Shabbat, Sepharadi Style part 8

Wait, did I say at the end of my last post that we should have some tea? Wow, does that open a can of worms! How shall we make it? I have discussed in other posts, that ,in the laws of Shabbat, a vessel cooking over the fire is a "kli Rishon" (first vessel). Theoretically, we may put into it any dry, fully cooked food. But most avoid doing this. Anything not fully cooked will become cooked in a kli rishon, thus violating Shabbat. If we pour the water from a kli rishon into another vessel (kli sheni; second vessel), according to the vast majority of authorities, no further cooking takes place. However, the boiling water coming out of a kli rishon, before it comes to rest in the kli sheni, still can "cook", at least by rabbinic law. Since there is "no cooking after cooking", a Sepharadi will not hesitate to pour boiling water over coffee, which has, of course, been roasted. An Ashkenazi will never do this, as they fear we do not know if the principal of "no cooking after cooking", also applies to roasted, baked, fried, etc. Sepharadi eyes roll at this point. In the kli sheni, we may place anything...probably. In a totally different area of halachah, in the laws of tithes, we find an idea that one cannot take tithes from cooked food on raw food, or vice versa. Thus, carrots grown in Eretz Yisrael, if raw, can only be tithed with raw carrots. But how do we define raw? If they were heated, until they appear cooked, they are cooked. This would apply even in a kli sheni. So, since a kli sheni will make certain foods appear cooked, especially thin leaved vegetables. perhaps we need to apply this to Shabbat as well? Most Ashkenazi rabbis do, in fact, apply this to leafy vegetables and herbs. They insist on placing these foods into a kli shlishi (third vessel), before putting in hot water. One seventeenth century posek even wrote that anyone avoiding putting ANYTHING into a kli sheni "will be blessed". (One early twentieth century posek wrote that although this makes little sense, it's worth it to be strict, in order to receive that rabbi's blessing.) Some Sepharadic poskim are also hesitant to put leafy foods into a kli sheni, but most see no relationship between the principal of tithing, and the laws of Shabbat. Tea leaves, although they have been heated as part of the drying process, are not actually "cooked". The degree of heat is generally under the temperature needed to "cook". Therefore, most Sepharadim will put a tea bag into a kli sheni (into which the water has already been poured). Most Ashkenazim will insist on a kli shlishi. Some will argue that even this may be problematic, and prepare, before Shabbat, a tea "essence", to be mixed with hot water in a kli shlishi. So, if you are following Ashkenazi practice, pour the water into a kli sheni, then into a kli shlishi, and put in your tea bag, or, better yet, use tea "essence", and enjoy.If you are following Sepharadi halachah, pour the hot water into a kli sheni, then feel free to add whatever you wish. Rav Ovadia Yosef writes at length that it is permitted, but qualifies his ruling with a "better not to". I do not know if he meant that for real, or if it was merely a nod to Ashkenazi sensibilities. I, personally, will place a tea bag into a kli sheni. Now. let's have that cup of tea, and please squeeze some lemon into it.

