(Sale of Hametz Form appears below)
The Torah prohibits Jews from owning Hametz during Pesah and we are to eliminate all Hametz from our possession. Hametz in one’s home that one does not own, however, is another matter.
Tradition permits one to sell the Hametz in one’s home to a non-Jew for the duration of Pesah provided that the Hametz is designated and closed off from one’s kosher-for-Passover kitchen. For example, one might move the Hametz to a space outside the kitchen where it will be marked off-limits, or pack it into a few kitchen cabinets that are sealed off for the duration of the holiday.
The sale is accomplished through a document (Sh’tar Harsha’ah) by which the owner authorizes a rabbi to sell their Hametz and arrange for its buy-back after Pesah. With the form below you can authorize Rabbi Alter to sell Hametz on your behalf.
The form MUST be submitted by 8:30 AM on Friday, April 11, 2025, no exceptions.
A fully completed form, submitted by 8:30 AM CST on Friday, April 11, 2025, constitutes one’s authorization of Rabbi Joel Alter to sell one’s Hametz on their behalf.
IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL DETAILS FOR 2025, AS PESAH STARTS SATURDAY NIGHT
Bedikat Hametz, the formal search for Hametz that concludes cleaning our homes for Pesah, cannot take place the evening before the Seder, due to Shabbat. Instead, conduct that search on Thursday evening this year.
We MAY continue to consume Hametz, including in our homes, until 10:39 AM on Shabbat morning.
The correct sequence for this year is as follows:
BEFORE BEDIKAT HAMETZ ON THURSDAY, April 10.
Set aside any Hametz you plan to eat throughout the day on Friday and Shabbat morning, including Shabbat dinner and breakfast. This Hametz will NOT be covered in your search, NOR IN YOUR SALE.
Thursday evening, at dark: Conduct Bedikat Hametz after thoroughly eliminating or separating out Hametz, as usual. Recite the Bi’ur Hametz formula.
Friday morning, April 11, Rabbi Alter will sell all Hametz he has been authorized to sell (the form is below). Forms MUST be submitted by 8:30 AM Friday.
Friday morning, by 11:46 AM, repeat the Bi’ur Hametz formula after destroying the Hametz collected the night before. The collected Hametz is typically destroyed by burning.
The formula did not eliminate any Hametz knowingly still in our possession. All Hametz in our possession that was not included in the 9:30 AM sale must still be consumed or eliminated. Sale is no longer possible.
10:39 AM Shabbat morning, April 12 concludes the permissible time to eat Hametz. Any remaining Hametz must be eliminated or destroyed. As burning is no longer permitted (due to Shabbat), we must find a Shabbat-permissible way to destroy it or remove it from our possession, again by 11:46 AM.
We consume no more Hametz for the remainder of Shabbat and begin Pesah following Shabbat on Saturday evening, April 12, after 8:13pm.
Hag Sameah!
CLICK HERE to download a printable PDF, or fill out the form below.