Preparing Food on Yom Tov - Rabbi Eyal Peled shlita

00:02 Speaker 1 You’re listening to “Lema’an Yishme’u,” a podcast from Machon Halacha Chabad.

00:09 Speaker 2 Shalom u’vrachah. Today we’re going to talk about the laws of sorting on Yom Tov. These laws are a little complicated; there are several conditions. First, we need to know that the Sages prohibited sorting on Yom Tov, even though it is work involved in preparing food. They prohibited it because sorting wheat or other grain is normally done in large quantities, enough for many days. We don’t want someone to do that kind of sorting on Yom Tov: he might sort large quantities, spend the whole day at it, and miss out on the joy of Yom Tov. The Sages didn’t want that to happen. So they prohibited certain activities that are fundamentally part of food preparation but are normally done in large quantities for other days, not just for that Yom Tov. Sorting is one of them. But the prohibition is limited to sorting things that are normally sorted for several days at a time, such as grain. The ordinary sorting we usually encounter isn’t done for many days at a time. For example, the Alter Rebbe writes explicitly that sorting legumes is permitted on Yom Tov. So I may sort legumes on Yom Tov. But I always need to remember the rule: if I could have sorted them before Yom Tov, I should have done so. If I didn’t, then it would seem that, according to this rule, I would have to sort them in an unusual way on Yom Tov. But when it comes to sorting—

02:28 Speaker 2 it’s a little stricter. The rule for sorting is that if I could have done it before Yom Tov without the food being affected or losing anything, I should have done it then. If I didn’t sort it before Yom Tov, I may not sort it on Yom Tov, unless I follow the rules for sorting on Shabbos: taking the food from the unwanted material, by hand, for immediate use. In that respect, Yom Tov is the same as Shabbos. But if I couldn’t have sorted it before Yom Tov, the halacha says I may sort it normally on Yom Tov, even taking the unwanted material from the food. Let’s give some examples. Say I want to prepare rice or beans. It’s true that sorting rice and legumes is permitted on Yom Tov, but I need to ask myself: Could I have sorted them before Yom Tov? Nothing would have happened to the rice if I had sorted it then; it wouldn’t have spoiled. The same goes for beans and other legumes. Since I could have sorted them before Yom Tov, I may not sort them normally on Yom Tov. I may only do it according to the Shabbos rules: taking the food from the unwanted material, by hand, for immediate use. On the other hand, there are things that would be affected if I sorted them before Yom Tov. For example, this applies to sorting done while eating. That isn’t something I could have done before Yom Tov. I wouldn’t remove all the bones from a fish before Yom Tov. Then

04:21 Speaker 2 the fish would look rather sorry. The same goes for bones in meat or chicken. I couldn’t have sorted those things before Yom Tov, so on Yom Tov I may sort them normally, even removing the unwanted parts from the food. I can remove the fish bones in the usual way, without any problem. The same goes for chicken bones. But sorting on Yom Tov has rules that differ somewhat from Shabbos. It’s true that, in the cases we mentioned, if I couldn’t sort something before Yom Tov, I may sort it on Yom Tov itself. Still, I need to follow the rules for sorting on Yom Tov. What are those rules? The principle is that we should try to minimize the effort involved. Effort is the main consideration in sorting on Yom Tov. I need to ask myself which way of sorting requires the least effort. Sometimes removing the unwanted material from the food takes less effort. Generally, when there’s only a small amount of unwanted material, that’s what I should remove. Again, all this applies when sorting is permitted on Yom Tov because I couldn’t have done it before Yom Tov. But when taking the food from the unwanted material involves less effort, that’s what I should do. The point is to keep the effort to a minimum. Sometimes, even though there’s more food than unwanted material, it may still be easier to take out

