IN THE PARSHA:
In פרשת בא we learn about the prohibition of owning חמץ on פסח.
YUD SHEVAT:
The פריעדיקער רבי, whose יארצייט is on יו"ד שבט, related the following story:
When the Rebbe Rashab first went to Cheder, his grandfather, the צמח צדק, threw candies on him, “from מלאך מיכאל”.
Considering where these candies came from, they were so precious to the Rebbe Rashab, that he did not even eat them.
Before פסח, however, the צמח צדק asked him about the candies, and he had to eat them up.
QUESTION:
Since the Rebbe Rashab cherished these candies so much, and they reminded him of his entering Cheder etc., why couldn’t they just sell the candies to a גוי, which would enable them to buy the candies back afterwards, so he could still have them?
ANSWER:
The צמח צדק did not want these candies sold to a גוי for the same reason that חסידים do not sell to a גוי something they received from the Rebbe.
Doing so is disrespectful to the Rebbe, and it removes an object from the realm of the special קדושה that it had beforehand.
Further discussion:
Why couldn’t the candies be placed in a public space, be made הפקר, and then have a chance to be reclaimed after פסח? (See אותיות ט-י in the Sicha)
See שיחת ליל שמחת תורה קודם הקפות, ה'תש"כ
