Bal Tashchis (The Prohibition Against Waste) - Rabbi Lior Rosenbaum shlita

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

00:09 Speaker 2 Hello, everyone. Today we’re going to discuss a very, very important subject—one that concerns all of us, throughout the day: bal tashchis, the prohibition against needless destruction. Before we get to the practical halacha, let’s start with its source. In Devarim, chapter 20, verse 19, it says: “When you besiege a city for many days, waging war against it to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them, for you may eat from them, and you shall not cut them down. Is the tree of the field a man, to come before you in the siege?” The Gemara in Shabbos and Kiddushin 32b, and the halachic authorities, write that the prohibition is not limited to destroying trees, or even fruit trees. Everything is included in bal tashchis, as we’ll discuss later. The Alter Rebbe rules this way too, in the laws of safeguarding life—section 14 and 15, sorry, not chapter 14. There’s a question the halachic authorities discuss: as we were saying, the early authorities debated whether bal tashchis really applies to other things as well. The answer is yes. According to most authorities, destroying other things is also prohibited by the Torah. Sefer HaChinuch explains the reason for bal tashchis: “The root of this mitzvah is to teach our souls to love what is good and beneficial and to cleave to it, and through this, goodness will cleave to us.” Simply put, a person who wants to be good has to do good. It doesn’t make sense for him to go around destroying and breaking things, right? Quite the opposite. Shemos Rabbah also comments on the verse, “You shall make the boards for the Mishkan of standing acacia wood.” Why acacia wood? Why specifically acacia wood? Of course, there’s the explanation in Basi Legani of the significance of shittim, acacia, being related to the word shtus, folly. But on the simple level, Hakadosh Boruch Hu is teaching us not to use fruit trees even to build the Mishkan. We should avoid destroying fruit trees as much as possible.

02:13 Speaker 2 A tree can produce fruit, so why destroy it to build the Mishkan? Use other trees for that. There’s also the well-known story about the Alter Rebbe and the Tzemach Tzedek, which the Frierdiker Rebbe related. The Alter Rebbe had a snuffbox with a mirror, and it was said that the Alter Rebbe did not want to use it for vanity. He said, “We have one part of the body that is subject to desire, so why use this for desire?” Instead, the Alter Rebbe took the mirror from the snuffbox and used it to straighten his tefillin. Someone told the Tzemach Tzedek that the Alter Rebbe had broken the box so he could look in the mirror. The Tzemach Tzedek said, “That can’t be. The Alter Rebbe does not break things. He must have removed the small piece of metal connecting the lid to the box, and then he could look in the mirror. A chossid does not break things.” So bal tashchis is certainly something that concerns us especially. Bereishis Rabbah says, in the words of Rav Simon, “There is not a single blade of grass that does not have a mazal in the heavens that strikes it and tells it, ‘Grow.’” So imagine us coming along, taking something from creation, and destroying it. The Alter Rebbe also writes in the laws of safeguarding body and life and bal tashchis, section 14: “Just as one must take care not to destroy or damage one’s body, so too, anyone who breaks a utensil, tears clothing, demolishes a building, blocks a spring, destroys food or drink, or damages anything from which people could benefit, transgresses a prohibition, as it says, ‘You shall not destroy its trees,’ and so on.” This shows how serious and important these things are. And here I want to tell a story showing that they’re important not only because of the prohibition. You know the saying, “One who wants to become wealthy should turn northward.” Anyone who wants money—and we all need money and resources—should turn northward. What does that mean? Do we all need to move up north now,

