29 Mar PESACH QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Can one kasher plastic bowls and utensils for Pesach?

Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l (Igros Moshe Orach Chaim II: 92) was asked whether it is permissible to kasher synthetic materials for Pesach. He writes that the Torah sets forth guidelines for kashering metal, wood and clay, but does not discuss new materials that were recently developed. Since we do not have any clear guidelines from the Torah or early poskim as to what they might have held regarding these new materials, we should not permit kashering them. However, many other poskim including Minchas Yitzchak (3:67), Chelkas Yaakov (Yoreh Deah 45), Tzitz Eliezer (4:6) and Rav Ovadya Yosef zt”l (Chazon Ovadya, Hilchos Pesach) were lenient, provided that the plastic will not melt or get ruined from the kashering process. However, if the plastic has scratches or cracks, it cannot be kashered. Many in America have the minhag to follow Igros Moshe and not to kasher plastic. However, if one does not know if that is their minhag, it is the position of the OU poskim that one may be lenient if there is a need.

How do i kasher my granite countertops for Pesach?

Granite countertops are typically a solid slab of stone. Stone can be kashered as indicated in Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 451:8). Granite counters can be kashered even though a sealant is applied to the surface. The sealant is absorbed into the stone, and is not a chatzitza (barrier) to kashering.

How is kashering done? There is a general rule that kbol’o kach polto (in the same manner that the material absorbed, it must be kashered). Since it is possible that hot chametz was spilled on the counter, the kashering must be with iruy (pouring) of boiling water over the entire counter. The water cannot be poured on one area and allowed to flow to other parts of the surface; rather the water must be poured directly on each area of the counter. Mishnah Berurah (451:114) adds that if hot bread was placed on the counter, iruy alone is insufficient. In such instances, a hot stone must be placed on the surface to raise the water temperature. The stone must be reheated several times, so that it continuously remains hotter than the boiling water.

When using a hot stone, there is an interesting side benefit: as long as the heated stone follows after the water, the boiling water need not hit each spot directly.

On a practical level, Rav Belsky, zt”l recommended that countertops should be covered and not kashered, as it is difficult to kasher counters correctly and safely. In addition, if done properly with sufficient water to hit each area of the counter, the kitchen floor will probably be flooded.

Can I kasher my tablecloths and dish towels for Pesach?

Magen Avrohom (O.C. 442:19) writes that a tablecloth can be kashered for Pesach if it undergoes a thorough washing with hot water and soap and is beaten. Igros Moshe (Orach Chaim IV:106) writes that today’s home washing machines, when run through a hot cycle with detergent and agitation, satisfy all these requirements. Rav Belsky, zt”l held that towels made from polyester and other synthetic materials can be kashered in this manner. However, one must inspect the cloth or towel thoroughly to make sure that no chametz remains. It is therefore, better to buy new towels for Pesach, and only use washed tablecloths if they are covered with plastic.

Can I kasher my quartz (stone aggregate) countertops for Pesach?

Engineered quartz countertops, such as Caesarstone or Silestone, are made from a combination of stone, synthetic resins and pigments. Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 451:8) writes that stone can be kashered. But there are differences of opinion regarding whether one may kasher synthetic materials for Pesach. The Majority of poskim permit kashering synthetic materials such as plastic, however, Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l was strict, and many have the custom to follow this ruling. Rav Belsky, zt”l said that even those that have the minhag not to kasher synthetic materials, as per the psak of Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, can still be lenient and kasher these counters. This is because these counters are primarily made of stone and the resin is only a small amount used to bind the stones together. Achronim debate whether we can define a material based on the majority of its components (See Minchas Yitzchak 4:114:4), which in this case is stone. Since not kashering synthetic materials is itself a chumra (stringency), Rav Belsky, zt“l said that one may rely on the poskim that view this material to be like regular stone. However, on a practical level, it is difficult to properly clean and kasher a countertop. Rav Belsky, zt”l would recommend that instead of kashering, countertops should be covered for Pesach.

How do I kasher a silver kiddush cup for Pesach? How do I kasher silverware?