06:25 Speaker 2 the food. For example, if the unwanted material consists of tiny, fine particles scattered throughout, you’d have to pick them out with tweezers. In that case, I should take the food from the unwanted material. The same principle applies whenever I need to sort something on Yom Tov and the situation didn’t exist before Yom Tov: sorting is permitted. So, for example, I may use a peeler. That’s another detail: when sorting is permitted on Yom Tov, I may even use a utensil that would be prohibited for sorting on Shabbos. So I can use a peeler on Yom Tov without any concern. Likewise, I can use a tea infuser[?] on Yom Tov. I have one with a strainer at the end that holds back the tea leaves so the liquid pours out smoothly. I may use it on Yom Tov without any concern. Similarly, when I want to take a tea bag out of my tea, on Shabbos there is a stringency of placing a spoon underneath it. On Yom Tov that isn’t an issue. I can take it out normally, without any problem. Along the same lines, if an insect falls into my cup of tea—a fly, an ant, or another flying insect—I can simply take it out on Yom Tov. There’s no need to pour out some of the tea or use any other method like that. On Yom Tov, it’s fine. Likewise, I may strain noodles in a colander. After cooking them, I pour them into the colander and drain them. That’s also permitted. The reasoning here is that this draining in a colander is

08:19 Speaker 2 It would be permitted, but as we’ve said, we always have to remember that this is on condition that it could not have been done on Erev Yom Tov. I hadn’t prepared the noodles yet on Erev Yom Tov; I’m preparing them now on Yom Tov, so I can strain them on Yom Tov, even with a strainer, as we said. The explanation is that there isn’t really food and waste here: even what passes through the holes of the strainer is fit to eat. It isn’t truly waste. That’s how the Magen Avraham explains it. Also, this isn’t something normally done for many days at a time, so it’s fine. On the other hand, suppose we have fruits, vegetables, or legumes that are dirty with mud, soil, or pebbles, and I want to put them in water so the waste floats to the top or, alternatively, sinks to the bottom. That is forbidden. The Alter Rebbe does not permit it. Some explain that he forbids it because it is a weekday-type activity. This could come up with a candy that got dirty—a candy that fell into mud or water and had mud stick to it. You want to put it in water and let the waste come off. That would be forbidden. As we said, some explain that the issue is a weekday-type activity; that is what the Chayei Adam maintains. As for melon and watermelon seeds, I can remove them from the melon or watermelon in the usual way without any problem. I can simply pull the seeds out. The same goes for a blood spot in an egg: I may remove it in the usual way; there is no problem with that. One important point, before

10:23 Speaker 2 we get into that important subject: let’s also talk about sifting flour, which is another aspect of sorting. This is called sifting. In general, sifting is forbidden on Yom Tov because it is normally done for many days at a time. So one may not sift flour on Yom Tov. But the flour the halachah speaks of as forbidden to sift is flour mixed with bran or other waste, where this is its initial sifting. That initial sifting may not be done on Yom Tov. The flour we get, though, has already gone through several stages of sorting and sifting. When we need to sift it a second or third time, or later, that is permitted on Yom Tov, provided we could not have done it on Erev Yom Tov. With everything, we have to ask ourselves: Could I have done it on Erev Yom Tov or not? Seemingly, I could have sifted it on Erev Yom Tov and nothing would have spoiled. In such a case, I would need to do it differently. So, again, since the flour we get has already undergone an initial sifting, or even more than that, and we sift it only because of concern about worms and the like, in principle it can be sifted in the usual way—but only if it could not have been sifted on Erev Yom Tov. If it could have been, I need to sift it in an unusual way. What does that mean? If I usually sift into a bag or something similar, I would sift directly onto the table, or onto a sheet of paper placed on the table. Or, if I can turn the sieve over and sift using its upper side, that certainly counts as an excellent change from the usual way. That is also

