Mishloach Manot

Mishloach Manot Drama

Nissan: (Knocks on door of the Ben Naim family) Yaakov, Nurit! Happy Purim! I prepared you a mishloach manot.

(Words flash on screen) Every family has a secret.

Yaakov Ben Naim: Happy Purim! Thanks so much. Just a moment, we’re going to bring you the mishloach manot that we prepared for you…

(Words flash on screen) A secret that they cannot permit themselves to reveal.

Nurit Ben Naim: Yaakov! You know that we didn’t prepare him a mishloach manot!

(Word flashes on screen) Never

Nurit: No, Yaakov, we’re not going to give him the mishloach manot that we received from the Spiegel family!

Yaakov: Nurit, there’s no choice. He’s at the door! He’s at the door! (Hands over the package to Nissan) Happy Purim!

Yaakov (to wife): How is it possible that we didn’t prepare one for Nissan Waldman?! How?!

Nurit: (prepares another mishloach manot) We’ll move on…We can’t fall apart, right? We’ll prepare another mishloach manot, and another mishloach manot.

Yaakov: Right, we’re strong. What should I wrote on the note for the Cohens’ package?

Nurit: I don’t know. Look at what the Spiegels wrote for us.

(Husband and wife look at each other in horror)

Nurit: The note.

(Close up of Nissan walking with the mishloach manot that the Ben Naims gave him, which reads “Happy Purim to the Ben Naims from the Spiegel family.” Voiceover says “Every mishloach manot has its address…”)

(Nissan and Bentsi meet on the street and shake hands).

Bentsi: Nissan

Nissan: Bentsi

Bentsi: Happy Purim

Nissan: Happy Purim

Bentsi: Nissan! You saved me the drive to your house…I have a mishloach manot for you

(Nissan’s face falls)

(Voiceover: an address that it’s forbidden to change.)

(Flashback to Nissan going over his list of people to bring mishloach manot to, and crossing out Bentsi’s name).

Nissan: (handing over the Spiegel/Ben Naim mishloach manot to Bentsi) Here, I just made you a mishloach manot.

Bentsi: Thanks Nissan!

Voiceover: The brave decision of one man

Yaakov: (Accepts mishloach manot from wife) That’s the replacement mishloach manot that you made for Nissan?

Nurit: Yes. Yaakov, I’m worried.

Yaakov: There’s no choice. I have to make it to Nissan in time.

Nurit: Be careful

Yaakov: You be careful too. It’s going to be OK

(Slow motion of Yaakov running with the replacement mishloach manot to Nissan)

(Voiceover: One man who chooses to change his destiny)

Yaakov: Nissan, there is something I must tell you! It’s about the mishloach manot I gave you…

Bentsi: Happy Purim, Yaakov! You’re saving me a drive over to your house, I have a mishloach manot for you…

(Flashback to Yaakov crossing Bentsi off of his mishloach manot list)

Yaakov: We also made you a mishloach manot (hands over the new mishloach manot they made for Nissan to Bentsi instead)

Bentsi: Thanks Yaakov

Spiegel: Hey, guys! Happy Purim

Everyone: Spiegel!

Spiegel: Nissan, Bentsi, how fun that I’m meeting both of you now…You saved me the drive to your houses.

(Bentsi and Nissan’s faces fall)

(Flashbacks of Bentsi and Nissan going over the mishloach manot lists with their wives, and crossing off Spiegel).

Bentsi: I also made you a mishloach manot, Spiegel.

Nissan: It’s from both of us.

( Yaakov watches on in horror as Bentsi hands Spiegel the mishloach manot with the note that says “From the Spiegel family for the Ben Naim family.”)

(Voiceover: A heartbreaking human tragedy. This coming Purim. Receive your package. )

Spiegel (sitting on bench and eating from mishloach manot) Isn’t this the mishloach manot that I gave Ben Naim?

(Words on screen) An Unpleasant Purim at the Pleasant Family

Spiegel: Ucchh, I hate poppyseeds!

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When "I love you" comes too late.

We should start saying every day to our families how much we love them, how important they are for us, the need to feel us, and we have to show them we will be there for them...ALWAYS

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Chazaq Radio

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Silver Vessels

All the Halachot on this site are written based on the rulings of our leader, glory of the generation, Hagaon Harav Ovadia Yosef zt”l 

    Silver Vessels

Question: May one continue to use silver vessels or utensils, such as a Kiddush goblet, on Pesach after they have been used all year round?

