[Avodah] Selling whiskey/ bourbon

[Daniel Israel]

Meir Shinnar wrote:
> The issue of mechirat chametz seems to fall under this rubric -
> clearly, as individuals, most of us can survive easily without selling
> chametz, even if we lose a few single malt scotches.....  However, as
> a community, we are dependent after pesach on stores having sold their
> chametz..

If the chumra is not to sell chametz, then your analysis holds.  If, 
OTOH, the chumra is not to sell chametz unless there is hefsid merubah, 
we may find that everyone can keep this chumra, however the result will 
in general be that only shopkeepers sell chametz.

Unless you are referring to not buying chametz after Pesach from someone 
who sold his chametz.  In which case you may be right, but I think RMB's 
point that this is a chumra at the expense of someone else's parnassa is 
more to the point.  Not to mention that (as someone else pointed out) 
chametz sheavar alav hapesach is only a kenas on the original owner, so 
it is hard to see any basis for such a chumra.

-- 
Daniel M. Israel
dmi1 at cornell.edu