12:17 Speaker 2 an option. If there are worms in the flour—and this halachah is also brought in the book published by Machon Halacha—it is forbidden to sift it. In that situation, sifting is forbidden. It is effectively an initial sifting; the flour has returned to its original state. Once I know there are worms in the flour, I may not sift it. Another case is if a pebble fell into flour. Here, too, we see an example of sorting that is normally done for many days at a time. It might be more common with matzah meal: I have matzah meal with pieces of matzah mixed into it, and I want to sort the pieces out. That is forbidden, because sorting grain products is problematic: it is normally done for many days at a time. Similarly, if a pebble falls into flour, I may not pick it out. If dirt or something like that falls into flour, I may not remove it. Again, with wheat flour, we have an issue of sorting. What I can do is remove the dirt along with some of the flour, or sift the flour again, leaving it all clean. Since we’re discussing sifting flour, it’s worth knowing that after I’ve cleaned the flour, I can knead dough and separate challah from it. Separating challah is permitted specifically from dough kneaded on Yom Tov itself. If I have dough from Erev Yom Tov, I may not separate challah from it on Yom Tov. But if I prepared dough on Yom Tov itself—often we want to bake challahs, cakes, and the like—and I have an amount that requires separating challah, then I may separate challah on Yom

14:20 Speaker 2 Tov. I won’t burn it on Yom Tov; I’ll do that after Yom Tov. But I may separate challah on Yom Tov when the dough itself was made on Yom Tov and not on Erev Yom Tov. Just note that I cannot put that separated challah in a vessel, because it is muktzeh. Putting it in a vessel would render the vessel unusable. I need to place it on the table or somewhere similar. One last point about sifting: if I need to measure the flour, that is forbidden. If I want to measure it to determine whether I have the amount that requires separating challah, I may not measure it. But I can use cups. In other words, if I’m not using a measuring utensil, but I know that three cups of flour constitute the required amount, I may do that. If I still want to use a measuring utensil, I need to take a little less or a little more than the required amount, rather than measure it exactly. Okay, that covers sorting. May it be Hashem’s will that, since we’re discussing the halachos of Yom Tov, what we pray for in Bentching—“May the Merciful One grant us the day that is entirely good”—should come to pass. May we hear good news. Shalom u’vrachah. Today we’ll discuss the melachah of cooking on Yom Tov. Cooking is a very central and common melachah. We use it a great deal on Yom Tov to prepare food and the like, but not only to prepare food. We often use heat for warming, washing ourselves, washing dishes, and so on. First, it’s worth knowing that although I may cook on Yom Tov when there is a need, I may not cook for a weekday. On the other hand, if I need to prepare a lot of food, then even if I intend

16:34 Speaker 2 some of it to remain for after Yom Tov, it is permitted, provided I put it all in before placing the pot on the fire. So if I want to put a lot of meat in the pot now, and I have in mind that some will also be for after Yom Tov, that is permitted. I can put as much as I want into the pot in one go, as it were, with a single effort, and then place the pot on the fire. That is fine, provided I don’t say explicitly that it is for after Yom Tov. Having it in mind is fine, but I should not say it explicitly. So of course cooking for Yom Tov is permitted, as we said. It is very important to know that, in general, all the melachos permitted for food preparation are permitted to prepare food for a Jew, but not for a non-Jew. I may not cook to feed a non-Jew, as the verse says, “Only that which is to be eaten by every person, that alone may be done for you”—“for you,” and not for a non-Jew. So I may not cook for a non-Jew. This can come up quite often in Chabad Houses that invite people they are in touch with, or families from the former Soviet Union. Sometimes a family member has married a non-Jew, G-d forbid, and they come as guests. We then find ourselves in a situation where we would need to cook for a non-Jew, and that is forbidden. I may not cook for a non-Jew. Not only that, I may not even invite that person. I cannot say, “Listen, come be my guest on Yom Tov,” even if I don’t plan to cook for them. I may not invite them lest I cook for them. During the visit, I might suddenly want to cook something and give it to them to eat, so I may not even

