12
votes
Accepted
Why are Oats Chametz if oats cannot rise
There is no special Talmudic dispensation regarding oats.
The Mishna lists a grain called שבולת שועל as able to become Chametz. Most Rishonim don't identify that grain with what we call oats. Some ...
- 97.4k
9
votes
Accepted
Moving the fridge for Pesach cleaning
The Radvaz (Teshuvos, chelek aleph: 135) and the Chayey Adam (119:6) explain that the reason we clean cracks and crevices from chametz is because maybe we may come to eat it on Pesach (because it ...
- 10.7k
8
votes
Finding chametz in the middle of Pesach if you sold your chametz
The Mikra’ei Kodesh, ((Laws of)Pesach 1:74) writes that nowadays when people sell all of their chametz (your contract says "and all Chametz wherever it may be found") it is prohibited to take the ...
- 10.7k
7
votes
Accepted
Is the gas in my car chometz?
No because it is unfit for canine consumption
pesachim 15b
Shall we say that this supports him: If a loaf goes mouldy and is unfit for human consumption, yet a dog can eat it, it can be defiled ...
- 22.7k
7
votes
Accepted
Why is Chametz burned instead of being donated to charity on Passover?
To summarize the comments (as well as my personal experience):
It is required to burn (or otherwise destroy) a small amount of Chametz (see here for some technical stuff). Chametz that is typically ...
- 20.9k
6
votes
Accepted
Why would aluminum tins need a Kosher L'Pesach hechsher?
The OU has a long article explaining the possible issues with aluminum foil and aluminum pans. Due to the concerns raised in the article there are those who manufacture aluminum in a way to avoid a ...
- 139k
6
votes
What does a kefula look like?
Kefula means "doubled over." We have the same root word used in the morning bracha "zokef kefufim" (He straightens those who are bent over), or in upcoming Daf Yomi, "tenai kaful" (a legal stipulation ...
- 453
6
votes
Becoming Chametz at 18 mins
The 18-minute rule is one of a few heuristics offered by the Talmud for determining whether a dough has become chametz. These are summarized by the Rambam in Hilchot Chametz Umatza 5:13:
כל זמן שאדם ...
- 47.8k
6
votes
Accepted
Why is mechiras chameitz done through a Rav?
There is no Halachic restriction stopping you from selling your chametz to a gentile, provided that you make a valid sale in accordance with all the pertaining halachot. However this becomes a bit ...
- 505
6
votes
Accepted
Can you say the Birkas Hagomel on Shabbos or Pesach?
The answer to your question is clearly yes, as you have noted, all of Kelal Yisrael says it on Shabbos.
Sources can be found here as to whether it can be said at night, based on the same potential ...
- 20.9k
6
votes
Why isn't Amaretto Kosher for Passover?
I'm sure it depends on the specific type, and producer. The CRC list you linked contains 2 Kosher for Passover Amarettos (search for amaretto on the page), but also gives a reason for why Amarettos ...
- 20.9k
5
votes
Accepted
Is chometz less of a problem before the 15th of nisson
Yes, Chametz is less of a problem on 14 Nisan. See Rambam Chametz UMatza 1:6-7 that on 14 Nisan consumption of Chametz "only" carries the punishment of lashes whereas on Pesach itself it carries the ...
- 97.4k
5
votes
What happens if Chametz was sold to a 'Gentile' who was later found out to actually be Jewish?
Although in general, the Gemara in Pesachim 28a and 29a tells us that Chametz that a Jew owned over Passover is forbidden for benefit, there may be some exception.
29a tells us that the nature of the ...
- 10.7k
5
votes
Accepted
Crumbs of chametz that will not be eaten on Pesach but are easily accessed
The OP mentions "less than a kazayis" as well as "crumbs". It is proper to note that the two terms are not automatically the same in Halachah. A question can be asked as to when does a small piece of ...
- 10.7k
5
votes
2017 store lists for avoiding chametz she'avar alav hapesach
Here is a list from Cong. Ohab Zedek in the Upper West Side.
- 139k
5
votes
why do we skip mizmor l'toda on pesach but still bring the sacrifice with our lips in eyzeh mekoman?
