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NEWS
Cigarettes Have Chometz!
Several years ago the RJ Reynolds Company was forced by the
US Congress to disclose all of the additives that it puts
into cigarettes. There are over 500! These additives are put
in to give each brand its distinctive taste, so they are all
significant — or at least are so considered by the
company.
In his Pesach bulletin this year and last, Rabbi Blumenkrantz
lists at least four ingredients that are chometz: 1] wheat
extract and flour; 2] trimethylpyrazine (from barley); 3]
tetramethylpyrazine (from wheat); 4] levuline acid (wheat
bread).
There may be more such ingredients. The subject is being
further researched. HaRav Moshe Shternbuch wrote in his
Teshuvos Vehanhogos (Orach Chaim) that cigarettes have
chometz and should not be used on Pesach. HaRav Yehuda Arye
Dunner also gave out a letter saying that HaRav Nissim
Karelitz said that in addition to the possible issur to smoke
throughout the year, there is the additional issur of getting
benefit from chometz on Pesach from smoking.
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