Beit Shemesh Rabbis Done with "Sheitlach" Now Rule: Don’t Flush Chametz Down The Toilet

Prior to Pesach, which begins on Saturday night, the rabbis of Beit Shemesh published a special public notice (“Kol Koreh”) with specific instructions for the disposal of chametz (leavened products), emphasizing a prohibition against discarding chametz via the toilet.

DIN: There is no such "prohibition"; they made it up! It's a common-sense issue! I see signs in the toilets on an airplane and in malls that one shouldn't flush down anything except toilet paper, and no rabbi ever signed beneath those signs! 

The notice, signed by Rabbi Natan Kupshitz—chief rabbi of the Haredi quarter in Beit Shemesh and a judge on the Badatz of the Edah HaChareidis—along with about 30 other rabbis from the city, states that the prohibition applies to flushing chametz down the toilet “whether on its own, and all the more so if wrapped in plastic or placed in a container.”

DIN: its erev Pesach and everyone I see on the street has no time to talk to each other, yet these rabbis got together to discuss this? When was this "asifa?" was this on zoom? Wasn't there one single rebbitzen screaming at their husband " stop with the shutsim, go unpack the Pesach stuff"

Because Passover Eve this year falls on Shabbat, it requires special preparations for the removal of chametz. Many people have been accustomed to disposing of chametz on Shabbat by flushing it, but the rabbis are now ruling that this is not permissible.

DIN: Are they ruling? For whom are they "ruling" this? Every sane person knows not to flush down stuff that can clog the plumbing! Apparently, the Yeshiva Leit are so naive and dumb that they need a ruling to "prohibit" something that makes common sense! 

This letter comes in response to a request from Rabbi Meir Shechter, a member of the city council and the supervisor of the municipal water corporation “Mei Shemesh.” He reported that in previous years with the same calendar setup, incidents occurred where flushing chametz caused clogs, pipe bursts, and even flooding that led to chametz resurfacing in people’s homes during the holiday.

DIN: My premonition is correct, they are addressing the Yeshiva Leit who are so far-frumt or should I say far-krumpt, that they have no problem flushing down plastic bags with chumetz! And this krum thinking comes from not working for a living! Someone who works for a living and knows how difficult it is to support a family knows not to clog his pipes, because they don't need an extra expense! 

The rabbis stress that this is not only a technical or infrastructure concern, but also poses significant halachic (Jewish legal) problems.

“There have been several cases where, due to clogged pipes, chametz surfaced in other people’s homes, causing both damage and halachic stumbling blocks. This falls under the category of a ‘mitzvah achieved through a transgression,’ which is forbidden.”

DIN: "halachic stumbling blocks?????" What???? "Significant halachic problems????".......I am asking in all seriousness... would anyone in their right mind eat their neighbor's chumetz that came up through his pipe? What "halachic problems other than having a mess is there? I cannot for a second believe any of the signed rabbanim even know about this. This must be a sick prank!! 

As an alternative, the rabbis recommend a different solution:
“Therefore, in a year like this, leftover pieces of chametz should be thrown into a public garbage bin such as one on the street or sidewalk [where there is an eruv], and it must be done before the deadline for chametz burning.”

The city’s rabbis, representing all community sectors, add that this solution is fully acceptable, stating:
“The municipality does not intend to take possession of what is in the public bins and will officially renounce ownership of all public garbage bins before Shabbat.”

According to some poskim one must include the garbage can in one’s Mechiras Chametz and also put bleach on the chametz one throws into the garbage to render it unfit for consumption.

The Beit Shemesh rabbis also instructed that the traditional burning of chametz must be done on Friday morning, as early as possible, as in other years—not in the later hours of the day.