A grocery store owner in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of Jerusalem realized during Chol Hamoed Pesach that he forgot to sell his chametz before yomtov.
The neighborhood Rav arrived at the Gavriel Makolet on Chazon Ish Street during Chol Hamoed Pesach to make sure the chametz, which was still in possession of a Jew, was destroyed as required by halacha.
The owner explained to Kikar Shabbos News that for the past 23 years, his brother Michael worked with him and took care of selling their chametz as required, but this year, Michael was not working and therefore, he forgot to sell the chametz as required.
On Thursday, the eve of the seventh day of Pesach, HaRav Matisyahu Deutsch learned the chametz was not sold. The rabbi entered the store at noon and took charge, overseeing the removal of all the chametz, which was taken outside and burned. Tens of thousands of shekels in merchandise was destroyed in compliance with halacha.
One resident is quoted telling Kikar Shabbos the rav threatened a cherem of the store if the owner would not permit destroying the chametz as required, since it was not sold.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
Why burn it? Why wouldnt it be better to give it to poor people? Why not make him give it to poor people and force him that he cant use it for any tax benefit?
Burning it just seems like a total waste and closer to ba’al tashchis to me.
Tizku L’mitzvot
I dont understand. Isnt this the exact scenario as to why everyone says kol chamira?
Question is why did he also not say kol chamira besides the forgetting of not selling. Something is missing to this story.
Headline
Rav of ramat shlomo burns unsold chametz
It’s not the Rav and it is not a cherem. It’s a takanas chazal and it is a k’nas. It’s called חמץ שעבר עליו הפסח.
Not what I just read. The store owner voluntarily burned it… he is quoted as saying Halacha is Halacha, & there is a photo of him burning it all.
I don’t know which version is correct, but I think YWN’s is inflammatory (no pun intended.)
15,000 NIS.
But that’s plenty too.
The halacha is that chametz she’avar alav ha-Pesach (per Akiva R above) is asur b’hana’a; meaning, it is forbidden to benefit from it in ANY WAY. Nobody can derive benefit from it. Giving it to poor people (per sammydoesit) would be prohibited, since poor people would derive benefit from something prohibited.
The only thing that could be done with such chametz is to have it all destroyed. It is very shocking to see such a thing, but Hashem rewards those who will go the extra mile to do His Will. It is my hope that his burning this chametz is seen for the true Kiddush Hashem that it is, and whatever short-term losses he suffers will be repaid many times over.
Have to give many thanks and praises to chuckh2901 for saying it like it is.
And hopefully,now,the people that were shocked reading this story will not
be shocked anymore,as the Rabbi was just doing his job as he should, making
sure the halacha is kept,and enforcing it.