Years ago, it was common for people to buy rice and other grains from open bins in the marketplace. You would go into a store that sold all kinds of grains—wheat, barley, rice, corn—and everything was stored in large open pails. The storekeepers would use the same scoops, going back and forth from pail to pail. Naturally, a little wheat would get into the rice, some rice would end up in the barley, and so on. This cross-contamination was almost inevitable.
Even today, in certain places—especially open-air markets or stores that sell nuts and seeds in bulk—you can still see the same thing. If you buy sunflower seeds or cashews from big bins, you’ll often notice a few peanuts mixed in, just because of how they’re handled.
But that’s not how we typically buy rice anymore. Today, in Western countries, most people buy rice in sealed bags at the supermarket, directly from the factory. There’s no mixing with wheat or other grains, and there’s no realistic concern of chametz contamination.
Therefore, if you live in a modern, Western country and you’re buying standard packaged rice from a regular store, you do not need to check the rice for chametz before Pesach. The reason for checking in the past was due to actual concern of contamination, which no longer applies in today’s context.
Years ago, it was common for people to buy rice and other grains from open bins in the marketplace. You would go into a store that sold all kinds of grains—wheat, barley, rice, corn—and everything was stored in large open pails. The storekeepers would use the same scoops, going back and forth from pail to pail. Naturally, a little wheat would get into the rice, some rice would end up in the barley, and so on. This cross-contamination was almost inevitable.
Even today, in certain places—especially open-air markets or stores that sell nuts and seeds in bulk—you can still see the same thing. If you buy sunflower seeds or cashews from big bins, you’ll often notice a few peanuts mixed in, just because of how they’re handled.
But that’s not how we typically buy rice anymore. Today, in Western countries, most people buy rice in sealed bags at the supermarket, directly from the factory. There’s no mixing with wheat or other grains, and there’s no realistic concern of chametz contamination.
Therefore, if you live in a modern, Western country and you’re buying standard packaged rice from a regular store, you do not need to check the rice for chametz before Pesach. The reason for checking in the past was due to actual concern of contamination, which no longer applies in today’s context.