2018 Pesach Guide

JMX RWEYB TWKLH
GENERAL LAWS OF BE’UR CHOMETZ
HOW
1. Ideal Form of Be’ur:- Even though
there are many acceptable ways to get
rid of the chometz, l’chatchila (ideally),
one should destroy it by burning it.
2. How Burnt Should it Be: The chometz
should be burned until it is considered
charcoal down to its core. Therefore, if a
large piece of chometz is being burned,
it is best to break it into small pieces
first in order to insure that it is burned
completely.
3. “Kol Chamira”: After the be’ur is completed,
each person should recite “Kol
Chamira”.
4. If Traveling: If a person is traveling or
for some other reason he will not be
able to burn his chometz on Erev Pesach
before the deadline, then he should give
his leftover chometz to another person
who will act as his shaliach (messenger)
to burn it properly for him.
WHAT
1. What Should be Burned: In addition
to burning all personal chometz that
remains on Erev Pesach (and will not
be included in the sale), there is a minhag
to specifically burn the ten pieces
of chometz that were used for bedikas
chometz.
2. Minhag to Burn Used Mitzvah Items:
Throughout the year, many people save
their lulavim and hoshanos from Sukkos
as well as their leftover oil, wicks and
candles from Chanukah to burn along
with their chometz.
3. Leave Chometz for Be’ur: Even if one’s
home is already Pesachdik (and chometz
free) many days before Pesach, it is still
proper for him to leave over at least a
kezayis of chometz to give him the opportunity
to perform the mitzvah of
be’ur chometz. Preferably, this chometz
should include the ten pieces that were
found during the performance of bedikas
chometz.
WHEN
1. The mitzvah of burning your chometz
has to be completed before the end of
the 5th (halachic) hour of Erev Pesach.
This year it must be completely burned
before 11:35 a.m.
Please note: These are general laws. If a person
has any questions or is in a situation that is not
covered by any of these laws on this page, then
it is best to consult with his Rav.
LAWS OF LEAVING HOME FOR PESACH
When the owner of chometz will be traveling
away from home for Pesach to a location that is
in a different time zone, there are three acceptable
courses of action to take:
1. The selling of the chometz should be
completed before the earlier of the two
time zones. For example:
a. Traveling East (Pesach Starts
Earlier) - If a person is going from
Chicago to Eretz Yisroel for Pesach,
then he can sell his chometz on the
14th day of Nissan using a Rav in
Eretz Yisroel, and he should ideally
request of the Rav not to buy back
his chometz until after Pesach ends
in Chicago.
b. Traveling West (Pesach Starts
Later) - If he is going from Chicago
to Los Angeles for Pesach, he can sell
his chometz with a Rav in Chicago
and ask the Rav not to buy back his
chometz until Pesach ends in Los
Angeles.
3. The owner of the chometz can sell or
give his house as a gift (with the proper
kinyanim/ halachic transactions) to the
Rav who is selling the chometz. Since
everything now belongs to the Rav, the
chometz can be sold according to the
Rav’s location and schedule without any
concern for the location of the original
owner.
4. The owner of the chometz can ask his
Rav to sell his chometz to the goy on
the 13th day of Nissan instead of the
normal time on the 14th. If he does this,
even if he will be in a time zone where
Pesach begins earlier, then there will be
no problem. However, if he traveled west
to a location that ends Pesach later, then
he should arrange for the Rav not to buy
back his chometz until after Pesach has
ended in the west coast.
When a person plans on being away from home
for the entire Pesach and will be leaving before
the night of the 14th, there are many questions
concerning cleaning his house, selling and burning
chometz, and other Pesach related matters.
In such a case, a Rav should be consulted.
AGUDATH ISRAEL OF ILLINOIS
29