Are chametz particles invisible to the naked eye considered chametz? What is the technical definition of a mashehu — is it only visible chametz, or would an atomic particle of chametz count?
Is Invisible Chametz Considered Chametz?
Question
Answer
Anything invisible isn’t considered chametz; the size is 0.2 millimeters.
Sources
The Aruch HaShulchan discusses tiny creatures in water and air that can only be seen through a magnifying glass. He rules that the Torah does not forbid what the eye cannot perceive, since “the Torah was not given to angels.” If something cannot be seen by the naked eye, “it is nothing.” Anything the eye can see, however, even if extremely fine, does count. The same principle underlies the answer that invisible particles of chametz are not considered chametz.
- Aruch HaShulchan, Yoreh De’ah 84:36 — the Torah only forbids what the human eye can see, not what is visible only through magnification, since the Torah was not given to angels; whatever the eye can see, however tiny, counts
Author
Rabbi Shay Tahan
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