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Sell Your Chametz

The Torah instructs us to have no chametz (non-Passover grain products) in our posession during the holiday. We are also charged to destroy our chametz prior to the holiday.

So, if all the chametz that you own is one slice of bread and you burn it on Passover eve, then you have fulfilled the commandments that relate to owning and destroying chametz.

Many of us have more than one slice of bread and would like some way of not destroying it all.

The institution of selling our chametz to a non-jew prior to the holiday is a convenience that our rabbis made for us.

The sale must be a full and valid sale. It is not a charade. If not done properly, then the chametz is still in our posession and we not in compliance with the Torah. This is why we have a knowledgeable rabbi do it.

The sale is done in a way so that the non-Jew should be able to get to it and keep it, if he/she wants. If the non-Jew decides to keep it, then he/she must fully pay for it after the holiday.

Typically (universally in practice), the non-Jew winds up making a small profit from the entire transaction by not keeping it and by re-selling it back right after the holiday.

The Rabbi who sells the chametz acts as an agent.

You should inquire from your Rabbi about this service and you can request that the Rabbi do it for you. This is a great opportunity to say hello to your Rabbi. Perhaps the Rabbi will have an inspiring insight from the Torah to share with you.

Many people choose to leave with the Rabbi a donation for the synagogue, for some worthy cause, or for the Rabbi's extra Passover expenses. This is not a requirement.

The sale must be made by mid-morning of Passover eve. When Passover eve is Shabbos (Saturday), the sale must be made by the mid-morning of Friday.

In the past, JewishAmerica provided this service. As of Passover 2001, we no longer provide this service due to our limited resources.

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Note: An old version of this page had been coming up on Google and it stated that we are still selling Chometz. On April 4 2001, we contacted Google and asked them to revise or remove this on their search engine.