04:07 Speaker 2 and establish communities in Tzfas? The simple explanation is that north represents gevurah; that is where gevurah is found. A person who wants blessing in his finances has to preserve what he has. He has to take care of his possessions, as the Rebbe would always use sheets of paper to the fullest and would not throw something away before using something new. Today, when something breaks, a person thinks, “Why fix it? Why put in the effort? Let’s buy a new one.” New is shiny; it looks nice. No, my friends. There is a prohibition of bal tashchis, and we’ll see more about it in the halachos. I also want to end here with a lovely story in the Gemara, Taanis 23a, about Abba Chilkiya. Abba Chilkiya was the grandson of Choni HaMe’agel. Notice that he isn’t even called Rabbi Abba Chilkiya—just Abba Chilkiya. When the world needed rain, people would come to him. One day—and I’m condensing the story; I’m not going to quote the Gemara’s wording—some Sages came to see him. You can study it there in your own time. They saw him working in a field. They greeted him, but he did not return their greeting. Then they watched him as he headed home. On his way, he gathered wood from the field and put the hoe on one shoulder and his cloak on the other. When he came to water, he put on his shoes. After he came out of the water, he continued walking barefoot, as he had before. When he came to thornbushes, what did he do? He lifted the hems of his trousers so the thorns would scratch his body rather than his trousers. They arrived at his home, and his wife came out to greet him, dressed up, and they went inside. The story also relates

05:57 Speaker 2 that his wife went in first, then he went in, and only afterward did the Sages. He did not give them the honor of entering first. They sat down to eat, but he did not invite the Sages at all. When he served the meal to his family, he gave the older child one portion and the younger child two, and so on. I won’t go through the rest of this fascinating story. In the end, of course, he succeeded in bringing rain for them. But what is rain? Rain holds the secret of livelihood. And an enormous secret lies here. What is the secret to bringing in a livelihood? What is the secret to generating a livelihood in this world? What is the secret of abundance? Bringing rain means bringing abundance. What was his secret? Afterward, he explained everything to the Sages. “The reason I didn’t return your greeting,” he told them, “is that I am a day laborer. If I stop to return your greeting, I take time away from my work and steal from my employer. When I was heading home, I carried the hoe separately. I didn’t put it on the cloak because I had borrowed that cloak from someone else. I borrowed it to wear, not to put a hoe on it. When I came to the water, why did I put on my shoes? It would seem that I was damaging my shoes that way. But I couldn’t see what was in the water, and there was a danger, G-d forbid, that something harmful might injure my feet. In that case, the shoes were less important. And when I came to the thornbushes, I lifted my trousers because if my legs were scratched, they would heal. But if the trousers were torn, they would be ruined.” Yes, my friends, ruined. And the story continues like that. Why didn’t he invite the Sages to eat? Because he didn’t have enough food. As the saying goes, if a meal is not enough for its hosts, he would not invite them. And why did he give the older child more than the younger one—sorry, the younger one more than

07:45 Speaker 2 For the older one to eat? Because the younger one is outside the house and the older one is inside. But what lies at the root of this story? In two words, it is “Do not steal.” In a few more words, it is bal tashchis—do not waste—and taking care of the property you have. And of course, this reveals a great secret: if we strengthen our observance of bal tashchis, especially in a time of abundance, thank G-d, we will merit a more ample livelihood and great abundance, both materially and spiritually. As for the prohibition against cutting down fruit trees in general, the Gemara says in Bava Kama 91b: Rabbi Chanina said, “My son Shivchas died only because he cut down a fig tree before its time.” In other words, his son died, Heaven forbid, because he cut down a fig tree before its time. And there are halachic authorities who prohibited cutting down any fruit tree. According to the mystical teachings, the Midrash explains that a fruit tree has an appointed guardian in Heaven, and when the tree is uprooted before its time, that guardian cries out for judgment against the person who uprooted it. Another point: the Rebbe of Munkacs, the head of the Munkacs rabbinical court, writes in his responsa Minchas Elazar that when a case concerning the uprooting of fruit trees was brought before him, he would refer it to another rabbinical court, so frightening was it to deal with the matter. But we will address it according to halachah, as the Gemara does. The Gemara explains there in Bava Kama 91b: Rav said that a date palm producing a kav of dates a year may not be cut down. An olive tree producing a quarter of a kav—even though that is fewer olives a year—may not be cut down. Why? Because olives are valuable, very valuable. The Rambam rules this way as well. A quarter of a kav—meaning, how much is that quarter-kav of olives that obligates you to leave the tree standing and not cut it down? It comes to zero point three

