The Kitniyot Liberation Front

A Special Place No doubt about it, Har HaBayit is a special place. Up there you can feel His presence. Prayers are answered. For health, for parnassa, even for stopping Ehud Barak from giving away the Land of Israel to the murderer Yasir Arafat (really). But going up to Har HaBayit isn’t for our personal prayers. It’s for the glory of HaShem. So that Jews will ascend the mount in ritual purity each day. In an age when so many forget—or deny—that Har HaBayit is a Jewish place, an ascent to Har HaBayit is a testimony that I have not forgotten. I have not forgotten that the akeida took place on the Temple Mount. I have not forgotten the holiest ceremony of the year, on Yom Kippur, took place on Har HaBayit. I have not forgotten that all of our pilgrimage festivals culminated with a visit to Har HaBayit, not to Uman. I have not forgotten that the Shechina didn’t depart from the Kotel HaMaaravi—of the Heichal on Har HaBayit (not the exterior retaining wall). Nor have I forgotten tha...

It’s been 10 years since the Great Kitniyot Rebellion of 2007 when Rav David Bar-Hayyim issued his famous (or infamous) psak halacha that permitted Ashkenazim to eat kitniyot during Pesach.   Back then, most people were so preoccupied with the removal of kitniyot that the removal of chametz almost seemed like an afterthought. But as the Rav explained, kitniyot are the little things & we need to focus on the bigger issues . Over the last 10 years, many people have talked, written or blogged about eating kitniyot—or not eating them. Even the Reform and Conservative Movements have hopped on the kitniyot bandwagon. But until now, everyone has only cited anecdotal evidence.   In honor of the 10th anniversary of the Great Kitniyot Rebellion, Machon Shilo created an online survey (in English) about Pesach customs and kitniyot. Circulated via Facebook and popular Israel-based email lists, the survey was answered by nearly 150 people. While we can't claim that the...

Rav Eliezer Melamed is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Bracha in Beit El and is a prolific author on Halacha. His series of clear, yet comprehensive, Halachic works called Pninei Halacha are mainstays of baalei batim and yeshiva students alike. Chapter 9 of his Pninei Halacha: the Laws of Pesach has recently been posted to Scribd and it offers good news for chocolate lovers: Chocolate and candy labeled “Kosher for Pesach only for those who eat kitniyot"  are technically permissible even for those who do not eat kitniyot, because the kitniyot in  these products are added before Pesach and are batel be-rov.  In addition, these products generally contain kitniyot oils, which, according to several leading poskim, are not included in the custom to prohibit kitniyot. He goes on to write that kosher certification agencies label them as "Kosher for Pesach for kitniyot eaters" because "people are stringent". I disagree and believe that this is really due to...

The custom of Tefillin is very ancient, even predating the custom of kitniyot. In the USA, tefillin are commonly worn during Chol HaMoed. When making aliyah, most olim from the USA adopt the the "Minhag HaMakom", a.k.a. the local custom, and stop wearing them during Chol HaMoed. What makes this so interesting is that: Most olim continue to abstain from eating kitniyot during Pesach under pretense of following "Minhag Avoteinu", commonly understood as the custom of their parents, rather than the local custom.  Most olim adopt what they believe to be the local custom despite the fact that their Fathers wore tefillin during Chol HaMoed.  And this is the really interesting part--wearing tefillin is not actually a Minhag (custom), but a Mitzvah D'Oreitah, a commandment dictated by HaShem in the Torah.  Ironically, the first source in the Torah that commands us to wear tefillin has a Pesach theme: And it shall be for a sign for you upon your hand, a...

Section 453: Laws Concerning the Wheat and Concerning the Grinding of Wheat for Matzos Even if a person kneads rice flour and the like with steaming hot water and covers it with cloths until it expands like leavened dough, this does not mean that the rice dough has become leavened, but that it has decayed, and it is therefore permitted to be eaten on Pesach .

