Torah Portion: Bo
You shall not eat any leavening (Shemos 12:20).
It is a negative commandment to not eat any food mixed with chametz, even if the main food is not chametz on its own, as is written, You shall not eat any leavening. Our Sages explain that this verse teaches the prohibition against eating items that contain a mixture of chametz.
Among the roots of the commandment is the idea discussed with regard to maintaining leaven: To remember what occurred to us during the Exodus from Egypt. However, in order to intensify this idea in our hearts, the Torah [ordered that we] completely banish chametz during these days, to the point that we may not eat even [ordinary food] in which chametz has been mixed.
This commandment applies to both men and women, in all places and at all times.
