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Everything you always wanted to know about
Judaism, but were too afraid to ask!
New questions and answers will be added to
this page on a regular basis, so please remember
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Have your Halacha questions answered. (Use
the link below to ask your own questions. Please
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Please note that previous questions answered
by Rabbi Livingstone are suffixed by
RL. New questions answered by Rabbi
Anthony are suffixed by RA.
Email
to your new questions to Rabbi Anthony
Questions about Festivals,
in no particular order.
Pesach questions:
Purim questions:
General questions:
PESACH QUESTIONS
It
is permissible to give kitniyot to an infant on Pesach?
This depends on the child. If a child can eat
healthy food that is not kitniyot, that is preferable.
Usually, halachic authorities indicate that
two years of age is the upper limit but, if
a two year old is not ready to eat other food
then the limit goes up as high as his or her
Bar or Bat Mitzvah. RA
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Frozen vegetables
need Pesach supervision because the equipment used to
make saltwater brine is the same as is often used for
Chametz. Is there any leeway on this?
As pasta blends are often produced on the same
equipment, one should only buy frozen vegetables
that have Pesach supervision. RA
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Does bottled
water require Pesach supervision?
All unflavoured bottled water, seltzer and
sparkling water are Kosher for Pesach, even
without any Kosher supervision. RA
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Is it permissible
to eat unsupervised unprocessed fruit and vegetables
on Pesach?
Yes RA
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Is it permissible
to deposit one’s chametz on erev Pesach into one’s
wheelie bin, given the fact that it does not belong
to you but belongs to the council?
As the bins belong to the council, there is
no problem with disposing of the chametz by
putting them in the wheelie bin. However, there
is a problem if the bin remains on your property.
From what I understand, it is acceptable to
leave one’s bin on the street on rubbish
collecting day but not on other days. Hence,
if erev Pesach is not collecting day, there
is a problem. Here are two suggestions –
as Naomi suggested one can pour a chemical over
the chametz to render it inedible. Alternatively,
one can include the rubbish bin and its chametz
contents with the items being sold to a non-Jew.
In this case, the bin can’t be used on
Pesach. RA
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Should the
cup or bowl which is used to kasher the microwave be
one that is used for chametz or for pesach?
As long as the cup/bowl is clean and hasn’t been
used for 24 hours, it doesn’t matter. RA
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Should the
pot that one uses for kashering be a Pesach pot or a
chametz pot?
As long as the pot is clean and hasn’t been used
for 24 hours, it doesn’t matter. RA
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It is preferable
to replace the glass plate in the microwave. If one
uses a Styrofoam plate, is this dangerous?
There are critics who say that heating Styrofoam releases
toxins that can cause illness and ruin food. However,
the majority of scientists say this is not the case.
Many varieties are safe to microwave and these products
should have a microwave-safe label stamped somewhere
on them. Styrofoam that isn’t labelled as microwave
safe shouldn’t be heated in the microwave. If one
is using Styrofoam, it would be advisable not to cover
over the door so that one is able to keep an eye on
the containers while they are in the microwave and shut
off the heat if it appears to be melting. RA
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If I cover
the hotplate with foil, is it necessary to leave on
the hotplate for 40 minutes prior to that?
No RA
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Can I use the
opportunity of Pesach kashering to convert my milchig
utensils to fleishig and vice versa?
Yes. This applies to both one’s
Pesach utensils and one’s chametz utensils. RA
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Why do Ashkenazim
not kasher glass that was used for hot liquid?
This is based on a position that compares glass to
earthenware due to the similarity in the processes of
their production. Both glass and earthen utensils are
produced via intense heat which alters their crystalline
structure, resulting in a fundamental change of their
physical properties. RA
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What does one
do with the oven hood for Pesach?
It should be cleaned well but does not need to be covered
for Pesach unless the hood is very low. RA
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Is it necessary
to put foil over the sink faucet?
The faucet should be included in the kashering of the
sink by pouring the water over it. RA
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What is the
reason that, when kashering the ovens, we heat them
on maximum temperature for (according to some) 40 minutes?