In last week's the Tzohar parasha sheet, they ran a series of articles on kitniyot. After an article by Rav Dov Lior and some Q&A, there was a fascinating article about Tzohar's efforts to bring some sanity--and some halacha--back to the kitniyot issue. Tzohar's Rabbinical leadership has been in touch with the Rabbanut and a revolution in Pesah labeling is on the way with more accuracy and less humrot that have no halachic justification (although they are popular in Haredi Judaism). They also took the Rabbanut to task for not enforcing its own psak from many years ago that ruled that canola/"liftit" and cottonseed oil are kosher for Pesah even for those who do not eat kitniyot. Tzohar concluded by saying the last year has witnessed the rise in power of the consumer. They call upon Jews who care about halacha to buy only from companies that have halachically accurate Pesah hekshers... not just during the seven days of Pesah, but all year long. Today I w...

Rav David Bar-Hayim responded to a question about eating kitniyot and quinoa: It is tragic that so many Jews have been bamboozled into avoiding foods that are both permissible and healthy. The good news is that it is simple to set yourself free. All that is required is a healthy determination not to be hoodwinked, a refusal to allow persons driven by commercial interest, fanaticism or a misconceived piety to distort Tora Judaism and recreate it in their own image. More from his tshuva: Peanuts may be consumed during Pesah even by those who choose to refrain from qittniyoth  (or are still working up the courage…). At some point in the 1960’s, a campaign was launched by certain individuals to ban peanut oil so that they could sell their four-times-the-price substitute. Rav Bar-Hayim was informed of this by a Rabbi from NYC who served his community for over 40 years. It was a scam for profit. Exactly 29 years ago Rav Bar-Hayim heard the very same opinion expressed by HaGaon HaRav ...

I just returned from another memorable trip to Har HaBayit b'kedushah. So many people were on Har HaBayit that we waited nearly an hour to go up. We had a group of more than 30 people with about 20 from a yeshiva in the holy city of Shechem. Many of the students were not so knowledgeable about the Temple Mount so I was honored with leading part of the tour. Their Rav added several drashot and explained how the Cohanim performed the priestly blessing (he was a Cohen... if you get my drift). In other news, this blog has had 3,000 page views in the last two weeks, clearly showing an increase in the quest for the "real deal" about kitniyot. The KLF really doesn't care whether you eat or don't eat kitniyot. Rather that you should realize that there simply a minhag from Galut that you should--or can leave behind in Galut--so that we can face the bigger issues that are ahead of us on the way to a complete Geula. May this be the last Pesah without Korban Pesah.

The Kitniyot Liberation Front was featured in today's online edition of the Ha'aretz "newspaper" (and I use that term generously). While I make it a practice not to visit the website due to its severely anti-Israel slant, the article is worth a read. The author is a recent immigrant from Germany and his frustration with kitniyot custom in Israel--and his own questions about the minhag lead him to write the article. Efrat rabbi tilts against Passover food restrictions for Ashkenazi Jews Others, unhappy with holiday legume laws, launch Kitniyot Liberation Front. ... A few week's ago, Rabbi Zvi Leshem, of Efrat, issued a ruling that it is permissible to consume products and dishes containing kitniyot, as long as they do not constitute the main ingredient and are not directly recognizable. His decision will help those who do not want to entirely abandon the tradition of avoiding kitniyot but have difficulties finding certain items - such as oil, mayonnaise or chocolat...

Question: My family made Aliyah from the States in August 2006. We are Ashkenazim. The following Pesach I asked the Rav of our Yishuv if we could eat Kitniyot as taking on the custom of Eretz Yisrael etc. and he said no. Are we bound by this answer and is there a way to change our minhag? I feel strongly about this issue. Answer: The system whereby Rabbanim become the Rav of a Yishuv/town/city in Israel is a political and bureaucratic process which, in my view, is neither Halakhically valid nor binding. See Rambam, Mishne Tora, Sanhedrin 2:11 (Vilna edition: 8). Even if this were not the case, a Rav is appointed Rav of the Yishuv and communal issues fall within his purview; one is not required to accept the Yishuv's Rav as one's personal Rav. The Mishna (Avoth 1:6, 1:15) states: "'Asse l'kha Rav", i.e. choose a Rav and follow him. Similarly, the Talmudh ('Eruvin 6b) states that one should not always seek out the lenient opinion, and one who does so is d...

