Not to eat Chametz on the afternoon of the 14th day of Nissan

This mitzvah forbids eating chametz (leavened bread or products) beginning from midday on the 14th of Nissan, the eve of Passover. By abstaining from chametz before the festival starts, one prepares spiritually and physically for Pesach, ensuring complete focus on matzah and the mitzvot of the Seder night. The prohibition highlights the urgency of the Exodus, when Israel left Egypt without time to allow their dough to rise.

Commentary & Classical Explanation:

• Rambam (Hilchot Chametz U’Matzah 1:8): Teaches that chametz becomes forbidden to eat from the sixth hour of the day on Erev Pesach.
• Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 9): The root is to recall the haste of the Exodus and to distinguish clearly between chametz and matzah in the observance of Pesach.
• Talmud (Pesachim 28a): Establishes the precise time from which chametz is forbidden on the 14th, marking the transition into the festival’s holiness.