09:44 Speaker 2 four five kilograms. Yes, 345 grams. A kav comes to 1.38 liters. Now, in this context, we can see that a non-fruit-bearing tree may be cut down, but we’ll get to that shortly. That is what the Gemara explains, and we’ll soon see under what conditions you can actually cut down a tree. Now, back to our subject. Let’s start with the first point. We explained that for olives, because of their importance, if the tree produces 0.345 liters or kilograms, it may not be cut down; it is still productive. For other trees, such as date palms, the measure is a kav, or 1.38 liters. Now, under what conditions is it permitted? When the tree is worth more than its fruit. For example, maintaining the tree costs more than the fruit it produces. Alternatively, the Rosh [unclear] cites in chapter eight, halachah 15, a case where you could sell the tree, or cut it down for its wood, for a greater profit. In such a case you may cut it down, and the Alter Rebbe rules this way in his Shulchan Aruch. Another case is when you need the space to build for yourself or expand your home. In that situation, you can uproot it. I should say that, on the subject of uprooting, I want to add a very important point. It may be possible to take the tree and move it, roots and all, to another place. Then, seemingly, we have not really uprooted it. But even if that is not possible, under the circumstances I am describing now, it would be permissible to cut down the tree. Another point: some require that the uprooting be done by a non-Jew rather than a Jew, and we will discuss that later. This is also the ruling of the halachic authorities; the Alter Rebbe brings it in his Shulchan Aruch, and so does

11:35 Speaker 2 Rabbi Wosner in his responsa Shevet Halevi. They permitted cutting down the tree when its location is needed. If you need the tree—yes, sorry, I need the space; I need to expand the house in this particular spot, for example—it would be permissible to cut down the tree. The Chida also mentions the point we discussed: that it should specifically be done by a non-Jew, not a Jew. Now, let’s return to the question of cutting down a fruit tree. The Gemara in Bava Kama 92a says that Shmuel asked his sharecropper to bring him dates. He went and brought him dates. When Shmuel tasted them, he detected a taste of wine. He asked the sharecropper, “What is this wine flavor?” It turned out that those date palms stood among grapevines. Shmuel told the sharecropper, “The date palms are weakening the grapevines.” Which is more valuable, a date palm or a grapevine? Clearly a grapevine; its produce is worth more. The date palms had affected the vines to the point that the dates had the flavor of grapes. He asked the sharecropper to uproot the date palms so that—because the grapevines were more valuable—they would not harm the wine, even though date palms are, seemingly, fruit trees. This is also what the Chavos Yair writes. The Chavos Yair was Rabbi Yair Chaim Bacharach, one of the sages of Germany. He writes that he was asked about a peach tree in someone’s courtyard that darkened the windows—that is, it blocked the window. They could not see out; it blocked the entire window. His answer was that it was permissible to cut it down because the space was needed, and it was something that needed to be done. Another point: there is a very interesting responsum in She’eilas Yaavetz, whose author was also one of the sages of Germany. He wrote about moving a tree from one place to another. In his opinion, there is no concern at all. He writes: “There is no need to be concerned, and this is not cutting it down, which is what was prohibited, for it remains planted

13:33 Speaker 2 in its place.” In other words, you move it from one place and plant it somewhere else, so you have not actually destroyed the tree. He adds in [unclear], section 215:1, that this must be done at a suitable time, so that the trunk does not die when the tree is moved. There is another opinion on this subject, concerning a case where the space is needed. Beis Yitzchak, by one of the rabbis of Galicia, writes that one should sell the trees and the land to a non-Jew, and another Jew should tell the non-Jew to uproot the tree with its root ball. Yes, but that is the only opinion requiring this, apparently. If you move the tree from one place to another, it can be done. Now let’s return to the general question. On what grounds can I tell a non-Jew to cut down a tree on my behalf? Seemingly, if I tell him to do it and send him, isn’t that the same thing? Indeed, some halachic authorities hold that even telling a non-Jew to do it is prohibited by the Torah, because it is a circumvention that does not help. Another point: selling it so that the non-Jew will cut it down is as though I cut it down myself. It is prohibited, because you are selling it to him for that purpose. So what have you accomplished? This is what is written in the responsa Mishpetei Shalom Yaakov [unclear]. Another point is the view that agency applies to a non-Jew. True, the Raavad and the Rambam rule, along with other halachic authorities, that a non-Jew cannot be appointed an agent to commit a transgression. But when the agency is to cause damage, the one who sent him is liable. Since this case involves damage, if I send the non-Jew to do it, I would be liable. Another point: if, as Sefer Hachinuch writes, the main purpose of the prohibition against destruction is to cultivate a love of what is good and avoid doing things that are not good, then by sending a non-Jew to cut down the tree, I have not addressed that underlying purpose and concern. But nevertheless, despite these arguments, some permit it.

