara," while the second is when one abstains from uttering "good speech." For just as gossip can destroy a relationship, so too, can speaking words of encouragement and friendship create and support a relationship. Therefore, he suggests that the Zohar is reminding us that the sin of "Lashon Hara" includes both "evil speech" and withholding "good speech" - because sometimes withholding the compliment can be as destructive as speaking evil.
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HALACHA OF THE WEEK: Bedikat Chametz: What do you do if you go away?
Anyone who owns chametz is required to dispose of it before Pesach begins. This can be accomplished by destroying it [biur chametz], selling it, or giving it away to a non-Jew.
But the Rabbis also obligated each person to search for chametz the night before Pesach (or this year on Thursday night, March 29th) [Orech Chayim 436:3, Mishna Berura ibid., notes 27 and 32]. Therefore, even if one sold one's entire house to a non-Jew, one is not free from the personal obligation to search for chametz.
A solution to this problem is to set aside one room in the house, even a small one, and not sell it to a non-Jew, along with the rest of the house. That room should be cleaned for Pesach, and chametz should be thoroughly searched for the night before Pesach, with the proper blessing recited for the bedikah [Responsa Shevet HaLevi 4:44]. Some authorities even permit a person to rent the room where they will be staying for Pesach and search for chametz there instead [M'harsham 3:291], but many oppose this latter approach.
When doing even a minimal bedikah is difficult, some authorities permit selling one’s entire house to a non-Jew, but ideally, such a sale should occur on the 13th of Nisan, a day earlier than the normal sale and before the regular time of bedikat chametz [Chatam Sofer Orach Chaim 131, Mishna Halachot 4:67, Nitei Gavriel Hilchot Pesach 1:28(1)].
Please note, if a person leaves home before the night when the search for chametz is supposed to occur, all of the regular procedures should still be followed on the night before one leaves (searching at night, the candle or flashlight, etc.). However, the blessing is not recited.
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