Pesachim 28 – Some say, chametz is allowed

Rabbi Yehudah says that the only way to destroy chametz is by burning it in a fire. The Sages disagree and say to him, “You sound stringent here, but this will lead to a great leniency later on: if one does not have firewood, what is he to do?” Rabbi Yehudah tries to prove his point of view to the Sages by comparing chametz to various offerings that must be burned. Still, he is ultimately disproved by contradictions with his earlier statements. The Talmud then applies to him a proverb, “The arrow maker was killed by his own arrow.”

The next rule about chametz is that if a non-Jew owned it during Passover, then after Passover, it is permitted for use. Still, if it was a Jew who owned it on Passover, then this chametz is forever forbidden for use because of the phrase, “no leaven must be seen in your territories.”

This rule is strange according to whichever view you take. Rabbi Yose allows the use of chametz on Passover itself! Rabbi Shimon forbids it only during Passover, but not after. And Rabbi Yehudah, who is the strictest, should forbid any chametz that existed on Passover, regardless of who owned it. Thus, we are left with no authority that forbids only the chametz owned on Passover by a Jew.

Art: Forbidden Fruit by James Jebusa Shannon