Shabbat, Sepharadi Style part 7

Since we have enjoyed out gefilte fish, how about a salad? If we are Ashkenazi, not so simple. If vegetables need to be peeled, we run into the issue of "borer". Even if we determine that peeling a vegetable is NOT borer, the halachah stipulates that most permissible preparations, cannot be performed with "a specialized utensil" (kli hameyuhad l'kach). According to most Ashkenazim, that woulod rule out a vegetable peeler. Sepharadic rabbis disagree, arguing that a vegetable peeler is merely one of many types of knives, and hence permissible, But wait. May I cut the vegetables? Ashkenazim point to a Talmudic passage that says that we may not cut vegetables "finely". This is interpreted as a prohibition of "grinding" (tohen). How fine constitutes "grinding"? As it is not defined, we had better leave the vegetables in fairly large chunks. In fact, to be safe, let's cut them a little bigger than we do on weekdays. Sepharadim will say "Wait. The context of the above mentioned passage in the Talmud is cutting vegetables or herbs finely in preparation for cooking, either for food or medicine. It has nothing to do with "grinding'." The Sepharadi will prepare the vegetables as finely cut as he pleases. Do you want some lemon juice on that? Not so fast. We have before us a question of "sohet" (squeezing, wringing out). "Sohet" is a subset (toldah) of "separating". The Talmud informs us that the squeezing of grapes to make wine, or olives to make olive oil, is Biblically forbidden, as we are separating the desired liquid from the rest of the fruit. The Talmud extends this, as a rabbinic "fence", to pomegranates and raspberries, which were frequently juiced and fermented at that time, in that part of the world. All other fruits, where juicing is uncommon, are permitted. Ashkenazi opinion later extended that to all fruit that we may wish to juice. Sepharadic opinion, based on RAMBAM, says that no new decrees can be made after the demise of the last Sanhedrin (fourth century), except for a recognized local rabbi, for his community only. Many Ashkenazim, on the other hand, consider a situation that, had it been known to the Sanhedrin, we may reasonably assume that they would have forbade, to be, in fact, forbidden. (Lemons were unknown in the Middle East in Biblical and Talmudic times). Therefore, all juicing is now prohibited on Shabbat according to Ashkenazi opinion. An almost universal "out" in this, is if we are squeezing the lemon not into a bowl, or even into a drink, but rather only onto a solid food. It never had the status of a juice, but only of a condiment. Even here, though, many Ashkenazim say "it's permitted, but better avoided". Most Sepharadic rabbis see this as a strange interpretation. Only the juicing of grapes and olives is Biblically forbidden. Pomegranates and raspberries are rabbinically forbidden. No decree was made on anything else, and hence it is permitted. (Surprisingly, Rav Ovadia Yosef forbade the juicing of oranges, as orange juice today is extremely common). Since lemon juice is almost never consumed as a beverage, unless other ingredients are added, it is not considered juice at all. Therefore, it may be freely squeezed, even into a bowl. Again, it is not that the Sepharadim are looking for "outs", but rather that they do not consider the stricter opinions in this case, to have any textual or logical merit. That one great rabbi or another ruled differently, is of no interest or importance, unless he put forth a source, or a reasonable argument. Now, let's have some salad, along with tea and lemon.

Shabbat, Sepharadi Style part 6

The next part of our story, I like to call "the Gefilte Fish". It is a long established custom of most Jews to have a fish course at all, or at least some, Shabbat meals. This is mostly custom, but greatly emphasized in Kabbalah. However, some see a problem in doing so. One of the prohibitions of Shabbat is "borer"; the process of selecting out bad from good, or even good from bad if it is to be kept for later. For example, a bowl of fruit, in which one is rotten. It is absolutely forbidden to remove the rotten one on Shabbat. Rather, one may take out the good ones. This, too, would be forbidden if the good is put aside for later use. This even applies where one item is not bad, but not what I want right now. If peanuts are mixed with raisins, and I want the peanuts now, pulling out one or more raisins would be "borer". What does one do with fish? Most Ashkenazi poskim (legal decisors) see the removal of a bone from the fish as a Biblical prohibition of "borer". One must eat the flesh from around the bones. Therefore, European Jews developed the "Gefilte". The bones have been removed before Shabbat, with the flesh being cooked and seasoned. Classically, it was then stuffed back in the fish skin, or more commonly, made into a sort of fish dumpling. In Poland, even the non Jews enjoyed it, calling it "Jewish Fish". Problem solved. One early nineteenth century posek even forbade the eating of nuts on Shabbat (although this practice is widely reported as being done in Talmudic times), as sometimes a piece of shell gets mixed in. Its removal would constitute "borer". Most Sepharadic poskim see here no problem. First of all, if done in the normal process of eating, there can be no "borer".(Derech Achilah) That is the way of eating. One would not be likely to eat a nut without removing the shell. It makes no difference if the shell has inadvertently become mixed in with the nut. To do so BEFORE the meal, in the course of preparation, would indeed be forbidden. But not during the meal. Furthermore, most Sepharadic authorities say that there is no such thing as "borer" within a single item. The fish and its bones constitute a single item. The bones can be removed, according to this view, even before the meal! In addition, most Sepharadim see no problem in separating an unwanted solid from a liquid. They were never really "mixed", thus obviating the need for separating. if a fly fell into one's wine, most Ashkenazim would be sure to remove it along with some of the wine, with others saying that even this is forbidden. A Sepharadi would simply remove the fly. It never was "mixed" with the wine. I can still remember my younger, Ashkenazi self, swallowing watermelon seeds along with the flesh, in order to avoid "borer" (most people would spit out the seeds once in the mouth). Now, I freely remove the seeds before eating.The more relaxed the atmosphere of Shabbat observance, the more the soul can soar. I love being Sepharadi.

