By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal, Tifereth Israel Synagogue, San Diego

Each year before Pesach members of the congregation ask me to sell their chameitz to a non-Jew for the duration of the holiday. The chameitz is repurchased after Pesach but during the festival it is not in its original owner’s possession. This sale allows us to fulfill the mitzvah of removing all chameitz from our homes during Pesach but also avoids the financial hardship that would be imposed if we had to replace all of our chameitz after the holiday.

When Jews sell their chameitz it is customary to make a donation to tzedakah as a token of our appreciation and gratitude. We use these donations as maot chittim, special tzedakah given before Passover. Originally maot chittim was used to provide for the Seder needs of financially pressed families. Today we typically send it to many good causes, such as the J.F.S. Food Bank, Mazon, and the American Jewish World Service.

This week’s parsha, Metzorah, discusses different types of inflammations that attack human skin. Metzorah was seen as a spiritual, as well as physical, ailment. It was construed as Divine punishment for those who indulged in rechilut and lashon ha-rah, gossip and slander.

...which reminds me of a story!

One year several community leaders of Radin approached the well known and respected rabbi of their city, the Chafeitz Chaim, with a painful problem. They had failed in their annual task of gathering sufficient maot chittim to provide for Radin’s poor during the holiday. Was there any way the rabbi could help?

The Chafeitz Chaim told them to gather the entire population of Radin in the town square the following day. Every single Jew in Radin showed up to hear his words.

"My friends," said the Chafeitz Chaim, "as you know I have lived a long and full life. I will not be with you much longer, and I have begun to worry about the day I arrive in heaven. I am sure that I will be asked about the citizens of Radin and I do not know what to say.

"If I say the citizens of Radin are generous and warmhearted, I will be lying. But if I tell the truth, that when it came time for them to give maot chittim for Pesach, they closed their hearts and their wallets, then I will be speaking lashon hara and tale-bearing. Even though they will be true, my words will still be unkind. And as you know, I try to be meticulous about not speaking lashon hara!

"I am turning to you for help. What am I to do?"

As soon as townspeople heard the words of the great rabbi they felt ashamed. They opened their wallets and took up a collection for maot chittim.

People say that never before, and never since, has such a large of tzedakah been collected in Radin.

It is not too late to sell your chameitz for Pesach nor to contribute to tzedakah in honor of the holiday. Your tzedakah will be used to feed people in need and other acts of tzedakah. You will be fulfilling the mitzvah of the Haggadah: "Let all who are hungry come and eat!"