It is necessary to heat the ovens until they reach
such a temperature that it could singe a piece of straw.
RA
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Can one kasher
any kitchen countertop?
One should cover or kasher one’s countertops (as
opposed to cupboards, fridges and anywhere where we
place cold chametz which only requires cleaning and
scrubbing). One kashers the surface by cleaning it,
not putting any hot chametz on the surface for 24 hours
and then pouring boiling water over the surface in the
way in which we described for kashering sinks. Alternatively,
one can cover the surface. RA
Please find a guide for these purposes below.
Sephardim can kasher glass tile surfaces.
| MATERIAL |
|
|
| Acrylic |
Yes
|
Kasherable if no stains or
scratches, otherwise must be covered |
| Ceramic tile |
No
|
These countertops must
be covered for Pesach |
| Concrete, Cement |
Yes
|
If there is a synthetic finish,
consult an Orthodox rabbi |
| Glass tile |
No
|
These countertops must
be covered for Pesach |
| Granite |
Yes
|
If there is a synthetic finish,
consult an Orthodox rabbi |
| Marble |
Yes
|
If there is a synthetic finish,
consult an Orthodox rabbi |
| Metals (stainless steel, copper) |
Yes
|
|
| Plastic laminate |
Yes
|
According to cRc policy, this
can be kashered |
| Polyester base |
Yes
|
Kasherable if no stains or
scratches, otherwise must be covered |
| Porcelain tile |
No
|
These countertops must
be covered for Pesach |
| Quartz design |
Yes
|
|
| Slate |
Yes
|
If there is a synthetic finish,
consult an Orthodox rabbi |
| Soapstone |
Yes
|
If there is a synthetic finish,
consult an Orthodox rabbi |
| Wood, Butcher block |
Yes
|
Kasherable if no stains or
scratches, otherwise must be covered |
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If I am going away for
Pesach, do I still need to clean my house and
search it or is selling it enough?
When one is locking up the house and selling
all one's chametz, it is not necessary to do
a full-scale Pesach clean. It is however necessary
to identify what chametz one is in possession
of, and specifically where in the house it is
in order to be able to sell it. So, I guess
the minimum is to go around the premises locating
and segregating the offending foodstuffs and
preferably noting all this on a list which can
then be attached to the Sale of Chametz form
given to the rabbi. If one is leaving within
a month of Pesach, one then does the bedikat
chametz search (without a bracha unless done
the night before Pesach) in order to reassure
oneself that one knows where all the chametz
is in order to be able to deal with it. If you
do this, then you can shut the house for the
duration of the chag with a clear conscience!
RL
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I am not the
youngest member of the family but I would really like
to say Ma Nishtana. Is this allowed?
The reason the Seder begins with the Q&A format
of Ma Nishtana is very much in order to stimulate a
real interest on the part of children. Many other facets
of the Seder evening are similarly designed to appeal
to the young imagination - these include the dipping
of the Karpas vegetable, singing of tunes like Dayeinu,
the Afikomen, the Cup of Elijah - to name but a few.
This is because the origins of the Seder lie in the
command of the Torah to give over the story of the Exodus
to our children (veHigadata leBincha). In this way,
the defining event and experience of our history - one
that has, sadly, repeated in different ways over the
millennia - is passed from parents to children and from
generation to generation and never forgotten.
Thus, when seeking someone at the table to
ask the questions, we always go for the youngest
child because it is the young that need most
to be drawn in and captivated by the Seder experience.
So, as long as one is aware of the importance
of centering the Seder on children, then there
is no reason why adults cannot also be involved!
In our family, we bridge the gap by inviting
the children to ask the questions in Hebrew
and English - and then we all join together
in singing them through again. Of course, in
homes where there are no young children, while
there may then be the residual custom of asking
the 'youngest' member of the family to take
the lead, it really should be open in such circumstances
to everybody to share in the Ma Nishtana.