Shabbat, Sepharadi Style part 5

I mentioned in passing in my last post, about the issue of medications on Shabbat. The ancient rabbis forbade medication on Shabbat, as the herbal medicines used in those days (and by modern day practitioners of herbalism), often involved grinding an herb, and then cooking it. Grinding is one of the thirty nine melachot. But what if one already has an herbal formula prepared? The rabbis feared that someone experiencing pain or discomfort might be so agitated that he might prepare such a remedy on Shabbat. Therefore, they forbade the use of a remedy, even if it had been prepared before Shabbat. Jewish law recognizes three degrees of illness. One who is, or might be, dangerously ill (holeh sheyesh bo sakanah), one who is not in danger, but is experiencing pain all over his body, or else is so uncomfortable that he must lie down, or else is so uncomfortable that he is unable to sleep. (Holeh she'ein bo sakanah), and lastly, someone who has a localized, not unbearable pain (miktzat holi, or meihush).An example would be a moderate or slight headache. In the first case, nearly all commandments, even Biblical commandments, may be, and must be violated, if necessary in curing the person. (Exceptions are idolatry, adultery, incest, murder). In the second case, no Biblical command may be violated, but rabbinic commands may be, including taking already prepared medicines. In the third case, we may violate nothing. Both Ashkenazi and Sepharadic rabbis agree that even now, when medicines are rarely made from herbs, the prohibition still applies, based on the principal of "lo pelug" (no differentiating). That is, if the rabbis forbade "medicine", they made no distinction. It is also clear that they made no distinction between a medical preparation made at home, and one purchased from a physician or herbalist. However, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (1920-2013), in my opinion the greatest halachic authority in the last seven hundred years, issued a responsum shortly before his death, that all medications purchased in a store or pharmacy, are now permitted. His reasoning was that we not only do not make our own medicines, but don't even buy them from an herbalist. We buy them from a store, that in turn buys them from a pharmaceutical company, that makes it in a factory, that is connected with a laboratory, There is no longer any reasonable fear of making it up on Shabbat. We are at least five steps removed from the person who prepares the formula. This is even too far to apply the principle of "lo pelug", as this is way beyond a reasonable doubt that our sages could have envisioned. He did not present this as a "heter", a dispensation for an emergency situation. Rather, he felt that this is an absolute reality in modern circumstances, that must be accepted. This has been a great boon to allergy sufferers, people with an annoying itch, as well as countless others. Strictly speaking, this is not a Sepharadic-Ashkenazic issue, but it illustrates the willingness of great Sepharadic rabbis to meet the challenges of new realities, while Ashkenazi rabbis are more determined to preserve the eighteenth century..

