Chametz after Pesach

[1] (Halacha 254)

Question: May one buy chametz in the store of a Jew who did not sell his chametz?

Answer: It is stated in the Mishnah in Tractate Pesachim¹: 'The chametz of a non-Jew over which Pesach has passed is permitted for benefit [=and even for eating²], and that of a Jew is forbidden for benefit.' And Rava explained in the Gemara³: 'Rabbi Shimon penalizes with a penalty, since he transgressed bal yeira'eh and bal yimatzei.'

And the Ran⁴ wrote: 'And that which we say it is a penalty that he penalizes, it is not only for himself, who committed the transgression, that he penalizes, but even for others it is also forbidden.'

And the Rambam⁵ wrote: 'Chametz over which Pesach has passed is forbidden for benefit forever, and this matter is a penalty from the words of the Sages, because he transgressed bal yeira'eh and bal yimatzei they forbade it, and even if he left it inadvertently or under duress — [they forbade it] so that a person should not leave chametz in his possession on Pesach in order to benefit from it after Pesach.' And so ruled the Mechaber⁶.

And thus writes the Alter Rebbe⁷: 'Complete grain chametz of a Jew over which Pesach has passed, whether all of Pesach passed over it or only part of Pesach passed over it, even part of the last Yom Tov of the diaspora, it is forbidden for benefit to every Jew, because the Sages penalized the owner of the chametz for transgressing bal yeira'eh and bal yimatzei over it, and the Sages did not wish to make a distinction in their decree and they forbade it to every person; and not only that, but even if the owner of the chametz was under duress and was unable to destroy it, or did not know of it at all until after Pesach, nevertheless they forbade it for benefit, so that no person should leave his chametz until after Pesach and say "I was under duress."'

And in the continuation of his words⁸ he explained that this law also applies to a Jew who does not observe Torah and mitzvos: 'One may not sell the chametz to an apostate, for although he has sinned he is a Jew, and his chametz over which Pesach has passed is forbidden for benefit like the chametz of a Jew'⁹.

If so, in conclusion, complete chametz that was in the possession of a Jew, even an apostate, and even for a short time during the days of the festival, even only under duress, is forbidden for benefit after Pesach; therefore it is forbidden to buy chametz products in the store of a Jew who did not sell chametz, unless we know that this is chametz that belonged to a non-Jew throughout Pesach and arrived at the store only after the festival, or that this is chametz whose production was only after Pesach.

In the Land of Israel, the sign by which to know which chametz was produced after Pesach is according to the code stamped in ink on the packaging - the code indicates the number of the day in the year according to the secular year, and this year the day after Pesach is the 103rd day, and therefore the stamped code must contain the number 103 onward, and sometimes with an addition such as 3103 or 23103.

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Question: What is the law in a case where there is a doubt?

Answer: Regarding chametz about which there is a doubt whether Pesach passed over it, the Alter Rebbe¹⁰ wrote: 'In what case is this said? When it is known that it belongs to a Jew, or that the majority of those who pass through that place are Jews, for then presumably it fell there from the majority; but if the majority of those who pass through that place are non-Jews, or even half and half, we attribute it leniently to say that it fell there from a non-Jew, and it is permitted even for eating, for every doubt in matters of the Sages is treated leniently. And all this is when it was found immediately after Pesach, where it is impossible to attribute that it fell there after Pesach; but if it is possible to attribute that it fell there after Pesach, it is permitted for eating in any case, even if it was found inside the house of a Jew, for every doubt in matters of the Sages is treated leniently. Therefore one may permit buying from the apostate after Pesach beer and whiskey and other chametz, if there is reason to attribute that it was made after Pesach and not even part of Pesach passed over it. And there are those who are stringent in every doubtful chametz over which Pesach has passed, to forbid it for eating¹¹, and one should be concerned for their words in a place where there is no great loss; but for benefit it is permitted according to all opinions'¹².

If so, in practice, in a case of doubt the matter is permitted for benefit, but regarding eating one should be stringent and not eat, unless it is a case of great loss.

