Question:
Can one use LED flashlight (no filament) for bedikas chometz? Is it considered a ner?
Answer:
Yes, this is fine.
There is no halachah of fire for bedikat chametz, but rather a halachah of light (the Gemara writes that the light of a candle is good to check with, and the light of a flashlight is usually even better). If the flashlight provides good light, there’s no reason not to use it, even if it does not have the halachic status of fire.
What if the flashlight has several small LED bulbs instead of a single regular light-bulb.
Do the multiple bulbs have the status of a multi-wick torch? Or is the fact that there is a single ray of light sufficient?
This is an interesting question. The reason for the problem of an avukah (two or more wicks) is because of the concern for fire, which is liable to distract the person doing the searching from his search. For a flashlight, this concern will of course not apply. Therefore, it would seem that the flashlight remains fine.
Yet, it might be preferable, as many do, to begin the search with a candle, and to use the flashlight to look for chametz in places where the candle is not effective.
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