Shabbat, Sepharadi Style part 4

We go to Synagogue, come home, make Kiddush on the wine, and have our meal. Although there are different nuances in the prayers, and the foods served at the meal, none of these differences are terribly significant. Our next big "shocker" comes when we stand in the bathroom, ready to brush our teeth. Sepharadim will, Ashkenazim won't. Here we find one of the most basic differences between the two groups. As we have discussed, there are thirty nine labors forbidden on Shabbat. They are based on the thirty nine activities involved in the building of the Sanctuary in the wilderness. The labor of making fire is mentioned specifically in the Torah. But extinguishing is also one of the thirty nine. It was an action used in the manufacturing of charcoal, used in the burning of incense. There is a Talmudic debate about extinguishing a burning object NOT for the purpose of making coal. One view is that such an activity is still forbidden Biblically. Others say that it is forbidden only rabbinically. This situation is known as "melachah sheeinah tzerichah L'gufah" (A labor not intended for it's designated purpose).The view of nearly all medieval authorities, other than RAMBAM, is that it is a rabbinic prohibition. But what if one is not at all interested in the RESULTS of the action, but rather in the action itself? For example, one of the labors is "spreading". If a viscous coating is spread on an object, such as glue or cement intended to fix a crack in a utensil, that would be the prohibition of "spreading". What about toothpaste? We certainly spread it. However, we are not interested in the toothpaste covering our teeth, but rather in the effects of the toothpaste. In fact, we quickly spit it out, and rinse our mouths in order to get rid of the last traces. Ashkenazim still consider this to be a prohibition of "spreading"; either by Biblical or rabbinic law. Sepharadim argue that, as I am not interested in having the toothpaste remain in my mouth, only in the effects, there is no prohibition whatsoever. The same applies to a bar of soap. Ashkenazi rabbis see in it two prohibitions; "spreading" and "wearing down" (an offshoot of "grinding").Sepharadic rabbis say that as I have no desire to keep the worn down soap on my body, but rather I quickly rinse it off, there is really no issue. Going even further, salves and creams, that I DO NOT wash off, but my intent is that they be absorbed in my skin, also constitute no problem. (I will discuss the issue of medications in another post). This idea will be applied not only to toiletries, but in many areas of food preparation, as I shall discuss. Indeed, there is a very different mood to a Sepharadi Shabbat.

Shabbat, Sepharadi Style part 3

Now that the candles have been lit, let's take a peak into the kitchen. As the Torah clearly forbids lighting a fire on Shabbat, we will find either a gas jet left on, covered by a piece of metal (blech or plata), or an electric hot plate. In the Ashkenazi home, the blech is covered with many dishes to be eaten both on Friday night, and on Shabbat day. The ones for the day might be only partially cooked, in which case, they may not be stirred, as this will hasten the cooking. Once they are fully cooked, they may be stirred, but only while not directly over the flame, lest, unbeknownst to us, there might remain some morsel of food that has not yet been completely cooked, which may become cooked when we stir it.  While serving the food, the pot must at all times be held in one's hand, or else it will not be permitted to return to the blech. In the Sepharadic home, we will be surprised to see none of this, and the above restrictions are likely to be unknown. Friday night's food will, indeed, be on the blech, already fully cooked, waiting to be enjoyed by the family, once the men have returned from Synagogue. We will find the food for Shabbat day, fully cooked, stored in the refrigerator. It will be placed on the blech in sufficient time to become piping hot when served. Why the difference? The Talmud clearly states a principle "There is no cooking after cooking". This means that once food has been fully cooked, there is no prohibition to warm it up; it does not "cook" again. There are, however,  minority opinions in medieval rabbinic literature, that this applies only to a solid dish. Liquids can cook again. Most Yemenites ignore this, even replacing a pot of previously boiled water on to the blech. Sepharadim do consider those minority opinions, but will put back on the blech a mostly solid dish, even if it contains some liquid from the cooking. No new liquid will be added. Although some Ashkenazim will put a previously cooked dish on the blech, they will be sure to check that there is no visible liquid. Most, however, will NEVER do this, as there is always likely to be at least a trace of liquid, which will boil once placed on the heat. Some even fear that fat present in meat will melt, and then boil. Thus, the principle of "no cooking after cooking" is seen as completely theoretical. Let us remember that the idea of previously cooked liquids being able to boil,is a minority opinion, and hence a mere stringency. Once the food is served, it may freely be returned to the blech or the refrigerator. A dish that is mostly liquid, such as soup, will either be kept on the blech, or refrigerated and put on the blech on an upside down pan or plate, so that it will only get warm, and not cook. Sepharadim will use a timer on an electric hot plate. They will even put soup on the hotplate before the hot plate switches on, allowing the soup to thus become hot automatically. If the plate has become hot already, it must be considered as similar to the case of the blech over the fire. Ashkenazim consider many of these actions to be forbidden. If I may editorialize a bit; most hot plates are of shoddy construction, imported from the Far East. Overheating and fire are not uncommon. There have already been tragedies. Those rabbis who insist on stringency with hot plates on timers will, I believe, have to give an accounting in the Heavenly Court for having spiled blood.. Having the hot plate go on only shortly before the meal, when the kitchen is supervised, saves lives.Once again, we see that the Serpharadi approach is not really a leniency, but rather does what Talmudic law requires, without theoretical constructs  reading into the text ideas that never occurred to our Sages. "Her ways are the ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace".(Proverbs 3:17)