Answer: All vessels used all year round with cold foods or beverages may be used on Pesach after having been thoroughly washed beforehand, for none of a cold food’s flavor is absorbed into the wall of the vessel and there is therefore no concern that any Chametz flavor will later be released into a Passover dish.

Thus, regarding silver vessels, they are certainly used only for cold purposes, such as a silver Kiddush goblet or a silver serving dish and the like in which it is certainly uncommon to place boiling hot foods or beverages in such vessels. It is therefore sufficient to thoroughly wash these vessels in water (three times) and they may then be used on Pesach, even for the Mitzvot of the Seder night.

On the other hand, the Mordechi (Chapter 2 of Pesachim, Chapter 574) quotes the Ra’avaya and writes: “Regarding silver goblets, one must be concerned that wine and spice are sometimes boiled in them next to the fire and they therefore require Hag’ala in a Keli Rishon.” This means to say that since it is conceivable that one has placed hot Chametz in the goblet once or twice, one must perform Hag’ala (i.e. immersing it in boiling water heated in a pot on the fire) in order to kosher it for Pesach.

Nevertheless, the Rashba (Volume 1, Chapter 372) writes regarding vessels used with cold food or beverages but “sometimes” hot bread is placed in these vessels that thoroughly washing such vessels is sufficient to make them permissible for use on Pesach and one need not perform Hag’ala on them, for the koshering process for each vessel is determined based on its “majority use”. This means that if a vessel or utensil is usually used in a cold manner, even if this vessel was used with hot foods sometimes, merely washing this vessel is sufficient and one need not be concerned that it absorbed Chametz from this one time (or several times). Maran Ha’Shulchan Aruch (Chapter 451) rules in accordance with the Rashba’s opinion.

Hagaon Rabbeinu Menachem Azarya of Pano (in his Responsa Chapter 96) likewise rules in accordance with the opinion of the Rashba and rules that as long as the usual usage of the vessel is in a cold manner, such as silver vessels, even if such a vessel absorbed Chametz, one need not perform Hag’ala on it, since a vessel is judged based on a majority of its usage.

However, Hagaon Harav Yosef Chaim Zonenfeld questions the Rashba’s opinion, as follows: How can we determine a vessel’s status based on its majority usage? It is sufficient for the vessel to absorb Chametz that single time it was used with hot food and it will then release it while in use on Pesach. What then is the logic behind the Rashba’s ruling that we follow a vessel’s majority usage?

Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef zt”l explains that since the Rashba’s words apply only to a vessel which has not come in contact with hot food for at least twenty-four hours (which is indeed how Rabbeinu Menachem Azarya explains the Rashba explicitly), there is no longer any Torah prohibition to use such a vessel, since any Chametz flavor absorbed in this vessel becomes completely putrid after twenty-four hours. Only our Sages forbade using such a vessel even after twenty-four hours. These same Sages who forbade using such a vessel after twenty-four hours ruled that a vessel’s status is determined based on its majority usage.

Thus, halachically speaking, any vessel used with cold food or beverage, such as silver vessels, may be used on Pesach after having been thoroughly cleaned. Even if one is concerned that this vessel was sometimes used with hot Chametz, this poses no concern at all and one may nevertheless use it on Pesach (see Chazon Ovadia-Pesach, page 148).

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Some Detailed Laws Regarding Kitniyot (Legumes) on Pesach

All the Halachot on this site are written based on the rulings of our leader, glory of the generation, Hagaon Harav Ovadia Yosef zt”l 

 Some Detailed Laws Regarding Kitniyot (Legumes) on Pesach

In the previous Halacha we have briefly discussed the primary laws of Chametz and Kitniyot (legumes) on Pesach. We have explained that according to all opinions, legumes such as rice and chick peas are not actual Chametz, for only grain products can be considered Chametz. However, Ashkenazim customarily banned eating Kitniyot on Pesach because it used to be common for grains of Chametz to become mixed with Kitniyot. They therefore customarily abstain from eating them. 

