You need a non-Jewish neighbor to perform this Passover ritual. Thank heavens. - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

You need a non-Jewish neighbor to perform this Passover ritual. Thank heavens. - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Three years ago, my wife, Rabbanit Leah Sarna — one of the first women Orthodox rabbis — was preparing to play an important role for our lay-led synagogue in suburban Philadelphia, Congregation Sha’arei Orah. Her task was to sell the community’s hametz, or leaven. It’s something that observant Jews undertake to fulfill the Torah’s commandment to eliminate hametz, or leavened food, before Passover … without exactly doing so: They sell their leave…

At a special and exciting management meeting held in preparation for the holiday, Clalit CEO Eli Cohen granted a special power of attorney to Rabbi Menachem Lefkebaker, granting him the authority to represent the Clalit Health Organization in the sale of chametz. This power of attorney allows for the sale of chametz by all Clalit clinics throughout the country, hospitals, and health companies affiliated with Clalit. However, in fact, the prepara…

What do Jewish people do with their chametz for Passover? Who buys it?

Here is a fun fact: that crushed granola bar that has been sitting at the bottom of your gym bag for months – someone is willing to buy it. The only catch is that you’ll probably end up owning it again, and it will most likely never even leave your house. Selling chametz, otherwise known as leavened food, is a Pesach (Passover) tradition for many Jewish communities. Quick recap: Pesach is an eight-day holiday that commemorates the ancient Israel…