Q&A: Leavened Food Hidden in a Shared Area of a Secular Apartment Building
Leavened Food Hidden in a Shared Area of a Secular Apartment Building
Question
Hello Rabbi,
During the search for leavened food before Passover, I found a package of pretzels that had apparently been intentionally hidden in a bag inside an electrical cabinet in the building lobby (most of the building’s residents are secular) — it’s probably the cleaner’s, since it’s next to the cleaning supplies. The question is whether it needs to be destroyed, or left there.
Best regards,
Answer
If it was left there intentionally, I would suggest leaving it there. You do not violate the prohibition of possessing visible leavened food over Passover with leavened food that is not yours. But if it is a lost item, the situation is more problematic, because the courtyard may legally acquire it on your behalf (a person gives up hope of recovering a bag of pretzels). The best thing is to check with the cleaner whether it belongs to him, and if not, then throw it out / destroy it.