בדיקה, ביעור, ביטול, ומכירת חמץ

Regarding חמץ, there are four different types. The first is בדיקת חמץ, where we search for חמץ, the night before Pesach. The Bracha we make while searching, is על ביעור חמץ, on burning Chametz. This is the second type of Chametz and the blessing is on the burning, which completes the searching. So that ביעור refers to the actual destroying of the Chametz the following morning. The third type is ביטול חמץ, the nullification of the Chametz. Actually, according to the Torah, this declaration of ביטול, is all that is necessary to get rid of our Chametz. We are declaring that we no longer own the Chametz and consider it like the dust of the earth. The Rabbis required that we thoroughly clean our homes. And the fourth category of Chametz, is מכירת חמץ, the selling of Chametz. This was instituted by the Rabbis to avoid a great loss of money. Originally, it was designed to help Jews who were in the alcohol business. They were unable to sell their whiskey and beer, and were allowed to temporarily sell their wares to a non-Jew in order to save money. These are the four categories of Chametz that we are to be focused on between now and Pesach.