One of the biggest "pieces of shtuth" is the additions to the whole kitniyot craziness. For many years, raw shelled almonds from Supersol were labeled "Kosher for Passover for Eaters of Kitniyot Only". This was pure craziness. Almonds grow on trees and can't become legumes. They were uncooked. The presence of legumes in the factory did not change them into legumes. It was simply an error due to misplaced zealousness. Fortunate this year, the label has been corrected. It is also fortunate that even for those who cling to kitniyot, there is light to disperse the darkness of shtuth. Rabbi Zvi Anshel HaLevi Leshem of Efrat (02-9309133) has written a psak about the halachoth of kitniyot for those who still cling to this custom of the galuth: 1. Some of the oils designated as "kitniot" or "only for those who eat kitniot" are permissible also to Ashkenazim (even according to the position which prohibits kitniot oil), such as peanut, soy, canola and ...

Zealots of Exile are no longer content with their ban on kitniyot and have moved on to banning soft matzah as was eaten by our forefathers for a mere 2000 or 3000 years, minus the last 300. The Rabbinical Council of Victoria (RCV) wishes to express grave concerns about a new product called “Laffa Matza” being sold in certain food outlets in Melbourne, which bears a Kosher for Passover symbol and is soft and chewy. What is clear from this discussion is that: The RCV has not been able to explain why they are concerned--except that the soft matzot are chewy (I have not seen a source for this being a problem nor have they said soft matzot are actually chametz, chas ve shalom) There are vested business interests in this and the "Laffa Matza" is selling well despite their efforts The replies on the Galus Australis blog with the most invective come from people who have never made matzot and don't know what they're talking about There are thinking Jews everywhere who can sep...

In an interview with the UK's Jewish Chronicle, Rav Bar-Hayim explains that it's permissible for Jews in the UK to eat kitniyot: His reasoning is that the tradition of avoiding kitniyot emerged at precisely the time that Jews were expelled from England - 1290 to 1656. This means that, just as the kitniyot custom cannot be considered native to Israel, it cannot be considered native to England. The tradition became established in England, he believes, by Jews who moved from Europe continuing to observe it out of habit after they immigrated. But he argues that according to halachah, when arriving in the "halachic virgin territory" of England they were free to either retain or discard the tradition. He believes that immigrants to England were unaware of this choice and therefore their descendants are free to either retain or discard the kitniyot custom.

Machon Shilo Notes Increase in “Ashkenazi” Kitniyot Eaters Compares Mistaken Kitniyot Ban with Controversy Over Ancient Ashkelon Graves of Pagans JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, March 24, 2010 — Machon Shilo has announced that the kitniyot rebellion continues as more Orthodox Jews are abandoning the mistaken practice of abstaining from eating kitniyot during the Passover holiday. Rabbi David Bar-Hayim, head of the institute notes with satisfaction that Machon Shilo is frequently cited as having an impact on people’s decisions. “Each year I am contacted by an increasing number of people who inform me that they are no longer adhering to the ban on eating kitniyot ,” says Rabbi Bar-Hayim. “They thank me for the “heter” of eating kitniyot and providing clear halachic insight that makes Torah Judaism relevant for thinking people.” Rabbi Bar-Hayim uses sources in the Mishnah and Gemara to demonstrate that customs are connected to the place where one resides and are not simply packed up like household ...

A friend of a friend learns with an avrech from Yeshivat Torat Hayyim, the yeshiva that was expelled from Neve Dekelim and found a warm home in Yad Binyamin. He no longer abstains from kitniyot, having adopted the minhag of the yeshiva. Apparently the students of the yeshiva, following Rav Shmuel Tal, eat some kitniyot and kitniyot derivatives, including humous. Rav Tal is definitely Ashkenazi in origin. Apparently, part of his reasoning for dispensing with the minhag has to do with observing minhag hamakom. And of course, the minhag of Erets Yisrael was--and is--to eat kitniyot. It is interesting to note that Rav Tal and the yeshiva also share another less-than-common practice: wearing tefillin during Chol HaMoed. In short, the good news is that more and more people think that the time has come to dispense with this minhag shtuth and are voting with their wallets and their mouths. They are buying kitniyot and even eating them on Pesah. Not just because it's easier, not just becaus...

