Project Genesis / Torah.org’s

Online Chametz Sales

One of the prime elements of the Passover Holiday is the removal of leaven products, known as “Chametz” from one’s possession. “Chametz” is defined as any product from wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt which was allowed to rise, e.g. bread, crackers, etc. This is accomplished in two ways: outright disposal of all Chametz products in one’s possession, or sale of those products to a non-Jew.

The sale of the Chametz property to the non-Jew involves many complexities in Jewish law and should be administered by a competent Rabbi. It is common for a community Rabbi to assist in the sale of Chametz to a non-Jew by having people sign a document giving him the right to conduct the sale of their Chametz. He then goes to a non-Jew who has agreed to buy the Chametz, receives a payment from him, and the property then belongs to the non-Jew. At the end of Passover, the Rabbi goes back to the non-Jew and offers to buy the Chametz back. The non-Jew typically chooses to sell it back and the Chametz returns to the original owner. Throughout the Passover holiday the non-Jew has full possession of the property, and has the right to take any of the Chametz for his personal use. He does occasionally exercise this right. These procedures insure that the Jew has completely removed Chametz from his possession for the duration of Passover.

To facilitate the process of selling Chametz to a Non-Jew, Torah.org provides an online service to handle the sale of the Chametz along with the collaboration of Rabbi Yirmiyahu Benyowitz. Rabbi Benyowitz will receive the document, by email or fax, and conduct the sale before the beginning of the Passover holiday. The charge for the Chametz Sale is $18. Proceeds from this process will benefit Torah.org.

If you have any questions, Rabbi Benyowitz can be reached at (410) 484-2058.

Please note the following deadlines for the Project Genesis online chametz sales:

• For people in Europe, Israel, and locations East towards Japan and Australia:
  The deadline for this chometz sale is Tuesday April 7, 2020 4:30 pm EDT. 
• For people in the USA, in Eastern and Central time zones:
  The deadline for this Chometz sale is Wednesday April 8, 2020 9:30 am EDT. 
• For people in the USA, in Mountain and Pacific time zones.
  The deadline for this Chometz sale is Wednesday April 8, 2020 11:00 am EDT.