RL
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Why
in Israel do they celebrate only one seder night
but here we have two?
Your real question I suspect is why we celebrate
two days of Yom Tov in the Diaspora while in
Israel they only celebrate one? The answer lies
in the unique history of Jewish life in Israel
in Temple times. The Great Court in Jerusalem
known as Sanhedrin would determine the months
based on regular sightings of the new moon.
This rolling lunar-linked system meant that
the beginning of every new Hebrew month had
to be decided by the Court and then communicated
a.s.a.p. to Jews living both in the Holy Land
and the further flung Diaspora. Furthermore,
as months would normally vary between 29 and
30 days in length this could only be finalized
at the last moment by the ruling of the court.
So, as a result, and given the vagaries of communication
in the ancient world, communities such as that
in Babylon had often to estimate when the new
month would actually begin - only to have it
confirmed some time later. This created a perpetual
doubt as to the start days of the festivals
because of the margin of error of one day was
always there - so, to be safe, they kept two
days of Yom Tov. When the Jewish calendar was
finally fixed, in the 3rd century based on calculation
- and thus uncoupled from all of the issues
above - the rabbis after much deliberation decided
to retain the difference between the communities
in Israel and those in the Diaspora by requiring
a second day to be observed outside of Israel
in relation to all dates of relevance; just
as it had been in previous times because of
the doubts mentioned above. While this is was
not strictly necessary once the calendar had
been pre-determined, the real reason lies in
a rabbinic desire to forever remind us of the
original system which functioned when the Temple
was extant; and also to emphasize for all time
that ideally Jews should be living in Israel
where the calendar was never in doubt! RL
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Why
do we open to door to Elijah on Pesach?
There are really two reasons - one fairly obvious
and the other rather less so.
The obvious one is around the fact that Elijah
in Jewish tradition is meant to announce the
final Messianic redemption. He is said to live
throughout the centuries so that he can be available
at any time to undertake this task. Jewish tradition
has it that, as this evening is hallmarked from
the era of the first Exodus as a time of redemption,
Elijah hovers in the background ready and willing
to begin the process of the final redemption
at a moment's notice! We capture a sense of
this and remind ourselves of his mission by
'inviting' him into our home. First, we pour
out a cup to symbolize that he is coming and
then, to the delight of the children, we open
the door to actually let him in.
The other less apparent reason behind this
ritual lies in the eternal faith we have clung
to - despite the many threats against us since
time immemorial -that G-d protects and watches
over us. On Pesach evening, which is the quintessential
'Night of Protection' (L'eil Shimurim), we unlock
the door and leave it open for a few moments
as a show of faith that G-d will always look
out for us and save us from harm; exactly as
he did on this very evening so long ago. This
connects back to the messianic idea that the
Almighty has a unique destiny in store for the
Jewish people which began in Egypt and may well
reach its climax when Elijah announces the coming
of the Messiah on Pesach eve! RL
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If I
am Ashkenazi and my husband is Sephardi, can
I eat rice over Pesach?
Generally, when a woman marries, she takes on
the customs of her husband. While there are
exceptions to this principle in instances where,
for example, the husband may prefer to concede
his custom to that of his wife - nevertheless,
the presumption is always in the opposite direction.
Therefore, if your husband is Sephardi and eats
rice over Pesach, then there is no reason why
you should not do the same. An interesting fact,
however, is that Sephardim from different countries
have rather different customs in regard to rice
and legumes (Kitniot) and, therefore, it is
always worth double-checking the precise nuance
of custom that your husband practices. RL
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If I
get bored during the seder, is it permissible
to take a short break to play a game of chess
and then come back with more concentration?
The better strategy may well be to try to make
your Seder more interesting!
I guess if it was absolutely necessary and would
help the concentration on the Seder, then one
could take a very short break - but there are
a number of reasons why this is far from ideal.