18:40 Speaker 2 To invite the non-Jew. That really is a problem. Often, people want to invite families where, unfortunately, there has been an intermarriage. They want to invite the couple, but they run into the problem that they may not invite them. If the non-Jew comes on his own, I may give him some of what I prepared. Even then, I can’t urge him to eat: “Eat! Why aren’t you eating? Come, try some—eat, eat.” I give it to him and set it down beside him, as we do on Pesach. You serve it beside the person: if you want to eat, eat; if not, don’t. I may not press him to eat. That said, this situation can be very, very upsetting and difficult when there really is a need to invite a couple, one of whom is not Jewish. There is a leniency cited in the Mishnah Berurah: if not inviting him causes you distress and detracts from your joy on Yom Tov, you may invite him. Of course, that doesn’t permit cooking for him, but you may invite him and let him eat the food you prepared. So this leniency can be relied on when necessary, in cases where not inviting him would genuinely cause distress on Yom Tov. Concern about ill will is not enough. It says explicitly that even if he would feel resentment or take offense, that is not enough. But if you would be distressed on Yom Tov because you cannot invite him and he cannot be your guest, you may rely on this leniency, invite him, and give him some of the food we prepared. The same follows from the principle we learned: “Since it was permitted for a need, it was also permitted for something other than that need.” This principle applies to cooking too. We say that since the Torah permitted me to cook for Yom Tov, it also permitted me to cook—it permitted me to cook for eating, and it also permitted me to cook for other kinds of benefit.

20:46 Speaker 2 So I may also boil or heat water for washing—for washing my face and hands, though not my whole body, because that is not a benefit shared by everyone. For washing my face and hands, I may heat water. Heating water to wash dishes is also permitted, provided those dishes became dirty today. Dishes that were already dirty before Yom Tov should have been washed before Yom Tov. After all, washing dishes is not food preparation, nor is it a form of enjoyment; it is only a preparation for food. And with preparations for food, the rule is that if I could have done them before Yom Tov, I may not do them on Yom Tov. So if dishes became dirty before Yom Tov, I may not heat water to wash them, even if grease or something similar is stuck to them and they need hot water. But if the dishes became dirty on Yom Tov, I may heat water to wash them. It is also permitted to turn on the hot water from the boiler for this purpose, whether to wash one’s face and hands or to wash dishes. There is a somewhat problematic aspect to this, though. When I turn on the hot water from the boiler, the issue is not the hot water coming out now. There is no problem with the water coming out now, even on Shabbos. The problem is the cold water entering the boiler. As it enters, it mixes with the hot water in the tank, which is classified as a kli rishon, and cooks in it. That cooking is prohibited. Now, it is true that we say cooking is permitted not only for eating but also for other benefits shared by everyone.

22:48 Speaker 2 Washing dishes and washing oneself are examples. But here, it would seem that the water I use to wash the dishes is not the water being heated on Yom Tov. The water being heated on Yom Tov is the new, cold water entering the boiler through the pipes; it heats up and cooks there, and I don’t use that water at all. So it seems that I am causing water to cook for no purpose. Nevertheless, it is permitted, although major halachic authorities do disagree about it. Shevet Halevi leans more toward prohibiting it, but Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach writes explicitly that it is permitted. I also heard from Rabbi Farkash[?] that there is evidence from the Alter Rebbe supporting Rabbi Auerbach’s position that it is permitted. Therefore, one may turn on the hot water from the boiler to wash dishes or to wash oneself—for example, one’s face and hands. Okay, that concludes our discussion of cooking. Everything else is straightforward. I may cook for Yom Tov; I just have to follow the rules. If it is something I could have cooked before Yom Tov without affecting the food’s taste or appearance or causing a financial loss—and I mean without relying on a refrigerator; even if there were no refrigerator, nothing would be affected—then on Yom Tov I would have to do it in an unusual way. But with cooking, there isn’t really a way to do that. Cooking is cooking; it’s hard to cook in an unusual way, so it would indeed be prohibited. If we encounter something we could have cooked before Yom Tov without any loss of flavor or anything similar, we cannot cook it on Yom Tov,

