Saying ‘for Pesach’ over the festival purchases
[A] (Halacha 234)
Caution Regarding Products of the Festival
Question: Is it permitted to say about purchases for the festival that they are for Pesach?
Answer: The Gemara in Tractate Pesachim1 states: 'Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: A person is forbidden to say "This meat is for Pesach" — because he appears as one who consecrates his animal and eats consecrated offerings outside [the Temple]. Rav Pappa said: This applies specifically to meat, but as for wheat — no, for he is understood to be saying that it is being safeguarded for Pesach.'
And so ruled the Mechaber2: 'It is forbidden to say about any animal, whether alive or slaughtered, "This meat is for Pesach," because it appears that he consecrated it while alive as a Pesach offering, and he is thus found to be eating consecrated offerings outside [the Temple]; rather he should say, "This meat is for Yom Tov" .. but it is permitted to say, "This wheat is for Pesach."'
And the Alter Rebbe wrote in se'if 1: 'A person is forbidden to say3 (about his animal) "This meat is for Pesach," and it goes without saying that he should not say so about a kid or a lamb, because of maris ayin [the appearance to onlookers], for the one who hears thinks that he is consecrating them for Pesach, and afterward when he eats them it will appear as eating consecrated offerings outside [the Temple]; rather, even about any species of domesticated animal, wild animal, or fowl, whether alive or slaughtered, he should not say "This meat is for Pesach," but should say "This meat is for Yom Tov," for if he says "for Pesach," the one who hears will think that he is consecrating the meat for the value of the Pesach offering — that is, that he will sell the meat and buy a Pesach offering with its value — and afterward when he himself eats the meat it will appear as misappropriating consecrated property. And likewise a person should not say to his agent, "Here is this money and buy me meat for Pesach with it," but should say, "Buy me meat for Yom Tov."'
Se'if 2: 'But regarding fish and all other things that are not meat at all, it is permitted to say "This shall be for Pesach," for surely it will not appear to the one who hears that he is consecrating this thing for the value of the Pesach offering, since this thing has no connection at all with the Pesach offering, for they are not meat at all. And there are those who are stringent not to say about any thing "This is for Pesach" except for wheat and the like — things that require safeguarding from leavening — for the one who hears that he says "This wheat is for Pesach" will think that he is saying, "This wheat I shall set aside and safeguard from leavening for the need of Pesach," and it is good to be concerned for their words a priori [lechatchila].
But after the fact [bedi'eved], even if he said about a live kid or lamb "This meat is for Pesach," they are permitted to be eaten, even if he said so on Erev Pesach after midday, for on account of maris ayin one is not to forbid after the fact. (And there are those who are stringent regarding a kid and a lamb to forbid them to be eaten forever, whether on Pesach or before Pesach or after it, even if he said so about the meat of a kid or lamb — for they are concerned that the one who hears him say "This meat is for Pesach" thinks that he already consecrated it while alive for the sake of Pesach, and it will appear as eating consecrated offerings outside [the Temple]; but they are permitted in benefit, for on account of maris ayin alone one does not forbid benefit, as is explained in Yoreh De'ah si' 5; and it is good to be concerned for their words if there is no great loss and it is not a pressing circumstance. And all this is when the kid and lamb are his, or he has a partnership in them, but if he has no share in them, one need not be stringent at all, for a person does not forbid a thing that is not his.)'
Se'if 3: 'They forbade only saying "This meat is for [le-] Pesach," but to say "This meat is for [al] Pesach," as is the custom to say so in the German tongue, is permitted even about a live kid and lamb, for there is no concern here of maris ayin, for if he were consecrating them for Pesach he would have said "This meat is for [le-] Pesach."'
Summary of the words of the Alter Rebbe: 1) A person is forbidden to say about a domesticated animal, wild animal, or fowl "This meat is for Pesach"! Rather he should say "This meat is for Yom Tov" [and likewise he is forbidden to say to an agent, "Take money and buy meat for Pesach," but rather "meat for Yom Tov"].
2) Regarding fish and likewise other things, there is no problem saying that it is for Pesach, but there are those who are stringent in this as well, and it is good to be concerned for those who are stringent. However, wheat — according to all the views — it is permitted to say that it is for Pesach.
3) After the fact [bedi'eved], if he said about any food item that it is for Pesach, it is permitted to be eaten.
4) But there are those who are stringent regarding the meat of a kid and a lamb [his, or in which he has a partnership] about which he said that it is for Pesach, and they forbid them to be eaten, but they are permitted in benefit, and it is good to be concerned for their words when there is no great loss or pressing circumstance.
5) However, all this is when he says literally "This meat is for [le-] Pesach," but it is permitted to say "This meat is for [al] Pesach."
Notes:
1 פסחים פ"ג סי' ב ↩
2 ראה בב"ח סי' תסט שכתב לבאר מהו הסמך מהירושלמי ↩
3 או"ח סי' תמב ס"ו ↩
4 סי' תמב ס"ל, ובקו"א ס"ק טז בסופו ↩
5 לקוטי דיבורים המתורגם ח"א עמוד 180 ↩
6 הלכות פסח סי' רפג ↩
7 סי' תסט ס"ק ג ↩
8 סי' תסט ס"ה ↩
9 אג"ק ח"ב עמ' תקכו (בתרגום חפשי) ↩
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