First of all, there are many mitzvot such as
reciting Haggadah, the four cups of wine, eating
matzah etc. that need to be carried out over
the course of the evening. One should not really
delay in engaging in these in favour of a chess
match! Have you ever considered strategies to
liven up the Seder experience? One can certainly
add in interesting explanations and history
and share the leading of the Seder between all
of those present. Some have suggested that it
might be a good idea to move to the living room
for the reciting of the Haggadah if it helps
to provide a more relaxed and enjoyable, as
well as interactive, setting. Ultimately, only
you know what your own needs and limitations
are, but I rather think that this is an occasion
to put aside one's own chess yearnings in favour
of concentrating on the extraordinary 'game
of chess' the Almighty conducted on our behalf
with the Egyptians! RL
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Shouldn't
we be concentrating on modern day oppression
instead of rambling on about slavery from years
ago?
It is precisely by keeping alive the memory
of our history - the lows and the highs - that
we sharpen our awareness of the terrible effects
of abject degradation and indeed of the blessings
of freedom from oppression. In this way we ought
to become much more empathic to modern day suffering
around us and aware of the need for vigilance
in identifying it. If this does not happen then
we really have not properly absorbed the message
of the Haggada.
A wise man once said that if history teaches
us one thing - it is that we [often] do not
learn from history! So, Mike, if we don't indulge
in looking back from time to time and occasionally
'ramble on' about our suffering - then we may
very well lose touch with it - leading to a
real lack of the vision and awareness needed
to go safely forward. And by that we might condemn
ourselves and others to repeat the mistakes
and oppressions of the past. RL
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My
family doesn't tend to take that long over the
Seder and usually finish around 12. But some
of my friends' Seders go on until the early
hours of the morning! Does it matter how long
it lasts for?
According to the Halacha, one is meant to finish
the Afikoman [and with it the Seder meal] before
the mid-point of the evening [usually around
midnight]; but the rest of the proceedings may
even continue into the early hours. Personally,
however, I think one has to strike a sensible
balance. On the one hand, it is a unique occasion
with many facets and much to do. Family and
friends gather together to celebrate numerous
special mitzvot including the recital of the
Haggada and related discussion; the drinking
the four cups; and the eating of matzah, maror,
and the Seder foods.
In order to keep the attention of children
through all this, there are engaging questions
and rituals built in. But adults also need to
remain engaged and scintillated over a long
evening! So it makes a great deal of sense not
to let things bog down too much. One approach
is to share around the reading of the Haggada
among those at the table and to translate relevant
portions into English. Instead of all the discussion
taking place when the Haggada is said, some
of it can deliberately be centred around the
meal. Ultimately, as long as the experience
is meaningful, fun, and embodies the proper
mitzvah ingredients - it doesn't really matter
whether you finish earlier or later! RL
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How
come Sephardim can eat rice and other such foods
on Pesach, while Ashkenazim have different rules
altogether?
In the Middle Ages, European Ashkenazi Jews
began to be seriously concerned about the close
proximity of dried legumes and quasi grain products
to actual chametz substances during transport
and storage. This appears to have been due,
at least in part, to the great distances that
food was often required to be transhipped and
then stored in colder northern Europe. In warmer
climes, however - such as those where many Sephardi
and Oriental Jews lived - this does not appear
to have been such an issue and concern. Therefore,
while Ashkenazim developed a custom of kitniot
avoidance - other communities did not.
That said, even Ashkenazim do not actually
consider such foods to be proper chametz. In
fact they can be owned and stored throughout
the festival. It is merely customary not to
eat them in their recognisable form. For this
reason, some even permit their oils and derivatives
to be used. Certainly, if one is ill or in medical
need of a kitniot substance - then the restriction
can normally be relaxed.
Finally, don't imagine that Sephardim haven't
got their stringencies too. It is all 'swings
and roundabouts' reflecting a rich and colourful
tapestry of Jewish diversity. But rice and peas
aside, we still have vastly more in common!
RL
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Why
do we lean during the Seder?
Leaning [heseiba in Hebrew] is a graphic expression
of being relaxed and at ease. Because of this
the Rabbis saw it as an ideal way of demonstrating
our sense of freedom and joy during the Seder.