Everyone incorrectly "trumpets" the excuse that the shofar is not sounded on Shabbat since you can't carry a shofar more than 4 amot in the public domain on Shabbat. But how many people carry their talit and prayer books all the way to synagogue?? Nearly everyone... so what's the big deal about a shofar?? Most of us should be stunned to read the the Shofar was sounded in the Temple on Shabbat: When the Festival of Rosh Hashana falls on Shabbath, the Shofar was blown in the Beth HaMiqdash [the Temple] , but not in the rest of the country. (Mishnah Rosh Hashana4:1; Talmudh Bavli 29b) The Jerusalem Talmud, also known as the Talmud Yerushalmi asks the following question: "If blowing the Shofar is Torah-mandated, why should it not override Shabbath everywhere? And if it is not Torah-mandated, why does it override Shabbath in the Temple?" Read the new article by the Kitniyot Rabbi to find out why!

It's been four years since the destruction of Gush Katif and the wound has not healed. Most of the criminals have not paid for their crime, but "How the Rose of Sharon Sits" [in a hospital bed]. With the destruction of Gush Katif coming right after Tisha B'Av, the anniversary of the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash, we can only conclude that they are connected. I have felt--and have heard others say--that HaShem sent us a not-so-subtle message about His displeasure about the state of His House. For now, the only message I can see in this horrendous act of shtuth is that it was a wake-up call for Am Yisrael, that we have been negligent in rebuilding the Bet HaMikdash. How indeed can we merit such beautiful houses in the Land of Israel when his house lies in ruins? Kal v'chomer with those who live in comfort in voluntary Exile in Galuth. In a related note, two friends went up to Har HaBayit on Tisha B'Av and gave me a great dvar Torah: That Har HaBayit lies in ...

The seasonal battle over kitniyot has already commenced. According to Ynet ( http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3686451,00.html ), Rav Ovadia Yosef takes a machmir--though not entirely accurate approach--that the Ashkenazi custom of refraining from kitniyot has been around for 600 years. As Rav Bar-Hayim pointed out, we are in Eretz Yisrael, not Europe, and we should all be adhering to the local custom. The error of importing this foolish custom only occured 100-150 years ago and has become increasingly popular as it became more profitable for askanim (wheeler-dealers). And speaking of Europe, a number of years ago, Rav Shaul Yisraeli of the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva recounted to Rav Bar-Hayim how peanuts were served during Chol HaMoed in Lithuania since they were considered a luxury. Maybe we could argue whether peanuts are really kitniyot... or whether they shouldn't be included on the Ever-Growing List of Kitniyot and Things That Make Askanim Rich. It is interesting why Rav Ovad...

The Kvetcher blog took notice of Rav Bar-Hayim's latest article for the Pesah holiday on the Jewish Press blog. Yes, it came after Pesach, but Elliot Resnick at the Jewish Press appears to be sympathetic to the Kitniyot Liberation Front , and posted an essay (and link) to Rabbi David Bar-Hayim and Machon Shilo. We couldn't agree more, but this certainly gave some of their readers something to kvetch about. The most entertaining (and sad) comment talked about the dwindling intelligence of the charedi gene pool. I think that it's sad when anyone is driven out of Torah Judaism due to shtuth, especially when there are so many choices/options that let you stay within the fold.

Rav Bar-Hayim's latest article on the kitniyot saga got some eyeballs at the blog of the Jewish Press. More importantly, they have the wisdom to realize that neither the Kitniyot Liberation Front nor Machon Shilo are really about eating kitniyot: The following is an interesting article written by an interesting person who heads an interesting oganization. Read the blog here .