Owning Chametz on Pesach: Difference between revisions
From Halachipedia
→Pet Food
| Line 32: | Line 32: | ||
==Pet Food== | ==Pet Food== | ||
# Bread which spoiled and is still edible to dogs is forbidden to eat, benefit from, and may not be owned on Pesach since it could be used to leaven other doughs.<Ref>Pesachim 45b, Shulchan Aruch O.C. 442:9. Ran Pesachim 13b s.v. vnisrefet explains that just like the Torah forbids sourdough (Heb. שאור; trans. se'or) since it is a leavening agent even though it isn't edible, so too spoiled bread is forbidden even though it is inedible since it is a leavening agent. Nonetheless, if the spoiled bread is so spoiled that it isn't even edible to dogs it is permitted since it is like dust as the Rif 14a writes.</ref> | # Bread which spoiled and is still edible to dogs is forbidden to eat, benefit from, and may not be owned on Pesach since it could be used to leaven other doughs.<Ref>Pesachim 45b, Shulchan Aruch O.C. 442:9. Ran Pesachim 13b s.v. vnisrefet explains that just like the Torah forbids sourdough (Heb. שאור; trans. se'or) since it is a leavening agent even though it isn't edible, so too spoiled bread is forbidden even though it is inedible since it is a leavening agent. Nonetheless, if the spoiled bread is so spoiled that it isn't even edible to dogs it is permitted since it is like dust as the Rif 14a writes.</ref> | ||
# A chametz mixture which | # A chametz mixture which does not have the ability to leaven other foods and is inedible to people is permitted to own and benefit from on Pesach.<ref>Shulchan Aruch O.C. 442:4 clarifies that a chametz mixture is permitted if it isn't human-edible and can't be used to leaven other foods. [https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14336&pgnum=342 Chazon Ish OC 116:7] notes that the Rambam Chametz Umazah 4:12 clearly holds that the standard that chametz is forbidden unless it is inedible to dogs only applies to foods which are used to leaven other foods such as spoiled bread. However, other medicines or tanner's liquids which aren't used to leaven other foods are permitted as long as they are human-inedible. Mishna Brurah 442:12 seems to not distinguish. The Dirshu footnotes (note 20) explain that the Mishna Brurah fundamentally agrees with the Chazon Ish and is only strict on something that can be used to leaven other foods and people wouldn't do it because it is disgusting.</ref> Therefore, using tropical fish food that has chametz as an ingredient may be owned on Pesach and may be fed to fish on Pesach since it is edible to people.<ref>[http://halachayomit.co.il/en/default.aspx?HalachaID=2470 Rav Yaakov Sasson on halachayomit.co.il] quotes Rav Ovadia Yosef and Or Letzion v. 3 p. 92 that it is permissible to have and use tropical fish food with chametz in it since it is human-inedible.</ref> However, other pet foods such as dog, cat, and bird food potentially could be edible to people and therefore are forbidden if they contain chametz.<ref>[http://halachayomit.co.il/en/default.aspx?HalachaID=2470 Rav Yaakov Sasson on halachayomit.co.il] writes that dog, cat, and bird foods with chametz are forbidden since they could be human-edible. Even though generally people would not eat them that is only because of convention and the fact that better foods are available. Similarly, Minchat Shlomo 1:17 proves that the standard of human-edible doesn't depend on what most people would want to eat as the gemara considered urine to be human-edible. [https://www.koltorah.org/halachah/chametz-mixtures-and-pet-food-a-bold-and-controversial-approach-by-rabbi-chaim-jachter Rabbi Chaim Jachter] quotes Rabbi Avihud Schwartz (Techumin v. 35 pp. 47-54) that the dog food for army dogs is not human-edible and would be permitted if it isn't majority chametz or used to leaven other foods. Rabbi Jachter concludes that the standard Orthodox halacha pronounced by the OU, Star-K, and CRC is that pet foods with chametz are an issue and should be replaced with kosher for passover alternatives.</ref> | ||
==Less than a Kezayit== | ==Less than a Kezayit== | ||