“Annulment of Vows” in Order to Eat Kitniyot
Ashkenazi communities who customarily prohibit Kitniyot have no recourse to permit consuming Kitniyot on Pesach. Even if they perform the order of “Annulment of Vows,” this does not make it permissible; they are still bound by the custom of their community and they may not discard their custom by eating Kitniyot on Pesach.

Included in this prohibition is the consumption of soy sauce, rice, and the like.

However, Sephardic communities who have acted stringently until this point and abstained from eating rice and now have a certain need to eat rice, such as due to illness and the like, may be permitted to eat it as long as they perform the “Annulment of Vows” as prescribed by Halacha for the custom they have followed thus far. This is because the level of the prohibition that these Sephardic communities accepted upon themselves is not on the same level as the prohibition which the Ashkenazim accepted upon themselves. The Sephardim never accepted an actual “decree” upon themselves banning Kitniyot; rather, they customarily abstained from eating them as a precaution because Chametz would sometimes mix into the Kitniyot. Maran zt”l rules likewise in his Responsa Chazon Ovadia, Volume 2, page 55.

Vessels which have Absorbed Kitniyot
We have already explained that vessels which have absorbed actual Chametz may not be used on Pesach. This is because when vessels contain boiling hot Chametz foods, the walls of the vessel absorb some of the Chametz in them. Afterwards, when Pesach foods are cooked in the same vessel, the walls of the vessel release Chametz flavor into the food. For the same reason, we are always meticulous to separate meat and dairy dishes in order to avoid vessels absorbing from one another.

However, the prohibition of Kitniyot on Pesach is not as stringent as actual Chametz, for it is only an enactment which some customarily accepted due to Chametz concerns. Based on this, Hagaon Rabbeinu Yishmael Ha’Kohen writes in his Responsa Zera Emet (Volume 3, Orach Chaim, Chapter 48) that if an Ashkenazi individual is being hosted by a Sephardic individual and the host prepares foods for the guest that are Kitniyot-free, the Ashkenazi may eat in his home without hindrance.

Although the Sephardic host’s vessels have absorbed some flavor from his own Kitniyot foods, this poses no issue, for this custom is only as an extra precaution and Ashkenazim never accepted it upon themselves as an actual prohibition. (This is especially true if we can assume that Kitniyot were not cooked in this vessel within the past twenty-four hours. Additionally, the Ashkenazi individual need not ask the Sephardic host if Kitniyot were cooked in this vessel within twenty-four hours.)

Summary: Ashkenazim customarily prohibit consuming Kitniyot on Pesach. They cannot be lenient regarding this custom even if they have performed the order of “Annulment of Vows.” Sephardic individuals who have thus far customarily abstained from this as well but now have some special need to eat Kitniyot, such as due to illness and the like, may indeed be lenient regarding this matter by performing an “Annulment of Vows.”

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The Laws of Chametz and Kitniyot (Legumes) on Pesach

All the Halachot on this site are written based on the rulings of our leader, glory of the generation, Hagaon Harav Ovadia Yosef zt”l 

The Laws of Chametz and Kitniyot (Legumes) on Pesach

The Essence of Leavening 

The Torah (Shemot 13) tells us regarding the holiday of Pesach: “Matzot shall be eaten for seven days; neither leaven nor sourdough shall be seen in all of your borders.” The leaven that the Torah prohibits is produced by the combination of grain-flour and water remaining in this state for a long enough period of time; this causes the internal composition of the flour to leaven (rise). From the moment the mixture begins to leaven it is considered “Chametz” which is prohibited for consumption or benefit on Pesach and it is also prohibited for a Jew to retain Chametz in his property on Pesach.

Kitniyot
Rice and all other legumes, including peas and beans, are permitted on Pesach, for the prohibition of Chametz only applies to grains and legumes are not classified as “grains”. One must nevertheless take care to check the grains of rice well to make sure that no kernels of wheat or barley are mixed inside, for it is fairly common that in some places where rice is grown or packaged, other grains are also grown or packaged in close proximity as well and some kernels of these grains can easily become mixed into the rice and indeed make one’s entire dish prohibited for consumption (for even one tiny crumb of Chametz can prohibit a large pot of food). Thus, it is customary to check through rice three times before Pesach with all due concentration and seriousness, at a time when small children are not present to disrupt the individual checking.

