The Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Bnei Brak, Rav Yisroel Hager, delivered an emotional message during a Chol Hamoed tish, expressing deep pain over those who rush to bakeries immediately after Yom Tov to purchase chametz, urging instead that people cherish the lingering kedusha of Pesach. Following his remarks, the well-known Vizhnitzer bakery announced a change to its longstanding post-Pesach practice.

During a tish on Chol Hamoed, the Rebbe addressed the phenomenon of people hurrying out right after Yom Tov ends to buy fresh bread and other chametz items.

At the tish on Sunday, the Rebbe asked for the microphone and spoke with visible emotion: “I want to speak about something that pains me very much and has been bothering me for years. I have heard that there are people who run immediately at nightfall to the bakeries and grab the foods that we do not even mention during Pesach. What is the rush? Can’t one wait a little?” the Rebbe cried out from the depths of his heart.

He continued by emphasizing the importance of holding on to the spirit of the Yom Tov, saying, “One should rejoice that it is still possible to live a little longer with Pesach, like it was by my grandfather, the Imrei Chaim,” and went on to describe how Pesach and the Seder night were observed in his grandfather’s home.

In response to the Rebbe’s words, the owners of the Vizhnitzer bakery—led by Rabbi Yechezkel Cohen, who was present at the tish—decided to alter a long-established custom and delay opening sales of fresh bread to the general public after Yom Tov. Instead of opening immediately at the conclusion of the Yom Tov, the bakery first supplied stores and wholesalers, with retail sales to individuals beginning only later.

Rabbi Cohen announced that despite the expected financial loss, the bakery would remain closed to individual customers right after Yom Tov. During those initial hours, workers would continue operating only to produce and distribute goods to retail networks, while the bakery doors would open to the public at a later time.

{Matzav.com}