Mehirat Hametz - Selling of the Hametz

I hereby authorize Hazzan Goldsmith to sell my hametz

During Passover, it is technically forbidden to have any hametz in our possession.  Because we cannot finish it all and it is improper to destroy usable food, the rabbis provided for a symbolic sale of all the hametz to a non-Jew who then "sells" it back to us after Pesach.  The hametz is then no longer "in our possession." 

Funds collected through donations and through the "sale" of hametz are used for charitable purposes and to help provide Passover food for those who might otherwise have none.  This legal procedure technically transfers ownership of hametz that remains in our pantry during the festival. Technical ownership reverts back to us when the festival is over.