Shtar Mechirath Chametz. Official Deed of Sale of Chametz of the Entire Israeli Army, Defence Ministry, Office of the Prime Minister and other military and governmnet bodies

(ISRAEL, STATE OF)

Erev Pesach

Tel Aviv-Jaffo

April 24th, 1967 (Military Time: 08:59)

Lengthy Typed Document, Signed. With additonal manuscript paragraphs signed by Chief Rabbi of the Army, Shlomo Goren (three times), the Gentile Labib Nasser Aldin, the “Arev Kablan” (Guarantor) Zev Dafni and witnessed by two further Army Rabbis

The two paragraphs addded by Rabbi Goren attest to the fact that the addenda “Office of the Prime Minister” is legally binding and part of this sale. Apparently, the sale of the Chametz (leavened bread etc.) of the Prime Minister’s Office is not a function of the Chief Rabbi of the Army but rather the Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel. Goren included the Prime Minister’s Office in this deed as apparently it had been erroneously omitted from the State Rabbinate’s deed for non-Army civilian offices. It is interesting to note that Goren, who was not a Chassid, accepted the innovation of the Alter Rebe, R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi, to use an “Arev Kablan,” a guarantor for the sale of Chametz. This innovation was not universally accepted. This significant document was written by Goren just weeks before the liberation of Jerusalem, on June 7th, 1967, when, blowing a shofar and carrying a Torah scroll, he held the first Jewish prayer session at the Western Wall since 1948. The event, broadcast live to the entire country was one of the defining moments of the war