24:44 Speaker 2 because we would have to do it in an unusual way, and we can’t. Hello and blessings. We’re continuing with the laws of Yom Tov, and this time we’ll discuss kneading. Kneading is one of the forms of work permitted on Yom Tov. It is food preparation that deals directly with the food, so in principle it is permitted on Yom Tov. From this we can also learn that one may whip an egg on Yom Tov. If I want to make a whipped topping, I may whip the egg on Yom Tov. I may even separate the yolk from the white. Yes, Rabbi Auerbach writes that this is permitted; there is no problem of borer, because I could not have done it before Yom Tov. So I may separate the yolk and white and whip one of them. Likewise, whipping cream is permitted, even with a whisk made for that purpose, provided it is not electric, of course. Whipping sweet cream to make whipped cream is also permitted. Along the same lines, I may prepare tahini on Yom Tov in the usual way. The same goes for egg salad, various porridges, pudding, and jelly. Noodles, though, are not a common case; we don’t make noodles on Yom Tov. But according to halachah, making them is prohibited, because they can be made before Yom Tov without any deterioration. We need to remember that any form of food preparation that can be done before Yom Tov without any deterioration or loss of taste or appearance must be done before Yom Tov. If I did not do it then, I would have to do it in an unusual way on Yom Tov. With kneading, though, in the vast majority of cases there is a loss of flavor. If I make the tahini before Yom Tov, it will deteriorate. If I make the egg salad beforehand, its taste won’t be the same. The same is true of nearly all cases of kneading, apart from kneading noodle dough. That is not something we do nowadays, but kneading noodle dough causes no loss of flavor, so according to halachah it is prohibited on Yom Tov. There is also a product called denture adhesive. I don’t know whether people use it today, but there is a ruling that applying this material to dentures is also permitted. All of this is fine when we are talking about kneading for people, but kneading for animals is prohibited. The verse says, “Only that which is eaten by any person, that alone may be prepared for you.” In other words, it must be for us, not for animals. Food-preparation work was permitted for people, not for animals, so I may not knead food for animals. There are certain animals—I think some kinds of parrots—whose food has to be mixed with water. Doing so combines it into a mixture, usually a batter. That would be a problem; it is prohibited to do it on Yom Tov and must be done before Yom Tov. Of course, kneading bread dough is also possible on Yom Tov. If it could not be done beforehand—if the kneading could not be done before Yom Tov—it may be done on Yom Tov. But before kneading the dough, there is the sifting of the flour. That falls under the work of borer, which we will discuss later, with Hashem’s help. So that is the situation regarding kneading. Hello.

26:45 Speaker 2 Okay, if I make the tahini before Yom Tov, it will lose its quality. If I make the egg salad beforehand, it won’t taste the same. The same is true in almost all cases of kneading, apart from kneading noodle dough. That’s not something we do nowadays, but noodle dough doesn’t lose its flavor if made beforehand, so kneading it on Yom Tov is forbidden according to halacha. There’s also something called denture adhesive. I don’t know if people still use it today, but if they do, there is a ruling that applying this material to dentures is permitted as well. All of this is fine when we’re talking about kneading for people. But if we’re talking about kneading for animals, it’s forbidden. The verse says, “Only that which may be eaten by every person—that alone may be prepared for you.” In other words, it has to be for us, not for animals. So food-preparation melachos were permitted for people, not for animals, and I may not knead food for animals. There are certain animals—I think various kinds of parrots—whose food has to be mixed with water. In doing that, you’re combining the ingredients; you’re making a mixture, uh, generally a soft mixture. That would be a problem. It’s forbidden to do that on Yom Tov; it has to be done before Yom Tov. Of course, kneading bread dough is also possible on Yom Tov. If it couldn’t be done beforehand—if it wasn’t possible to do it before Yom Tov—you can knead it on Yom Tov too. But before kneading the dough, there’s the sifting of the flour, which falls under the melacha of selecting. We’ll discuss that, with Hashem’s help, later on. So that’s essentially where things stand regarding the melacha of kneading. Shalom.

