Wikipedia's first sentence called it “search before the jewish holiday of pesach for chametz”. Today it says “mitzva to search for chametz before the jewish holiday of passover”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “Bedikas chametz being performed on the night before Passover Eve Bedikas chametz , or”. It now reads “Ritual pre-Passover search for chametz An Italian bediqat chametz (1864)”.
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2025
Ritual pre-Passover search for chametz An Italian bediqat chametz (1864) Bedikat chametz , or bedikas chametz ( בְּדִיקַת חָמֵץ , Tiberian : bəḏīqaṯ ḥāmēṡ ) is the Mitzva to search for chametz before the Jewish Holiday of Passover . The search takes place after nightfall on the evening before Pesach (the night of the 14th of the Hebrew month of Nisan ). In Jewish law , there is an accepted three-step process for dealing with chametz before the Passover: Searching for Ĥametz (Bedikat Chametz) Elimination of chametz (Bitul chametz) Removal of chametz (Biur chametz) After the checking ceremony, the chametz is nullified; that is, a declaration is made that any chametz not found during the checking is considered like "the dust of the earth", and the next day the chametz that was found during the checking is burned. (The commandment is to do this through burning, but it can also be destroyed in other ways, such as throwing it into the sea). Mishnah tractate Pesachim When Passover starts on Saturday night , bedikat chametz takes place on Thursday night (two nights before Passover). The Time for Bedikat Ḥametz – Peninei Halakha" . The Mitzvot Associated with Eliminating Ḥametz – Peninei Halakha" . The Custom of Bi'ur Ḥametz by Burning – Peninei Halakha" .
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 1288833132.
The opening as it stood in 2010
Bedikas Chametz , or Bdikat Chametz, is the search before the Jewish Holiday of Pesach for Chametz . The search takes place after nightfall on the evening before Pesach ( the night of the 14th of the Hebrew month of Nisan , as stated in the Mishnah tractate Pesachim ). When Pesach starts on Saturday night , Bedikas Chametz takes place on Thursday night (two nights before Pesach).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 317932878.
The opening as it stood in 2015
Bedikas Chametz being performed on the night before Passover Eve, 2009.Bedikas Chametz , or Bedikat Chametz (from: in Hebrew , Tiberian : ) is the search before the Jewish Holiday of Pesach for Chametz . The search takes place after nightfall on the evening before Pesach ( the night of the 14th of the Hebrew month of Nisan , as stated in the Mishnah tractate Pesachim ). When Pesach starts on Saturday night , Bedikas Chametz takes place on Thursday night (two nights before Pesach).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 638091113.
The opening as it stood in 2020
Bedikas chametz being performed on the night before Passover Eve Bedikas chametz , or bedikat chametz ( , Tiberian : bəḏīqaṯ ḥāmēṡ ) is the search before the Jewish Holiday of Pesach for chametz . The search takes place after nightfall on the evening before Pesach (the night of the 14th of the Hebrew month of Nisan , as stated in the Mishnah tractate Pesachim ). When Pesach starts on Saturday night , bedikas chametz takes place on Thursday night (two nights before Pesach).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 962753939.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Ritual pre-Passover search for chametz An Italian bediqat chametz (1864) Bedikat chametz , or bedikas chametz ( בְּדִיקַת חָמֵץ , Tiberian : bəḏīqaṯ ḥāmēṡ ) is the search before the Jewish Holiday of Pesach for chametz . The search takes place after nightfall on the evening before Pesach (the night of the 14th of the Hebrew month of Nisan , as stated in the Mishnah tractate Pesachim ). When Pesach starts on Saturday night , bedikat chametz takes place on Thursday night (two nights before Pesach).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1137920432.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “search before the jewish holiday of pesach for chametz”. Today it says “mitzva to search for chametz before the jewish holiday of passover”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “Bedikas chametz being performed on the night before Passover Eve Bedikas chametz , or”. It now reads “Ritual pre-Passover search for chametz An Italian bediqat chametz (1864)”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since October 7, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
search before the jewish holiday of pesach for chametz
Now
mitzva to search for chametz before the jewish holiday of passover
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
