Passover Chametz Guide: Selling, Storing and Post-Pesach Shopping Rules

Hello Rabbi, I have several questions regarding the laws of Passover:

1. I have chametz at home such as couscous, rice, and soups that are not kosher for Passover. Can I keep them in a closed place and label it “Chametz”? I understand there is also an option of selling chametz. How do I do that?

2. In my freezer I have chicken, schnitzels with breadcrumbs, and similar items. Can I simply avoid using the freezer and label it “Chametz”?

Answer:
It is not enough just to label places where chametz is stored. If the chametz is not sold to a non-Jew, one violates the prohibition of owning chametz during Passover, and after Passover it is forbidden to eat it. Therefore, before Passover you should contact your local rabbinical authority (or a rabbi) and sell the chametz through them to a non-Jew. After the sale you may keep it in closed areas and attach a note marked “Chametz,” but without selling it to a non-Jew, this is not effective.

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I live in a rented apartment. Can I sell chametz? Do I need the landlord’s permission? The situation is even more complex: several of us share the apartment. An organization rents the apartment, and we pay part of the rent to that organization, so technically we are not the official tenants.

Answer:
You may sell the chametz that is in your possession, and you do not need permission from the landlord.

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Before Passover I asked what chametz may be kept after selling chametz. I understood that any chametz may be kept, but after speaking with my brother-in-law I was told that actual chametz, such as flour or products made from flour, should not be kept. Is he correct?

Answer:
Chametz that was not sold to a non-Jew certainly may not be kept and may not be eaten after Passover. The sale is effective even for full chametz. However, some people follow a stricter custom not to rely on selling real chametz and prefer not to keep it at all, except for expensive items such as whisky.

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Hello Rabbi. I have a cabinet with wine and alcoholic beverages (Chivas whisky). I know wine does not need to be sold, but is the whisky chametz? And if I sell it, will it become yayin nesech (forbidden to a Jew)? I do not want to sell it because it was expensive, but I also do not want to violate the prohibition of chametz. What should I do?

Answer:
The whisky must be sold, and there is no issue of yayin nesech with alcoholic beverages. Furthermore, wine does not become yayin nesech simply because it was sold to a non-Jew; only direct handling of the wine by a non-Jew would create that concern.

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After Passover, when shopping in stores, must we verify that the store performed a chametz sale and did not keep chametz during the holiday? For how long must we check this — even three months later? Also, does a fruit and vegetable shop need to sell chametz, or may we buy from it even without proof of a chametz sale?

Answer:
A store that sold its chametz may always be relied upon. For a store that did not perform a sale, it is difficult to determine how long its products remain prohibited, and it depends on when new merchandise arrives. A fruit and vegetable shop does not require a chametz sale, and any product without chametz concern may be purchased even without proof of sale.

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Hello Rabbi. I know we should not buy from a store that failed to sell its chametz before Passover. One response stated that any product without chametz concern may be purchased even without a chametz sale certificate. What counts as products without chametz concern? Are items like milk, popsicles, or snacks included?

Answer:
Milk and popsicles are permitted. Ice cream cones and similar items usually contain chametz. For snacks, you must check whether they contain wheat flour.

The answers were given by Rabbi Menashe Israel and Rabbi Binyamin Shmueli and were compiled and edited from the Q&A section on the Hidabroot website.