¹ כח, א ↩

² ירושלמי פסחים פ"ב ה"ב וכ"כ הראשונים, והשו"ע בסי' תמח ס"א ↩

³ שם בדף כט, א ↩

⁴ ז, ב מדפי הרי"ף ד"ה ודאמרינן ↩

⁵ הל' חמץ ומצה פ"א ה"ד ↩

⁶ סי' תמח ס"ג ↩

⁷ או"ח סי' תמח ס"א ↩

⁸ סכ"ו ↩

⁹ ודלא כאחרונים (מקום שמואל סי' יז. מגן האלף סי' תמח ס"ק ז ד"ה עוד. וראה שו"ת שואל ומשיב מהדו"ת ח"ד סי' י) שרצו להקל בישראל מומר. וראה בשד"ח מערכת חמץ ומצה סי' ח אות ט מש"כ להשיב על דבריהם. וכ"פ בשו"ת יחוה דעת ח"ג סי' כח: 'לכן אין לקנות מצרכים של חמץ מבעל חנות שאינו דתי ולא מכר חמצו קודם הפסח'. וכן הביא את דברי החיד"א בשו"ת חיים שאל ח"ב סי' ל"ח אות פ"ה שכתב, שאפילו מי שאינו יודע שזהו חמץ שעבר עליו הפסח, צריך להודיעו ולהזהירו לבל יאכל ממנו, ולהפרישו מאיסור חמץ שעבר עליו הפסח' ↩

¹⁰ סי' תמח ס"ל ↩

¹¹ וכתב המחצית השקל על המג"א סי' תמט ס"ק ב שמשום חומרא דחמץ החמירו באכילה. (ולהעיר ממ"ש בשו"ת שבט הלוי ח"א סי' קמד, אך ראה בהגהת מהרי"ל בשוע"ר סי' תמב ס"ט 'שחמץ שעבר עליו הפסח אינו אסור אלא מדברי סופרים לדברי הכל'. ואכמ"ל) ↩

¹² להעיר גם מלשון אדמו"ר הזקן בסי' תלו סי"ט: 'וכל ספק חמץ שעבר עליו הפסח מותר בהנאה כמו שיתבאר בסי' תמח' ↩

[2] (Halacha 255)

Question: May one use, after Pesach, chametz that was sold to a non-Jew?

Answer: Indeed, there were those who were careful not to sell actual chametz, and there are those who did not rely entirely on the sale even regarding the prohibition of chametz over which Pesach has passed, and did not eat from chametz that was sold to a non-Jew¹.

But according to our minhag, that we rely entirely on the sale, one may also sell actual chametz to a non-Jew, and we are not concerned about using this chametz after Pesach; and as is recounted² about the Tzemach Tzedek, that in his old age he sold a challah in the sale of chametz, and ate it immediately upon the departure of the festival; and likewise, in the bill of sale of the Rebbe the Rashab actual chametz was included therein³.

If so, chametz that was sold according to its law to a non-Jew, and bought back from the non-Jew after Pesach, may be eaten le'chatchilah after Pesach⁴.

Question: According to our minhag, may one buy chametz from a store that sold chametz without a guarantor-undertaker, not in accordance with the approach of the Alter Rebbe?

Answer: Now, regarding the sale itself, we are stringent le'chatchilah to sell specifically with a guarantor-undertaker, for the reason that the Alter Rebbe⁵ wrote: 'The Jew must take from him money or money's worth according to the value of the entire purchase of all the chametz at the market rate, or take from him a little money or money's worth and for the remainder set up for him a guarantor-undertaker.' And likewise in the Order of the Sale of Chametz he wrote: 'And therefore there is no other remedy to sell on credit, except for there to be the hand of another Jew in between, so that the Jew who owns the chametz shall have no dealings whatsoever in the world with the non-Jew who buys the chametz, and the non-Jew shall not remain owing anything to the owner of the chametz, but rather to another Jew whose chametz it never was at all'⁶.