If one knows that throughout the year their Kiddush cup was never washed with hot water, then it would not need to be kashered with hagalah (immersed in boiling water). It is enough to scrub the cup well, with extra attention given to crevices. However, if one might have washed their Kiddush cup throughout the year together with hot chametz (e.g., sink or dishwasher), it must be kashered with hagalah. After cleaning the cup, it should not be used for 24 hours. To kasher, one should submerge the kiddush cup into a pot of boiling water for 10 seconds and then rinse off the cup with cold water. The pot used for kashering may be a chametz pot that had been thoroughly cleaned and not used for 24 hours. First one fills the pot and brings it to a boil. (There is no need to overflow the pot, unless one plans on using the pot for Pesach). That water is spilled out. The pot is then refilled, the water is boiled, and may then be used for kashering (see Taz O.C. 452:10).

Silverware requires kashering with hagalah, because it is used throughout the year with hot chametz. It must be cleaned, left unused for 24 hours and then immersed in boiling water as described above. If kashering a knife with a handle and blade that are separate pieces and the fit is not tight, we are concerned that there may be chometz in the space between the handle and the blade. It is also difficult to properly clean the blade of a serrated knife. One can address these concerns by passing these areas, or any other cracks in the silverware, through the flame of a candle for a few seconds before the kashering takes place.

Can one kasher drinking glasses for Pesach?

Shulchan Aruch (451:26) writes that glass does not absorb and therefore does not need to be kashered. However, Rama (Orach Chaim 451:26) writes that the minhag of Ashkenazim is that glass that had been used with hot chametz may not be used on Pesach even if it was kashered. There are two reasons given for this. One reason is because we compare glass, which is made from sand, to cheres (earthenware), which is made from clay. Just as cheres cannot be kashered, likewise glass may not be kashered. The other reason is because we are concerned that one might not kasher glass properly for fear it might crack. Chayei Adam 125:22 writes that if it is difficult to purchase new drinking glasses for Pesach, glasses, which are used primarily for cold drinks, may be kashered with hagalah.

I see that my infant’s baby formula is not Passover certified. What is the halacha about using it on Pesach?

All infant formulas contain some amount of kitniyos. This is certainly true in the case of soy-based formulas, as soy is kitniyos. Milk-based formulas contain soy as well, in the form of oil. Kitniyos may be consumed by the infirm or the weak on Pesach. The prohibition to eat kitniyos is a custom which was accepted by Ashkenazic Jewry (and not by Sephardim) hundreds of years ago. The minhag was never established for the weak or infirm, a category which includes young children.

In addition to soy-based ingredients, baby formula generally contains maltodextrin, which is a starch derivative, and vitamin C, which is derived from glucose. Both ingredients can either be made from chometz or kitniyos.

My house is usually completely chametz free the week before Pesach. May I use egg matzah on Shabbos for Lechem Mishneh, what bracha is recited and how much must I eat?

To respond to this question we must first explain the concept of kevias seudah (literally, established as a meal).

As explained in a previous Halacha Yomis, egg matzah and crackers are in the category of pas haboh bikisnin (bread that is eaten as a snack), and the bracha is Mezonos. As the term pas (bread) haboh bikisnin (used as a snack) implies, crackers are inherently a type of bread (pas), but the bracha is reduced to mezonos because they are used as a snack. It follows that if pas haboh bikisnin is consumed as a staple item in the meal, the bracha is elevated to Hamotzi.

Under what circumstances do we view pas habo bikisnin as a staple and not as a snack, such that Hamotzi will be recited? The Talmud informs us that when pas haboh bikisnin is used for “kevias seuda” (an established meal), the bracha is Hamotzi. But how do we define kevias seuda?

One way is to eat a large volume, a full meal of pas haboh bikisnin. The Magen Avrohom (168:130) writes there is second way to establish kevias seuda, and that is by eating an amount of pas haboh bikisnin together with other elements of a meal (such as fish, meat, potatoes etc.) that is equivalent to the amount normally consumed at a full satiating meal. According to Rav Belsky, zt”l, one typically eats two slices of bread at a normal meal. Therefore, if one eats 2 egg matzos together with other foods, there is kevias seuda and Hamotzi is recited.

