1891 Mechirat Hametz of the town of Shidolovitz (Szydłowiec), Poland

Our history books are filled with stories of gedolim, great wars, and natural disasters, dotted with pogroms, antisemitism and the occasional “golden age”. The life of the average shtetl Jew though, can be hard to discern from such tales and can often be lost to the world of historians and it’s readers.

Occasionally, I find a book that can give a snapshot of life in a small town for the average Jew. Bound with a, 1870 first edition of Chiddushe Harim I recently acquired, I found 4 pages recording the 1891 Mechirat Hametz of the small town of Shidolovitz (Szydłowiec), Poland and its environs. Reading like a Jewish Address-book of this small town, each entry on these pages is written by the local homeowner, detailing his address, where on the property the hametz would be located, how to access the location and the price they are selling the hametz for. Alternating between Yiddish and Hebrew, each of the entries gives authority to the local Rabbi, Ahron Dov Levin to be their agent in the selling of the hametz and gives specific instructions on how the gentile can access their location and partake in the hametz he purchased during the holiday.

The hametz items listed as part of these sales include a bag of barley, some pickled vegetables and for the most part, pots and pans that were used for hametz during the year. Though their material possessions don’t seem to add to much, their devotion to halacha and tradition shines though.