JHM Responsa 10 a

JHM Responsa 10 a

Pesah

V1304A

1928-02-27

Ets Haim – Livraria Montezinos, Foundation Stichting Cultureel Erfgoed Portugees-Israëlietische Gemeente.
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Eliaou Moshe Frances

Frances

Orah Haim

TRUE

Regarding the status of flour required for baking matzot for Passover.

In a country there is only one factory that grinds wheat [into flour] for making matzot at all of the bakeries in all the cities in the country. Currently they are busy baking matzot in a particular city, where they find some wheat mixed in the flour. The rabbi of the city looks into the matter and meets with the owner of the factory and he in passing mentions that he cannot understand how the grains got into the flour for he made it all in the best possible way, a grinders do, such as cleaning the grinding machine, and washing the grain in water. After the rabbi asks to speak to the Mashgiach of the grinding process and told him, how could he allow the grinder to wash the grain. The Mashgiach then contradicts the grinder and says that the grinder answered falsely in order to praise his merchandise. In the end also the grinder admits that what he answered at first was not true. After the investigation it was found that the Mashgiach did not always stand on guard as he should have. The rabbi of that city then forbids all the matzot made from that flour. After a few weeks this incident becomes known in all the other cities and the days of Pesach are upon them, and it would be very difficult to still find sufficient matzot for Pesach for the entire country. It would also be a great and terrible financial loss to the bakeries, if all the matzot that have already been baked would be declared unsuitable. The question now is if these matzot are allowable for Pesach or not.

[…] this flour is permissible for use on Pesach […]