This presentation applies to a weekday meal. In the next Halacha Yomis we will show that the rules of kevias seudah are somewhat different for Shabbos.

Given that the mitzvah of bedikas chometz (searching for chametz) takes place once a year, it would seem to me that we should recite an additional blessing of Shehechiyanu. Why do we not do so?

A number of reasons are given for this. Rosh (Pesachim 1:10) says that since the search for chometz is done in preparation of Pesach, the Shehechiyanu on the Yom Tov covers bedikas chometz as well. Tur (Orach Chaim 432) offers another explanation. If a person leaves home within 30 days before Pesach, bedikas chometz is performed at the last night one will be home before Pesach begins. Since bedikas chometz is not always performed at a set time, it is inappropriate to recite the bracha of Shehechiyanu which concludes ‘vehigiyanu lazman hazaeh’ – “who has allowed us to live to reach this time”. Avudraham (Shaar 3 – Birchas HaMitzvah) explains that Shehechiyanu is only recited when engaging in a pleasurable mitzvah. Destroying chometz causes pain; one discards and destroys perfectly good food. Thus, no blessing is recited.

In the last Halacha Yomis we wrote that during a weekday, Hamotzi is recited on two slices of egg matzah eaten together with a full meal. What is the halacha on Shabbos?

Rav Moshe Feinstein writes in the Igeros Moshe (OC 1:155) that if one eats egg matzah for his Shabbos meal, he is required to wash and bentch, even if the entire meal consists only of a matzah the size of a k’beitza (the volume of an egg), which is the the minimal shiur for a seudas Shabbos (see Mishnah Berurah 291:20). Since there is an obligation to eat three seudos on Shabbos, any time one sits down with the intention to eat a Shabbos meal, the seuda is automatically considered important, kevias seuda is established and Hamotzi is recited.

What is the origin of the custom of not eating gebrochts (matzah dipped in water)?

The Shulchan Aruch (OC 463:3) rules that flour made from roasted wheat kernels may not be mixed with water on Pesach. Even though wheat that is fully roasted cannot become chometz, we are concerned that perhaps some kernels were not properly roasted, and subsequently, the flour might become chometz when mixed with water.

The same concern applies to matzah with flour on its surface. It is forbidden to mix such matzah with water because the flour may not be fully baked and would be susceptible to becoming chometz (MB 463:8).

Where there is no perceptible flour in or on the matzah, is there a concern that some of the dough may not have been thoroughly mixed, and within the matzah there may be raw flour that was not fully baked? There are two different customs; Mishnah Berurah (458:4) notes that there are anshei ma’aseh, scrupulous individuals, who act stringently and do not allow matzah to come in contact with water, as perhaps it may contain unbaked flour. Many Chassidim have this custom. However, Mishnah Berurah (ibid., citing Shaarei Teshuva 460) maintains that this stringency is not halachicaly mandated, since there is no evidence of raw flour in matzah. In addition, our matzos are thin-like crackers, and it is highly unlikely they will contain flour. This was the opinion of Chazon Ish (OC 121:19) as well. Shaarei Teshuva, (OC 460:10) notes that both groups are meritorious. Those who do not eat gebrochts are motivated by yiras shomayim (fear of heaven), lest they inadvertently transgress the laws of Pesach. The ones who are lenient are concerned that not eating gebrochts will limit their simchas (joy of) Yom Tov. Shaarei Teshuva concludes: “Both groups are pursuing paths for the sake of Heaven, and I declare: And Your people are entirely righteous (Yeshaya 60:21).”

If I forgot to insert Havdalah into Kiddush, can I be yotzei (fulfill my obligation of) Havdalah by listening to one of my guests recite Havdalah when they recite Kiddush?