28:28 Speaker 2 And blessing. Today we’re going to talk about grinding on Yom Tov: when is it permitted to grind, and when is it forbidden? We’ll begin with a very important distinction. First, we should say that, in principle, grinding on Yom Tov is forbidden. It is forbidden by rabbinic law, even though it is a food-preparation activity and, according to Torah law, should have been permitted. Nevertheless, the Sages generally prohibited grinding on Yom Tov. The original form of grinding—grinding with millstones—is done for many days at a time. It is done in large quantities, including for days after Yom Tov. So the Sages forbade it to prevent a person from grinding such large quantities, not for Yom Tov, and becoming so occupied that he misses out on the joy of Yom Tov. That would be a problem. So the Sages generally forbade grinding with millstones. But the Alter Rebbe tells us that this applies to grinding things like wheat and other grain, which are ordinarily ground for many days at a time. Grinding that is done in small quantities for that day, for Yom Tov itself, is generally permitted. That includes various spices, fruits and vegetables that are ground for use that same day. There’s no problem with that; it’s permitted. But there is still a restriction. What is it? We’ll divide this into three categories. There are spices, fruits or vegetables—whatever they may be—that lose nothing if I grind them before Yom Tov. Walnuts, for example: if I grind them before Yom Tov, that’s perfectly fine. Their flavor won’t change, and nothing will spoil. Or carrots, for example—I think carrots too. Even if I grind a carrot before Yom Tov, it won’t spoil by Yom Tov. So with things like these, grinding before Yom Tov causes no loss. It won’t

30:32 Speaker 2 spoil by Yom Tov. With such things, where grinding before Yom Tov causes no loss, if I want to grind them on Yom Tov, I’ll need to do it in an unusual way. Ideally, I’m required to grind them before Yom Tov, because that’s possible. But if I didn’t get to it and want to grind them on Yom Tov—say, I want to crush walnuts to make chocolate balls or something similar—I’ll need to do it in an unusual way. What does that mean? It means changing the way I do it somehow. If, for example, I want to crush them with a hammer, I could place them directly on the countertop. Usually I’d crush them inside a plate or something like that. So I put them on the countertop and crush them there, or on a bare table, and that also counts as a change. There’s another category of spices that lose a little of their flavor. There are spices, fruits or vegetables whose flavor is somewhat diminished if I grind them before Yom Tov. Some say potatoes and apples are examples: if I grind them before Yom Tov, their flavor is somewhat diminished. In such a case, where there is a slight loss of flavor, there’s a disagreement. Some hold that it’s permissible to grind them on Yom Tov. In other words, not “nevertheless”—on the contrary, precisely because their flavor would be diminished if I ground them before Yom Tov, I may grind them on Yom Tov itself without changing the usual method. That fits the rule we know: any food-preparation activity that can

32:31 Speaker 2 be done before Yom Tov without anything spoiling must be done before Yom Tov; otherwise, if I do it on Yom Tov, I must do it in an unusual way. Accordingly, when it comes to spices that would lose some of their flavor if I ground them before Yom Tov, I may grind them on Yom Tov from the outset, even in the usual way. That’s one opinion. But there is a stricter opinion. It holds that no—even if there would be a slight loss of flavor, I still cannot grind them on Yom Tov in the usual way. I have to change the method, despite that slight loss of flavor. Apparently, this stringency is not based on the general principle that any food-preparation activity that can be done before Yom Tov should be done then, and otherwise must be done in an unusual way. Under that principle, even a slight loss of flavor would be enough to let me do it on Yom Tov in the usual way. Rather, grinding is different: as we said, grinding is generally forbidden on Yom Tov because it is ordinarily done for many days at a time, and the Sages generally prohibited it on Yom Tov. So even when they permitted grinding small quantities for a single day, they did not permit it completely. They still said to do it in an unusual way. According to this opinion, even fruits, vegetables or spices that would lose a little flavor if ground before Yom Tov must be ground in an unusual way on Yom Tov. Despite the loss of flavor if I ground them before Yom Tov, I still need to change the method. What does that mean? For example, if

