The Significance of the Thirty Days Prior to Pesach

The thirty days leading up to Pesach have special significance in halachic literature. In this issue we will present the areas where the thirty day period arises and explain the common denominator between them.

The Obligation to Study the Laws of Pesach

The Gemara, Pesachim 6a, states that there is an obligation to begin the study (sho'alin v'dorshin) of the laws of Pesach thirty days prior to Pesach. The Gemara provides a proof to this idea from the Torah. The Rishonim (medieval scholars) ask the following question regarding this rule: The Gemara, Megillah 4a, states that Moshe Rabbeinu instituted a special obligation to study topics relating to each holiday on the holiday itself. If there is an obligation to begin studying the laws of the holidays thirty days prior to the holiday, why was it necessary to institute an obligation to study the relevant topics relating to the holiday on the holiday itself?

Rabbeinu Nissim (1320-1380), Megillah 2b, s.v. Purim, suggests that in reality, there is no inherent obligation to study the laws of the holiday prior to the holiday. The significance of the thirty day period is that a teacher must give questions relating to that holiday higher priority. Normally, a teacher can choose to answer questions in order of relevance to the matters in which he is teaching. If he is teaching matters relating to legal issues and he is asked a question relating to a holiday, he can delay answering the question until he has responded to the questions relating to legal issues (see Tosefta, Sanhedrin 7:5 and Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 246:14). However, within thirty days of the holiday, he must give questions relating to the holiday the same priority.

R. Chizkiah DeSilva (17th century), P'ri Chadash, Orach Chaim no. 429, supports Rabbeinu Nissim's suggestion from a comment of the Talmud Yerushalmi, Pesaschim 1:1. The Talmud Yerushalmi states that the concept of studying the laws of Pesach thirty days before Pesach only applies in the study halls. P'ri Chadash interprets this statement to mean that in the study halls, questions relating to Pesach are given higher priority. R. David Frankel (1707-1762), Korban Ha'Edah to Yerushalmi ad loc., also understands the comments of the Talmud Yerushalmi in this manner.

R. Yosef Karo (1488-1575), Beit Yosef, Orach Chaim no. 429, provides two more answers to the aforementioned question. First, R. Karo posits that the requirement to study thirty days before Pesach only applies to Pesach and not to the other holidays because there are many laws that one must know before preparing for Pesach. While Sukkot also has laws that one must know in advance, such as how to build a sukkah or purchase the four species, a thirty day preparation period is not required.

Second, R. Karo suggests that the thirty day requirement only applies to Pesach because of the requirements to prepare for the Korban Pesach sacrifice. Since each person has an obligation to participate in the sacrifice and there is a requirement to prepare the animal for sacrifice, there is an obligation to begin studying the laws thirty days before Pesach.

R. Moshe Feinstein's Analysis

R. Moshe Feinstein (1895-1986), Dibrot Moshe, Pesachim no. 5, provides an analysis of the various opinions on the topic. His primary query is whether the rule to study the laws of Pesach prior to Pesach is a function of an inherent obligation to know the laws of the holiday or whether it is a function of the fact that we view the thirty days prior to the holiday as part of the holiday. Within the possibility that this law is a function of considering the thirty days prior to the holiday as part of the holiday, R. Feinstein queries further whether the requirement to learn before the holiday is an outgrowth of the requirement to learn on the holiday itself or whether it is an outgrowth of the obligation to prepare for the holiday. [R. Feinstein addresses the korban aspect of this discussion, which we will omit for purposes of brevity.]

Rabbeinu Nissim seems to be of the opinion that the thirty days prior to the holiday are an extension of the holiday. Therefore, questions that are asked of a teacher during those days are considered relevant and not tangential. As such, the teacher must give them priority. R. Feinstein further notes that if one understands that the thirty days prior to holidays are specially designated days to prepare for the holiday, one can provide an additional insight to the comment of the Talmud Yerushalmi. The Talmud Yerushalmi never intended to limit the significance of the thirty-day period to the study hall. Rather the Talmud Yerushalmi is noting an additional application to the requirement to prepare for the holiday. Each person must prepare for the holiday in his own way. For most people, this means cleaning, cooking, and preparing Pesach products as well as learning the laws that are relevant. For the student in the study hall who is not spending his time preparing for the physical necessities of Pesach, his obligation to prepare for the holiday is fulfilled by spending extra time studying matters of the holiday.

R. Feinstein notes that one can explain R. Karo's suggestion that only Pesach is subject to the requirement to study thirty days in advance by claiming that there is an inherent obligation to study before the holiday. However, R. Feinstein notes that one can alternatively suggest that R. Karo's suggestion is based on the thirty day period as the preparation period for the holiday. According to R. Feinstein, R. Karo's suggestion does not necessarily negate Rabbeinu Nissim's explanation. Rather, R. Karo's suggestion adds a special obligation to study the laws of Pesach as part of the preparation for the holiday. Because preparation for Pesach requires study of the laws, there is an obligation to study the laws as part of one's preparations. Prior to all other holidays it is not necessary to begin the study of the laws thirty days before and therefore, it does not become an integral part of the holiday preparations. Nevertheless, regardless of the holiday, the thirty day period is still considered a period of preparation and therefore, a student who asks a holiday related question within thirty days of any holiday is given priority.

When Does the Obligation of Bedikat Chametz Begin?

The Gemara, Pesachim 6a, discusses whether there is an obligation to check one's property for chametz if one leaves the property before the time of bedikat chametz. According to Rava, if one leaves prior to thirty days and does not plan on returning to that property until after Pesach, he has no obligation to perform bedikat chametz. If he leaves within thirty days of Pesach, he has an obligation to perform bedikat chametz even if he doesn't plan on returning until after Pesach. The Gemara states that thirty days was chosen as the cutoff point based on the obligation to begin the study of the laws of Pesach thirty days prior to Pesach. [See Mishna Berurah 436:32, regarding one who is planning on selling the chametz in his home and leaving before Pesach.]

R. Feinstein notes that the equation between the two laws can be understood based on the idea that thirty days prior to a holiday is considered an extension of the holiday. Therefore, one is specifically obligated to perform bedikat chametz on a property that one vacates during that time, even if he doesn't plan on returning before Pesach. [Alternatively, one can explain that there is an inherent obligation to study before Pesach and the significance of the thirty day period is that the thirty days prior to the holiday are an extension of the holiday. The obligation to perform bedikat chametz during this period is also based on the fact that this period is an extension of the holiday. One can also explain that the obligation to study generates a requirement to be more cautious about matters of the holiday.]