The core issue of this question is the following: The listener already recited Kiddush and only needs to be yotzei Havdalah, while the guest is reciting both Kiddush and Havdalah. Do we say the listener can be yotzei the portion of Havdalah, or do we say he cannot be yotztei Havdalah because the Kiddush is a hefsek (interruption) between the opening bracha of Borei Pri Hagafen and the Havdalah which follows Kiddush? Rav Schachter, shlita, ruled that one may satisfy his obligation in this situation. He brought proof from the Magen Avrohom (OC 296:10) who writes that if one heard Havdalah from another but did not listen to the bracha of Borei Pri Hagafen, he is yotzei Havdalah. We see that Borei Pri Hagafen is not an essential part of Havdalah (though one who recites Havdalah for himself must recite Borei Pri Hagafen because Havdalah must be said “al hakos”, on wine). In our situation, even if Kiddush would be viewed as an interruption, it cannot be worse than if he did not intend to be yotzei Borei Pri Hagafen at all, and yet he is still yotzei Havdalah.

Similarly, Rabbi Genack heard the following from Rav Soloveitchik zt”l. Rav Soloveitchik would always sit for Kiddush. He explained that the bracha of Borei Pri Hagafen on the wine is an integral part of Kiddush and he wanted all those listening to his Kiddush to be included in this bracha as well. To include others in the bracha of Hagafen, it is preferable that everyone be sitting. However, for Havdalah he would stand. He explained that the bracha of Hagafen is not integral to Havdalah. He said that this was the practice of Rav Chaim Soloveitchik as well.

One is not permitted to eat before hearing Havdalah. If one forgot to recite Havdalah in Kiddush and must wait until after Maggid to recite Havdalah, may Karpas be eaten at the usual point of the seder?

The Shulchan Aruch Harav (473:7) writes that in this scenario, since one cannot recite Havdalah until after Maggid, one may eat the Karpas even without having said Havdalah. The Mishnah Berurah (Beiur Halacha 473, s.v. Od) writes that if one has not yet eaten the Karpas, perhaps it is better to recite Havdalah (before Maggid) and then eat the Karpas, because eating before Havdalah is a clear violation, while adding an additional cup is a matter of dispute among poskim. However, he leaves the question unresolved. The Kol Dodi Haggadah quotes Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l who held that in this case, since one is forbidden to eat without making Havdalah, one should in fact recite Havdalah before eating the Karpas.

I do not eat gebrochts (matzah dipped in water). Should my stringency include refraining from eating matzah with butter as well?

As previously noted, those who avoid gebrochts are concerned that there may be unbaked flour in the matzah. Nonetheless, the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (Teshuvos 6) rules that even those who do not eat gebrochts may be lenient regarding matzah dipped in fruit juice, because Shulchan Aruch (OC 462:1) rules that fruit juices, a category which includes milk and butter, do not cause flour to become chometz. On the other hand, Sama D’chayei (13:6) notes that although fruit juice mixed with flour will not become chometz, fruit juice mixed with water and flour will become chometz in an accelerated manner (see OC 462:2). Since matzah is made with water, some of the water moisture is retained in the matzah even after the baking. As such, the combination of matzah and fruit juice may accelerate the chometz to occur (if there is unbaked flour in the matzah). Therefore, Sama D’chayei argues that one who is stringent regarding gebrochts should not let the matzah come into contact with fruit juice. The Steipler Gaon concurred with this ruling (Orchos Rabbeinu, vol. 2, p. 50).

I sometimes become hungry and thirsty during Maggid. May I eat a snack or drink a coffee?

The second cup of wine at the seder is filled after karpas so that Maggid (the central portion of the Haggadah) will be recited over the cup of wine. The Mishnah Berurah writes that after filling the cup, it is inappropriate to drink a separate cup of wine (Be’ur Halachah 473:3 s.v. Harishus). Both Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Halichos Shlomo, Hil. Pesach 9:34) and Rav Elyashiv (Shevus Yitzchok, Pesach 9:3) maintain that only wine is restricted, but in cases of necessity, one is permitted to drink water or coffee. Rav Elyashiv explains that unless there is a pressing need, even water should be avoided because the Haggadah should be recited with a sense of awe and reverence (see Mishnah Berurah 473:71).