Q & A - WITH RABBI RISKIN
Question: How is it that we can keep chametz in our house on Pesach, even if it has been sold to a Gentile and therefore does not belong to us? Doesn't the Torah command us to rid ourselves of our chametz before the first day of Passover and instruct us that chametz should not be found in our homes?
Answer:
Our rabbis teach us that "Our
chametz may not be found in our homes on Pesach; if,
however, the chametz belongs to a Gentile, there is no
prohibition.
However, this rule only applies if we do
not consider the chametz to be ours, if we truly
understand that it belongs to the Gentile to whom it was
sold. I am not certain that this is the mentality of most Jews,
who look upon the sale of chametz as a mere ritual
without any real significance. I would therefore urge that
everyone destroy chametz before Pesach and not save the
last bit of noodles or cereal (and this includes whiskey). At
the very least, get it out of your homes and give it to one of
the organizations who collect chametz, sell it, and then
repurchase it after Pesach in order to distribute it to those
who are truly in need.
