A Jews in his 30s who lives in the exclusive waterfront neighborhood of Puerto Madero neighborhood in Buenos Aires poured out $4,000 worth of alcohol in his kitchen sink on Chol Hamoed Pesach.

Rav Chaim Oirechman, director of the Chabad house in Puerto Madero told the story behind the incident to B’Chadrei Chareidim.

“This is a young man who in the past year withdrew a bit from participating in davening and shiurim in the Chabad house,” said Rav Chaim Oirechman, director of the Chabad house in Puerto Madero. “At first I didn’t understand why but later people in the community told me that he was dating a non-Jewess. But I still kept up my kesher with him and before Pesach, I gave him matzos shmuros like every year.”

“On Chol Hamoed he called me and told me that Baruch Hashem he left his non-Jewish girlfriend and returned home. In my heart I was sure that eating the matza – “מאכלא דמהימנותא” – the food of emunah – gave him the emunah and koach to take that step. He told me that the reason he’s calling me is because when returned home he realized his liquor cart full of alcoholic drinks is chometz and he wanted to know what he had to do. The alcohol was worth a considerable amount of money.”

“Every year I bring him the mechiras chometz form to sign but this year due to the coronavirus lockdown, I sent the form to everyone online. I asked him: ‘You didn’t sell your chometz through the link I sent you?’ He answered no. I asked him why and he said that since he was still living at his girlfriend’s house where anyway there was chometz, he didn’t think he had to sell his chometz. I told him gently that if so I think there’s a problem but I understand that it’s a lot of money and I’ll check on the matter and get back to him.”

“I tried to find heterim – he wanted to possibly leave the alcohol outside the house and if someone would take it – fine – and whatever is left he could take back after Pesach with the hope that he’ll be able to at least keep some of it. But I checked into it and I saw that ultimately al pi halacha he’s not allowed to be mafkir it during Yom Tov and he needs to burn it. I told him that I understand it’s a big nisayon for him but Hakadosh Baruch Hu will reward him in return. I didn’t specify how he needs to burn it and he  poured it down his sink.”

“It’s interesting that after he poured it down the sink and withstood the nisayon he said to me: ‘You should know that the reason I had the koach to do this is that you continued to keep in touch with me when I was with my non-Jewish girlfriend and you didn’t get angry at me or give up on me. I felt your unconditional love.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)