15:14 Speaker 2 So writes the Maharsham, one of the halachic authorities of Galicia: having a non-Jew do it is an indirect act, particularly if the tree has been sold to the non-Jew, and it is therefore permitted. Telling a non-Jew to do it is even less direct than an indirect act. And, as we said, agency does not apply to a non-Jew, so seemingly, when I send a non-Jew to cut down the tree, I have not done anything prohibited myself. So we can see that having a non-Jew do it is certainly possible on the grounds we explained earlier. Now for another question, and it comes up very often: a person has a yard with a tree that keeps growing and growing and growing, and he may want to cut off its branches. First, because they obstruct the path; or he may want to cut the branches to improve the tree a little, and perhaps it will even benefit the tree. What is the ruling in this case? Opinions range from the most stringent to the most lenient. One view, as written in the responsa Beis Yitzchak, Lehoros Nasan, Chaim Sha’al, and Dovev Meisharim, is that destroying part of it is like destroying all of it. So if I start cutting off branches, seemingly I have not solved anything; it is as though I am cutting down the tree, and the same prohibition applies. Another view, brought in Chesed LeAvraham by Rabbi Avraham Azulai, is that it is prohibited by rabbinic law. There is a further view that if the branches are needed for a mitzvah—for example, if he needs palm branches to make himself a sukkah—then it is permissible, though it is preferable to have a non-Jew do it. But there are also opinions that when the cutting is done for the benefit of the tree, there is no concern and it is permitted. Yes, sometimes you need to trim the tree a little, especially the

16:56 Speaker 2 The dry branches, because that improves the tree. And some argue—as the Mishneh LaMelech writes at the end of Hilchos Issurei Mizbe’ach in the Rambam—“I have not found where this is prohibited,” and apparently it would be permitted. Someone who wishes to be stringent may be stringent for himself. Let’s now briefly sum up this broad subject we’ve discussed. It seems that fruit trees should be cut down only when there is a particular need, or when they no longer produce fruit. I want to give a broad summary, not go into every detail, because I think that whenever someone faces the question of whether to cut down a tree, it’s always best to ask a rabbi who rules on halachic matters. But I do want to bring the subject to the public, so I’ll summarize it in general points. It is permitted to cut down fruit trees when there is a reason and a need for doing so. Some specify that it should be done by a non-Jew, or by moving the tree elsewhere. Even someone who cuts down non-fruit-bearing trees sees no blessing from it, as we said when discussing the reasons given by the Sefer HaChinuch and others. So there is no reason to cut down trees for no purpose, and it’s important not to do so. Another point: a fruit tree that causes damage, or whose space is needed for a mitzvah, may also be cut down. The same applies to a tree that obstructs a public area or causes damage to neighbors. Some later halachic authorities wrote that if, for example, you have a tree that damages your neighbor’s property, it is preferable for the neighbor to cut it back on his side. As for sharing the expense—who does the cutting and who bears the cost of addressing the damage—that is a separate subject to discuss under Choshen Mishpat, in the laws of neighbors. But the point is that it is preferable for the person suffering the damage to do

