Passover: the "Little Things"
Passover is approaching and my mind is once again turned toward all the details of the holiday. In particular, the prohibition against eating grains and legumes.
One of the biggest parts of Passover is not eating leavened bread products for a week. It reminds us of what our ancestors went through in order to escape Egypt. But of course the rabbis, in their wisdom, like to put exegetical "fences" around things, and leavened bread is no exception. Not only are you not allowed to eat leavened bread, but you're not allowed to eat anything with live cultures (most cheese & yogurt), other grains like rice, or legumes like beans & corn. Why? Well in the case of beans & corn, it's mostly because they used to be transported in the same burlap sacks that wheat was transported in. They're "little things" that can easily be "contaminated" by using the same sacks. (Yes, "little things" is the technical term.)
Yeah, that's the main reason, and it's kinda silly. In fact it's so silly that half the Jews in the world don't follow that rule. They're the Sephardim and are mostly from Spain, other places in Western Europe, and former Spanish territories like Mexico. It's a completely different sub-culture as compared with the Jews from Eastern Europe (the Ashkenazim). Most Jews in America are Ashkenazi; that's how you get stuff like the Hasidim with their black clothing and long sideburns.
Now, apparently, there's a growing movement among Ashkenazim to abandon the rule against eating "little things:"
“In the recent past, two groups of rabbis have met and, independent of one another, ruled that both Ashkenazim and Sephardim should be permitted to eat rice, corn, and kitniyot during Pesach. Who were these groups, and how did they determine such a ruling? The two groups were the Responsa Committee of the Reform Movement, and the Responsa Committee of the Israeli Conservative Movement. Each Responsum (or rabbinic decision) is available on the internet ( Reform and Israeli Conservative).
Why do Two Groups of Rabbis Now Permit Eating Kitniyot on Passover? Briefly, these rabbinical committees determined that the prohibition of eating of rice, beans and kitniyot is in direct contradiction to the opinion of all the sages of the Mishnah and Talmud (except one), and also contradicts the theory as well as the practice of more than fifty post-Talmudic Sages. Opposition to the ban on eating kitniyot began around the time of it’s inception in 13th century France, with one Rabbi calling the practice “a mistaken custom,” and the second rabbi calling it “a foolish custom”. With regard to Halachah (Jewish law), the central question is this: whether it is permissible to do away with a mistaken or foolish custom. Many rabbinical authorities (including the Rambam, or Moses Maimonides) have ruled that it is permitted (and perhaps even obligatory!) to do away with this type of “foolish custom”. Furthermore, there are many good reasons to do away with this “foolish custom.” A foolish custom
1. Detracts from the joy of the holiday by limiting the number of permitted foods. 2. Causes exorbitant price rises, which result in “major financial loss,” and, as is well known, “The Torah takes pity on the people of Israel’s money”. 3. Emphasizes the insignificant (legumes) and ignores the significant (the avoidance of chametz). 4. Can cause people to ridicule Jewish ritual in general and the prohibition against eating chametz in particular. One might think that if this custom prohibiting eating kitniyot has no purpose yet is observed, then perhaps there is no reason to observe other mitzvot. 5. Can even cause divisions between World Jewry’s ethnic groups.”
Credit to my sister Amy for this one. In the mean time, I've decided to lean on my mother's Sephardic heritage; my mother's family originally came from England, Scotland, Spain, and Holland - all Sephardic countries. Last year Yelena & I ate beans & corn on Passover and it was great. This year we'll do the same, and wait for the rest of Judaism to catch up.
J<
(Fun fact: The prohibition includes corn syrup, so on Passover the Coca Cola Corporation sells coke made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. Look for the bottles with yellow caps. No joke.)
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