The Custom of Ashkenazi Jewry and Some Sephardic Communities
Due to fear that kernels of various grains may have become mixed into the legumes, Ashkenazim customarily prohibit the consumption of legumes on Pesach. Indeed, the greatest Ashkenazi authorities enacted that it is completely prohibited to eat any legumes on Pesach. However, this prohibition was not accepted at all by most Sephardic and Middle Eastern communities. A Sephardic individual should not be stringent regarding this matter for several reasons.

However, there are several G-d-fearing Sephardic communities who are stringent and customarily abstain from eating rice on Pesach. This is especially common among Moroccan and other North African communities. However, even they are customarily stringent only with regards to rice, but they do eat other forms of legumes. Some customarily abstain from eating chick peas on Pesach as well.

In the following Halacha, we shall, G-d-willing, discuss this further.

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Thirty Days before Pesach and the Holiday of Purim

All the Halachot on this site are written based on the rulings of our leader, glory of the generation, Hagaon Harav Ovadia Yosef zt”l 

Thirty Days before Pesach and the Holiday of Purim

The Gemara in Masechet Pesachim (6b) writes that one should begin to inquire about the laws of Pesach thirty days before the actual holiday. The simple meaning of this law seems to imply that thirty days before the holiday of Pesach, one must halt study of any other Torah topics and focus solely on the laws of Pesach. 

  

Maran Ha’Bet Yosef (Chapter 429) asks that the Gemara in Megillah (32a) says that Moshe Rabbeinu instituted that the Jewish nation should expound the laws of Pesach on Pesach, the laws of Shavuot on Shavuot, and the laws of Sukkot on Sukkot. Based on this, it would seem that there is only an obligation to learn the laws of Pesach specifically on Pesach and not thirty days beforehand! 

  

Maran Ha’Bet Yosef answers that this does not actually mean that one must inquire about and expound the laws of Pesach thirty days beforehand; rather, this refers to the ruling that if two students come to ask their rabbi a question and one asks about a matter at hand (a topic being discussed in the Bet Midrash) while the other asks about an unrelated matter, the rabbi must answer the one who asks about a matter at hand. The Gemara therefore teaches us that asking a question about Pesach thirty days before the holiday is considered a matter at hand. The Ran (Rabbeinu Nissim, one of the great Rishonim) explains likewise. 

  

Nevertheless, Hagaon Mishnah Berura writes in his Be’ur Halacha that the Halacha does not follow the opinion of Rabbeinu Nissim and one must actually “expound” and not merely “inquire about” the laws of Pesach thirty days prior to the holiday. However, Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef zt”l in his Responsa Yabia Omer (Volume 2, Chapter 22) writes lengthily to defend the ruling of Maran Ha’Shulchan Aruch that there is no actual obligation to halt any other regular study topics before Pesach in order to delve into the laws of Pesach; only with regards to one “inquiring about an issue at hand” do we say that if one asks a Pesach-related question thirty days before Pesach are we obligated to make time to answer the individual. 

  

The day of Purim itself (today, the 15^th of Adar II, which is Purim in Jerusalem) is also included in the “thirty days” before Pesach. However, if two people pose a question to a rabbi and one asks about a law pertaining to Purim while the other asks about a law pertaining to Pesach, the rabbi must respond to the one inquiring about Purim first since this is the obligation of the day and a Mitzvah at its proper time is dearer. 

  

We must point out that although there is no obligation to expound the laws of Pesach publicly during the thirty days before the holiday of Pesach according to the letter of the law, nevertheless, everyone is obligated to study the laws of Pesach thoroughly so as not to, G-d-forbid, transgress any of its vast laws. 

  

Thus, we at Halacha Yomit will try to discuss as many of the laws of Pesach as possible; we will not delve into the sources and reasons behind these Halachot in order to have the opportunity to cover as many of the pertinent laws as possible before the holiday of Pesach. 

  

Besides for dealing with the actual laws of the holiday, such as the laws of Matzah and the laws of koshering the house for Pesach, we must also discuss some of the laws of the Blessing of the Trees customarily recited in the beginning of the month of Nissan. 

  

This year, 5774, the first day of Pesach will fall out on a Tuesday and the last day of Yom Tov will fall out on the following Monday (outside of Israel, Yom Tov is observed on Monday and Tuesday). We will, therefore, not be discussing the laws of Eruv Tavshilin since they are irrelevant this year.

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