But after the fact, even though the Alter Rebbe wrote in the Order of the Sale of Chametz that if the sale is not according to law he transgresses bal yeira'eh and bal yimatzei, nevertheless we are lenient regarding chametz after Pesach, since he wrote in the Shulchan Aruch there in the continuation of the section: 'But after the fact, where the non-Jew acquired the chametz only by drawing alone or by money alone, and Pesach passed over it, this is permitted even for eating .. and although there are those who say that the non-Jew does not acquire movables by money alone but rather by drawing, as is explained in Choshen Mishpat siman 194, and this one who did not draw the chametz from the Jew's domain did not acquire it at all even though he gave him its full value, and behold it is the chametz of the Jew - nevertheless (behold there are those who say that the non-Jew acquires movables even by money alone or by drawing alone, as is explained in Yoreh De'ah siman 132, and one may rely on their words to be lenient regarding chametz over which Pesach has passed, which is forbidden only from the words of the Sages, for in matters of the Sages one follows the lenient opinion'⁷.

We see from the words of the Alter Rebbe that although in a sale that contains a deficiency according to several Rishonim, we are concerned le'chatchilah that there is a problem of bal yeira'eh and bal yimatzei, nevertheless after the fact, after Pesach, since there are those who say that the sale is effective, one may rely on their words to be lenient regarding chametz over which Pesach has passed, which is forbidden only from the words of the Sages, for in matters of the Sages one follows the lenient opinion⁸.

Therefore, in practice, since chametz over which Pesach has passed is forbidden only from the words of the Sages, after Pesach one may rely also on a sale even without a guarantor-undertaker⁹. And so wrote many of the rabbis of Chabad in practice¹⁰.

¹ ראה תשובות והנהגות ח"א סי' שט ↩

² לשמע אוזן מדור הצ"צ אות לא ע' 107 במהדורת תשע"ו ↩

³ אג"ק ח"ה ע' קלז ואילך ↩

⁴ לגבי המוכרים שיתכן שלא מכרו בלב שלם ראה שו"ת יביע אומר ח"י יו"ד סי' לח: 'לגבי חמץ יש חנונים בעלי מכולת, שאינם שומרי תורה ומצות, ואעפ"כ מוכרים החמץ שלהם על ידי הרבנות, מפני שאם לא יעשו כן, ימנעו אנשים דתיים מלקנות מהם אחר הפסח מוצרי חמץ, ואינם מוכרים החמץ שלהם בכל לבם, ואף על פי כן החמץ שלהם אחר הפסח מותר, שמכירתם מכירה, ודברים שבלב אינם דברים .. וכן כתב הגר"מ פיינשטיין באגרות משה חאו"ח ח"ד סי' צה' ↩

⁵ סי' תמח ס"ח (וראה גם סי"ב) ↩

⁶ ראה גם מ"ש בשוע"ר עם דובר שלום אות כד באריכות ↩

⁷ בהמשך הסעיף הוסיף אדמו"ר הזקן: 'ועוד .. בגילוי דעת בלבד שהוא מגלה דעתו קודם שהגיע זמן הביעור שאין רצונו כלל שיהיה החמץ שלו די בזה להפקיע מעליו איסור בל יראה ובל ימצא וגילוי דעת זה הוא מה שמקנה אותו לנכרי אף על פי שאינו קנין גמור המועיל מדין תורה שלא יוכל אחד מהן לחזור בו ולבטל המקח'. עכ"ל. אך לגבי הפרט הזה נראה שחזר בו וכתב בסדר מכירת חמץ: 'ולזאת אם המכירה אינה כדת עובר עליו בבל יראה ובל ימצא'. (ראה בשוע"ר עם דובר שלום בסדר מכירת חמץ הערה טז) ↩

⁸ וראה גם דברי הצ"צ בפסקי דינים עמ' כח ↩

⁹ ובפרט לפי דברי הצמח צדק בחידושים על הש"ס בבא מציעא קצח, ג שהראשונים קי"ל כרשב"ג ↩

¹⁰ הגרמ"ש אשכנזי בחוברת שואלין ודורשין תשע"ד ע' 8. פינת ההלכה ח"ב ע' 74. שו"ת אתרא דבי רב תשובה 14481 (וראה מה שהעיר על המסופר בספר המזכיר ע' 151 ואכמ"ל). לוח הלכות ומנהגים והנהגות לחודש ניסן (צרפת) פ"ח אות ד ע' 241 ואילך. ס' הלכה למעשה פמ"ז אות ד ↩

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