34:18 Speaker 2 I want to grind a potato or an apple by grating it, I’ll have to change the way I do it. Instead of grating it normally, I could turn the grater over and grate from bottom to top, rather than the usual top-to-bottom motion. That’s one possible change. Another is not to grate it into a dish. Instead of setting the grater over a plate and grating into it, I put it on the table, or put a piece of paper underneath, and grate so that the food falls directly onto the table or the paper. That also counts as a change. So this is where we stand: things that don’t lose flavor must be ground before Yom Tov. If I didn’t do that and grind them on Yom Tov, I’ll need to change the method. And we are stringent even with things that lose a little flavor if ground before Yom Tov: when I want to grind them on Yom Tov, I’ll still need to do it in an unusual way. [unclear] says more than that: even if I had no idea I’d need to grind it at all. It’s the day before Yom Tov, and I’m not planning to make applesauce. But then Yom Tov arrives, and I need to make applesauce for a small child who, at the moment, has trouble eating hard foods, or something like that. Even in that case, I’ll need to change the method if I want to mash the apples. Again, there’s another very important principle: whenever grinding is permitted, it’s permitted even with a utensil designed for grinding. Millstones are the exception, because they’re used to grind for many days at a time. But utensils ordinarily used to grate or grind food for that same day are permitted on Yom Tov. So whenever grinding is permitted, it’s permitted even with a utensil meant for grinding—

36:04 Speaker 2 whether that’s a grater, a mortar and pestle, or other utensils of that kind. We have a third category: things that lose their flavor entirely. Grinding them before Yom Tov would really ruin their taste—for example, bananas, garlic, onions, various vegetables, avocados and things like that. There’s a little room for discussion here, but we saw that the Mishnah Berurah, in Shaar Hatziyun, cites Rabbi Akiva Eiger as saying that this restriction does not apply to things whose flavor would be completely ruined. They may be ground in the normal way, even without any change, because their flavor would be completely ruined. The stringency and restriction don’t apply to them, and they may be ground normally, without any need to change the method. The question is whether the Alter Rebbe agrees with this leniency of Rabbi Akiva Eiger. On the one hand, it would seem that he does, because when he discusses the problem with spices that lose flavor, he says—and these are his words—“We do not permit him to perform a full-fledged melachah on Yom Tov.” Yes, he says, “And even spices that lose flavor may not be crushed in their usual manner on Yom Tov, without any change. Because of the slight deterioration in flavor that would occur, we do not permit him to perform a melachah.” In other words, he too is speaking about something that would suffer only a slight loss of flavor. But when its flavor would be completely ruined, then, seemingly, he too would agree that it may be ground without any change. Although afterward he mentions the custom cited by the Rema

38:08 Speaker 2 He cites that they nevertheless had the practice of doing it differently. But Rabbi Akiva Eiger addresses this practice and says that even according to it, foods that completely lose their flavor may be ground on Yom Tov without doing it differently. Rabbi Akiva Eiger is considered one of the great halachic authorities, so there is certainly an authority to rely on. Anyone who wants to be lenient here has someone to rely on. Especially if I did not know before Yom Tov that I would need to grind these fruits or vegetables, there is even more room to be lenient. So, in conclusion, bananas, garlic, onions, vegetables, and avocado may, in principle, be ground without doing it differently, even with implements made for grinding, such as a grater, a mortar, or a potato masher. While we are discussing grinding, some point out that on Shabbos I have restrictions when preparing a vegetable salad: it is preferable to cut the vegetables into larger pieces and to do so shortly before the meal. On Yom Tov, those restrictions do not apply. I can chop them very finely, and that is fine. Some even permit cutting a vegetable salad with a vegetable chopper—a device with a set of blades that I turn by hand and that chops the salad. Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasah is among those who permit it. But it is worth noting that the Biur Halachah seems to indicate that this is a problem and would be forbidden. Among the halachic authorities I have seen, Piskei Teshuvos, for example, permits it, while Netivei Gavriel [unclear] forbids it. There are grounds for both positions, so it is better not to do it

