Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Tosefta for Zephaniah 1:12

וְהָיָה֙ בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔יא אֲחַפֵּ֥שׂ אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם בַּנֵּר֑וֹת וּפָקַדְתִּ֣י עַל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים הַקֹּֽפְאִים֙ עַל־שִׁמְרֵיהֶ֔ם הָאֹֽמְרִים֙ בִּלְבָבָ֔ם לֹֽא־יֵיטִ֥יב יְהוָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א יָרֵֽעַ׃

And it shall come to pass at that time, That I will search Jerusalem with lamps; And I will punish the men that are settled on their lees, That say in their heart: ‘The LORD will not do good, neither will He do evil.’

Tosefta Pesachim

On the evening of the fourteenth, we check for chamets by candlelight, not by sunlight, not by moonlight, but rather only by candlelight (since the candlelight is greater). Even though there's no explicit proof for this, it's a remembrance for that which is discussed (Tzefaniah 1) "And in that time I will look through Jerusalem by candle" and that which it says (Proverbs 20) "The candle of God is a human soul".
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