Regular Chometz Vs. Corporate Chometz

Question: When it comes to chometz on Pesach, is there any difference between getting rid of the chometz I have in my house and disposing of chometz in a business setting, such as an office building or commercial real estate?

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Presented By Rav Yosef Kushner

Answer: The main difference is that you have much more control over your private domain than you have over a store or building where you can't fully control the flow of people.

In your home, you can clean fully before Pesach, dispose of unwanted chometz, and sell the rest before Pesach. In a public setting, however, there may be areas such as a cafeteria, break room or outdoor eating spot, where workers are consistently bringing chometz, even on Pesach. This could lead to problems of chometz left on your property, which was not sold before yom tov.

It is, actually, impossible to sell this chometz before yom tov, primarily because it wasn't in your possession before Pesach and only was brought there on yom tov. It also is not halachically possible to sell the chometz on Pesach, as it must be sold beforehand.

All of this leads to a very difficult situation. If chometz was left on your property on Pesach, you would be required to burn it, but it is not practical to expect you to be constantly hovering nearby to dispose of any chometz that is left on the premises. This creates the need for a better solution, which we will discuss in the next segment.