Jerusalem Post
A gentile man taught a Jerusalem haredi community an important lesson when he acted on his right to take their leavened products bestowed upon him ahead of Pesach in what was obviously more than just a symbolic act.
The tradition of selling one’s chometz to a non-Jew is what allows observant Jews to keep in their possession various products which are not kosher for Pesach. Normally, after the holiday, the non-Jew will sell the goods back.
As reported by haredi media outlets, members of the Mishkenot Yaakov community in the capital’s Ramat Shlomo neighborhood were encouraged by their Rabbi Simcha Rabinowitz to take the tradition one step further, and rather than selling the chometz, actually give it to the non-Jew, who would presumably return it after the holiday.
Many people chose to put their products – including expensive alcoholic beverages – in the room destined for the chometz believing that such an act would be a higher degree of observing the holiday’s prohibition of not owning leavened products.
After the transaction took place and shortly before the holiday began, however, the gentile arrived with his vehicle and proceeded to take the goods, which were legally his.
Objecting to his actions was not an option, since that would prove that the deal was not sincere, which would mean that the chometz would have belonged to the Jews.
wow all these comments i,m just amazed how many people had to explain their svara on something that is now from the “past”
agree with #31
guess he didn’t know the guy was visiting
if he would follow the alter rebbe he would see that selling the chometz is %100 a “real” sale – and the best way! thats what happens when you make up new chumras that jews never did!!
Why would he encourage people to give away their chometz when that’s not usually done? Maybe they should look in to him…
Did he know and was just playing a game on them or he really wanted the chometz?????
its just chametz plz-
Y doesn’t he just respect our customs and not do anything
I believe the contract has a clause in it that if he fails to show up after Pesach by a specific time then it is assumed the goy does not want to pay the rest of the $ owing for the goods and so the ownership reverts back(doesnt nullify the contract bc then it would mean that we owned the chometz on pesach). That is to protect in case he disappears or dies.
they think they’re being holy?? the real idea is to get rid of the chometz inside of ourselves!
If the goy dies on Pesach it gets complicated… But I believe you must buy it back from the children of the goy.
If they in fact Gave the chometz (as I see many commentators believe from the words of the author) then what they did was nothing new, everyone knows you’re allowed to give away your Chometz it’s just foolish to think that you’ll get it back.
I (#1) was thinking that the Chumrah was to get it out of the house.
The whole chiddush of being able to sell chometz is that it’s guaranteed by contract that you’ll get it (or the value) back.
but awhile before Pesach started, I had a feeling something like that would happen. Please dont say that I;m nuts.
I forget where, but there is a community in Queens where the rov has the goy go to one house each year and claim his chometz, just to demonstrate that the sale is real.
Classic example of what is sweeping through the chareidi world (in some instances our own Chabad included), inventing chumras where they don’t exist.
Since when is the amount stated on the contract “very little, as compared to the real price”? What irresponsible rabbi would write a contract like that? Who told you such a thing? The model contract from the Alter Rebbe specifies that the sale is for full market value, which will be determined after Pesach by bringing in a professional assessor. Then, after Pesach, we offer to buy it back for the same price plus a fixed amount; thus, we no longer need to actually call in the assessor, because the two Xs cancel each other out. (See where basic algebra… Read more »
I don’t trust the JPost to have reported this correctly. I don’t see why giving the chometz as a gift is in any way better than selling it, according to any opinion. Either gomar adaateih, or not. My guess is that they sold it, but the chumrah was to physically bring all the chometz to one place, which is the goy’s property, rather than leaving it in everybody’s pantries and cupboards. If so, then he was of course within his rights to take it, and he will have to pay the full market value as specified in the contract.
they sold the chametz did they not??
No 1 2 3 4 5, The goy was GIVEN the chametz as an extra chumrah. Its his for the taking…
Perhaps we might follow mechiras chometz just as poskim of hundreds of years have instructed us to do, rather than be wiser than them. As regards to the goy paying for the goods, he would only pay the amount stated on the contract, which either is very little, as compared to the real price, or as the article indicates, was given as a gift).
“rather than selling the chometz, actually give it to the non-Jew, who would presumably return it after the holiday.”
So if they gave him the chometz as a gift, why wouldn’t he take it? Why would he presumably return something they gave him?
Now if it was an actual sale, then he just owes them the money. There’s nothing wrong with it. He bought it, so it is his. Just because most goyim don’t take it, doesn’t mean they can’t.
The arev kablan will pay….
If you read the article it says “they gave it to the goy”, so he gets to keep it rather than pay anything for it.
they probably didn’t have an aruv kablin like the Alter Rebbe establsihed so they can’t collect it
Halachically, the funds are a deposit, he has to pay for everything he has taken.
no the goy doesn’t have to pay anything. read the article again. this wasn’t a regular sale — they actually took it a step further and GAVE it to him.
If the Halacha is like is one way, just leave it at that.
PLS, Don’t always try to make new Chumrah’s
so will they get it back????
in all Mechiras Chometz cantracts that the rabbi signs with the goy it states that he will have to pay in full after the holiday.
now after yom tov we simply take the products as payment.
so this stupid goy will have to pay for what he took.
i cant beleive this happened! feel so bad for them
he has to pay 100% of the worth of everything he took
he’s welcome to take it all he is also, according to the contract (if written correctly), obligated to pay the full value of the Chometz. Presumably he just paid the small “down payment” now they just need to send the collection agencies after him and get the full value.
Ps i was wondering what would happen in the case where the goy dies on pesach..