We say the mishna of Eizehu Mekomon so that everyone should learn some mishnayos every day (Shulchan Aruch siman 50). This reasoning applies even when we can't bring some of the korbanos (such as on ...
- 61
5
votes
Must one sell poisonous Play-Doh to a non-Jew for Pesach?
See Shulchan Aruch O.C. 442:9 :
חמץ... שייחדו לישיבה וטח אותו בטיט מותר
לקיימו בפסח:
Chometz which was designated to sit upon (like a chair) and is plastered over, is permissible to keep over Pesach....
- 2,961
5
votes
Does Bitul Bshishim apply to Chametz?
This is the lashon of Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim Siman 447:1
חמץ בפסח אוסר תערובתו בין במינו בין שלא במינו במשהו אפילו בהנאה: הגה וצריך לשרוף הכל ולא סגי בפדיון דמי החמץ ולמכור השאר (מרדכי פ"ק ...
- 1,586
5
votes
Making matzah at home
#NotARabbi, but there is nothing wrong with baking at home. Jews did that for centuries. Kudos for thinking this through a bit. A few tips from many years of baking at home:
I suggest buying ...
- 722
4
votes
What happens if Chametz was sold to a 'Gentile' who was later found out to actually be Jewish?
It would have the status of chametz she'avar alav hapesach and it would be forbidden to derive any benefit from it. Whether the sale was conditioned on his being an actual gentile or not, the chametz ...
- 17.7k
4
votes
Why would aluminum tins need a Kosher L'Pesach hechsher?
Although the OU includes disposable baking tins and Star-K (pg 5: "All disposable foil products may be used") as things which don't require a hechsher for Pesach, it seems the OK would require a ...
- 13.8k
4
votes
Accepted
Pesach: Birds and Backyards
Your friend's explanation has its source in the Gemara Pesachim 8a. "Rava says: A courtyard does not need to be checked for chametz since crows are to be found there." This is the accepted Halachah.
...
- 10.7k
4
votes
May one drink Diet Coke owned by a Jew and not sold over Pesach?
Sidestepping the issue as to whether or not diet soda uses artificial sweeteners or corn syrup, lets go with the assumption that it's corn syrup.
Yes you can drink it, because corn (and its ...
- 10.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Bittul of Hameitz in Mixtures Aquired Before Passover
Before nightfall at the start of 15 Nisan, Chametz is just like any other prohibited food in terms of nullification in mixtures (ShA OC 447:2, cf. YD 102:4) so regular rules like 1:60 and Ta'am Lifgam ...
- 97.4k
4
votes
Accepted
Are Lactaid tablets Chametz Gamur?
As usual the answer is that it is a machlokes. Apparently, lactaid milk bought before Pesach is in the same category as Vitamin D enhanced milk bought before Pesach. However, the problem is with your ...
- 42.9k
4
votes
Moving the fridge for Pesach cleaning
As long as there's no reasonable chance of encountering it on Pesach, then no. (This comes up more often as people try to find any chametz behind their fridge, but the same idea -- try sweeping ...
- 131k
4
votes
Is cooking any grain in under 18 minutes kosher for Passover?
Wheat (assuming that is what your pasta is made of) is usually processed by spraying or/and soaking the grains of wheat in water (tempering) for a few hours before being sent to grind into flour. This ...
- 10.7k
4
votes
Birdseed and Bal Yeraeh
If the kernels have never got damp, they will not have become chometz.
OU Kosher has an article on “Tempering” (spraying grain kernels with water before they are milled).
The article states that
...
- 47.2k
3
votes
Can a toaster be cleaned from chametz for Pesach?
Star K states that toasters and toaster ovens can not be made kosher for Passover. From what I have heard from a mashgiach, the main problem is that the toaster contains small crevices where crumbs ...
- 70.1k
3
votes
Accepted
Can You Open Chometz Cabinets?
When I asked the question of my Rav, he answered that part of the agreement with the non-Jew was that I could have access to the areas rented out to the non-Jew on Pesach. The access should be for as ...
- 47.2k
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