40:23 Speaker 2 with an actual vegetable chopper, but to make the salad with an ordinary knife. As for a home grinder, some permit grinding coffee in one. Of course, we are not talking about an electric grinder. When we discuss grinders of any kind, electricity is out of bounds. We do not use electrical appliances on Yom Tov; that is disrespectful to Yom Tov, and we do not do it. But a home grinder—apparently, people once had grinders like that for coffee—some permit using it because the grinding is done in small quantities for one day. Others do permit it, but the straightforward reading suggests that it is forbidden, because a grinder is the sort of implement used to prepare food for many days. Even if it is not used that way, there is still the problem of weekday-like activity. The Alter Rebbe writes not to grind peppercorns in their small mills because of the problem of weekday-like activity, so it is best to avoid using a grinder for these things. Similarly, as we said earlier, the Alter Rebbe explains that grinding is permitted for foods that are normally ground for one day, not in large quantities for many days. That is why the Alter Rebbe says that when we want to grind chrein, the horseradish we use on Pesach, we have a problem grating it. Even if we do it differently, the Alter Rebbe maintains that chrein is among the foods normally ground for many days. He therefore forbids grinding or grating chrein on Yom Tov, even if we want to do it differently. This halachah is very relevant on Pesach. Often people do not manage to grate the chrein before Pesach, and Yom Tov begins. Other halachic authorities permit grating it if it is done differently. In any case, we

42:24 Speaker 2 need to know that according to the Alter Rebbe it is forbidden. You can cut it somewhat with a knife into fairly large pieces, but not grind it completely. As for foods that are not products of the ground, such as cheese, meat, fish, eggs, and the like, this can be very relevant on Shavuos, when you want to make pizza or something similar and grate the cheese. The Alter Rebbe is also stringent about grating cheese. He says that although, at first glance, the prohibition of grinding does not actually apply to something that is not a product of the ground, grating it with a grater is nevertheless problematic. It is forbidden on Shabbos too. And the Alter Rebbe says that even if the cheese would lose a little of its flavor if I grated it before Yom Tov, I still may not grate it on Yom Tov unless I do it differently. Only if I do it differently is it permitted. So if I want to grate cheese on Yom Tov, I will need to do it differently. The exception, as the Alter Rebbe specifically says, is if I did not know I would need to grate that cheese on Yom Tov. In that case, I may grate it in the usual way. But if I could have anticipated making pizza on the morning of Shavuos or the like, I should have grated the cheese before Yom Tov. If I did not, I will have to grate it differently on Yom Tov. The same applies to meat, fish, and so on. As for grinding meat and fish in a small home grinder, Netivei Gavriel [unclear] permits it, as does Shemiras

44:24 Speaker 2 Shabbos Kehilchasah, and it would seem that one may rely on them if it is done differently. So grinding foods that are not products of the ground—again, meat, fish, and the like—in a small grinder is possible if it is done differently. And as we said, even if there would be a slight loss of flavor, it still needs to be done differently. All of this concerns foods I am grinding now for the first time. But there is a well-known halachic principle that also applies to Shabbos: there is no prohibition against grinding something that has already been ground. That means that something previously ground may be ground again, and we apply that principle on Yom Tov as well. For example, I can crumble or grind bread. If it is dry bread, or matzos that I want to crush into flour, or biscuits that I want to grind, doing so is permitted even on Shabbos, as well as on Yom Tov. On Shabbos, however, I may not use an implement made for that purpose. On Yom Tov, I may even use such an implement. There are no restrictions about having to do it before Yom Tov, or whether I knew in advance that I would need to. In any case, I may grind these foods on Yom Tov, even in the usual way with an implement made for that purpose.