Shabbat, Sepharadi Style part 2

We will first encounter a difference between an Ashkenazi and Sepharadi Shabbat already with candle lighting. Among Ashkenazim, the last thing that the lady of the house does before Shabbat begins, is to light the candles. With the blessing on the candles, she accepts Shabbat and may do no more "melachah" (labors). However, we have a halachic principle, that a blessing is always said BEFORE a mitzvah is done. The sole exception to this mentioned in Talmud, is the immersion of a convert. Before the immersion, the convert was not Jewish, and thus unable to say the blessing as a Jew. The Talmud says that he or she should immerse, come out of the water, put on some clothing, and recite the blessing without delay. But since Ashkenazi women accept Shabbat with the blessing, reciting it before candle lighting would mean that she can no longer light. The accepted practice is to light first, then cover her eyes, and only afterwards look at the candles. The vast majority of Sepharadic authorities have great problems with this procedure. First of all, there is no Talmudic basis for saying that Shabbat begins with the blessing, or even with the lighting. That is an idea that first is suggested in medieval Franco-Germany. In fact, even the Ashkenazi rule is that if a man is lighting candles, in the situation where no woman is present in the home, he is to first say the blessing, light, and sometime between the lighting and sundown, accept upon himself the sanctity of Shabbat. He may even drive to the synagogue (as long as the Sun has not yet set), and accept Shabbat when he gets there. Similarly, Sepharadic women first say the blessing, then light, and shortly afterwards make a declaration of accepting Shabbat. Moreover, most (but not all) Sepharadic rabbis insist on extinguishing the electric lights in the room, and only then bless on the candles and light, putting the electric lights back on once the candles are lit. The reason for this being, that the primary function of the Shabbat candles is to have light in the home on the eve of Shabbat. If the electric lights are on, there is already light, and the candle is then superfluous. In fact, most Sepharadic rabbis agree that the electric lights can also serve a Shabbat "candles". Therefore, we turn of the electric lights, recite the blessing, light the candles, and only then put the electric lights back on. One Sepharadic posek (halachic decisor), Rabbi Yitzchak Abadi, considers the electric lights to be the main "candles", recommending that the blessing should be said on them, and only afterwards lighting actual candles, which then becomes only a custom.Most Sepharadic authorities consider the recitation of the blessing after lighting as the grave sin of a blessing in vain. Ashkenazim would counter that custom trumps law; an idea  nowhere to be found in the Babylonian Talmud.,In practice, some Sepharadic communities have accepted the Ashkenazic custom, while some Ashkenazim have gone over to the Sepharadic practice. But most follow in the guidelines I have described., When I went to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef in 1991 to inquire if I could become Sepharadic, he asked me how my wife blesses on the candles. I said "before lighting, as is proper!". He smiled, and welcomed me into the Serpharadic fold.