In Roman and ancient times only the free men
who were wealthy and leisured classes ate reclining
on sofas. We emulate that ancient style in order
uniquely to capture and celebrate a fresh emotion
of being free, blessed, and very fortunate.
RL
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PURIM QUESTIONS
What
is the source for people dressing up on Purim?
Isn't this something copied from Halloween or
something?
This is certainly not copied from Halloween
as the practice is much older than that. There
are a number of reasons why fancy dress has
become such an important part of Purim; a few
of my favourites are the following:
Firstly, it is the best way of capturing the
imagination of children - and also embodying
through costume the story and spirit of this
special day. Secondly, in a fun way, it mocks
the idea that the Jew can ever change his or
her identity through superficial and external
changes. On Purim, because of the universal
nature of Haman's decree (not unlike Hitler's
Final Solution), Jews were reawakened as to
their true spiritual identity and then managed
easily to throw off the trappings of the Persian
pagan culture. A third reason relates to the
Megillah's description of the miracle of Purim
in terms of a dramatic 'changeover' of fortune
(VeNahafochHu). We therefore change and swap
our normal clothing to underline the graphic
nature of this miraculous reversal. Finally,
the miracle of Purim was actually a hidden one,
in that G-d did not reveal Himself openly by
way of intervening in any obvious biblical sense.
Some say that this is why the Almighty's name
is entirely absent from the Purim Scroll. Moreover,
the name Esther - although Persian in origin
- in Hebrew actually means 'hidden'. Because
of this, the custom arose to hide our own identities
by way of fancy dress - thus capturing an essential
theme of this day and reminding ourselves that,
although we cannot see Him, G-d always stands
by us, 'behind the veil' as it were.
I hope by the time you read this that you will
have dressed up on Purim and thoroughly enjoyed
doing so! RL
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It
has always intrigued me as to why it is a mitzvah
to get drunk on Purim.
Why is this and does this mean that it is forbidden
to have a few too many
at all other times?
It is, in fact, neither a mitzvah to get plastered
on Purim nor an absolute prohibition to indulge
at other times. Judaism, according to Maimonides,
is about healthy moderation in most things.
Occasionally – such as on Purim –
this is trumped by the need to show an extra
special joy and, even, indulgence. We are told
that one drinks to the point of not being able
to distinguish between Mordechai and Haman.
But most veer away from a literal interpretation
of that in favour of understanding it to be
an encouragement to throw aside one’s worldly
worries and rejoice with a full heart.
In terms of drinking at other times, again,
depending on the occasion, and as long as one
doesn’t make a habit of it, there is nothing
wrong with more than one l’chaim! RL
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GENERAL QUESTIONS
Is
it ok to celebrate Chrismukkah?
I think that, if in reality, there was such
a thing as Chrismukkah it would be a very muddled
and confused affair which would probably lack
the real flavour either of Chanukah or the other
holiday alluded to! While Jews are happy to
go along with certain aspects like shopping
which surround Xmas; and while we wish the very
best at this time to our gentile neighbours,
it must be total anathema from a Jewish religious
perspective for us to join in a celebration
of the birth of Jesus. While I fully recognize
that some assimilated Jews will effectively
celebrate some sort of hybrid of Chanukah and
Xmas - often by importing a tree to the home
etc - this can only serve to dilute our own
traditions and perpetuate the ignorance that
such amalgamation represents. So, in a word,
it is definitely not okay to celebrate Chrismukkah!
If, on the other hand one is invited through
work to a seasonal party or if cards and gifts
are exchanged as a matter of established civility
and the Jew is expected to participate in a
non-religious way, and by opting out offence
would be caused, then this may be allowed.
It is well worth remembering in this connection
that the very origins of Chanukah lie in the
brutal Greek campaign to assimilate Jews away
from their customs and observances. By turning
ones back on this spiritual commemoration in
favour of a spurious combination event, one
undermines the very core of the Festival of
Light. RL
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