Friday, March 5, 2010

PESACH, non edible Chametz Part 1

19th of Adar, 5770

We have already defined that Chametz is any food derived or containing any derivative from the five cereal grains: wheat, rye, spelt, barley and oats.

What happens if something which is not a food contains Chametz? Is it forbidden to use/keep during Pesach?

The answer is no. The Halakha establishes that any non food product, even if theoretically will contain a Chametz ingredient could be used on Pesach, and of course, could be kept during Pesach. For example: Cosmetics, glues, paint, perfumes, soaps, detergents and any other cleaning products, disposable utensils, etc. In all these cases there is neither a need to check for the absence of Chametz, nor for any kind of Kosher for Pesach certification

According to Jewish law, a food or an edible element is not restricted to human consumption. Animal food, for example, if it contains Chametz, cannot be used or even kept during Pesach. Therefore, for dog food, cat food, birds food or even fish food, one has to be certain that they do not contain Chametz (keep in mind that most animal food DO contain Chametz!!! Check: http://www.kosherpets.com/fordogs.html and their Pet’s Passover Feeding Guide)

There are other products which are borderline between edible and non edible and their authorization for Pesach depends basically on different opinions and traditions.

So, hold your questions because next week B’H we are going to talk about using and keeping during Pesach: medicines, mouth hygiene products, dietary supplements, etc.

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