18:38 Speaker 2 it. Another point: when branches need to be cut, many authorities permit cutting branches to make room or to improve the tree. That can certainly be done. And I’ll add in conclusion: remember, we’ve discussed this from a halachic standpoint. But from a legal standpoint, of course, anyone who has a tree in their yard should remember that there is a legal obligation to report any tree cutting. That’s just an aside. May it be Hashem’s will that no mistake come from our hands. And let’s remember that the abundance of good Hakadosh Boruch Hu has entrusted to us is a treasure and a blessing—truly, a blessing for a good and happy life. Bal tashchis with food: The Gemara in Berachos, page 50b, says, “Four things were said regarding bread.” One does not place raw meat on bread, because that makes the bread unappetizing. One does not pass a full cup over bread, for fear that water will spill onto it and make it unappetizing. One does not throw bread, because that is disrespectful to food. And here, of course, a note: Baruch Hashem, large families sit around the Shabbos or Yom Tov table, and the bread needs to be passed around. Don’t throw the bread. Pass it, or place it where someone else can pass it, but under no circumstances throw it. Apparently, there is no allowance for this even for the sake of a mitzvah. One does not prop up a bowl with bread, because that is disrespectful to food. The Rambam rules this way in Hilchos Berachos, and so does the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 171:1: it is forbidden. Now, an interesting question that came up appears in the book Eitz Hasadeh by Rabbi Chaim Tzanzer[unclear]. He was asked: There was a large meal in a hall. People danced, celebrated, ate, drank, and farbrenged, and now a lot of food is left. Is it permitted to throw away the food? Of course, spoiled food that cannot be kept—or must people be hired at a cost to preserve it, so that edible food is not thrown away in violation of bal tashchis?

20:39 Speaker 2 So he wrote: Even if the food contains a kezayis, when preventing its loss involves effort and a loss of time—and especially in halls and hotels, where hiring workers costs money—it is permitted to throw it away. Of course, the food should be thrown away respectfully, in a plastic bag. Today, I think this shouldn’t be a problem, because at least the main courses can be passed on, as is generally done in halls, to various organizations and to people in need. But in any case, we should say that when a hall would have to spend money to preserve the food, it is not obligated to do so. Another point: the Biur Halachah discusses olives. Is it permitted to crush olives—to take olives and cut into them—in order to do what’s called a grandmother’s hand massage, a traditional remedy for the hands? Avnei Yashfeh writes that if soap works as well as the olives, why ruin the olives? After all, you throw them away afterward. But if not, and an olive used this way works better, then it is permitted. And, as you know, there’s a traditional remedy that uses a lemon to remove stains. In that case too, if it’s known to work better than soap, apparently it’s permitted to use up the lemon for this purpose. Another point: the Rambam writes in Hilchos Rotze’ach U’shemiras Hanefesh, chapter 12, halachah 6: One should not stick a knife into an esrog or a radish. Why? Because someone might fall on its point and die. The Shulchan Aruch rules this way as well, in Yoreh De’ah, section 5. But the Frierdiker Rebbe[unclear] adds that it is also because one disrespects them by making them into a knife holder. It is not because someone might fall on it, but because it is disrespectful to food,

22:34 Speaker 2 not because of danger. Other halachic authorities wrote this as well. On the other hand, the Gemara even says that wine is made to flow through pipes before a groom and bride, and roasted grains and nuts are thrown before them in the summer. Food is apparently being thrown—but not in the rainy season. They don’t do it in the rainy season because the food becomes unappetizing. And they don’t throw rolls, either in the summer or in the rainy season, because they become unappetizing. Now Rashi explains that making wine flow through pipes in honor of a groom and bride is a good custom, and because it is a good custom, it is not disrespectful. This is also written in the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 171:4–5. Wheat is also thrown before grooms. Just be careful to throw it in a clean place, not a dirty one, so it can be gathered afterward and used. Another point written in the Shulchan Aruch, section 171: When you see food lying on the ground, you shouldn’t simply walk by and leave it lying there; you should pick it up. There are several opinions about how to do this. One opinion is to move the food to the side, where people don’t walk. The point is that people should not step on the food—not that someone now has to eat it. It’s on the floor; people won’t eat it. But it should be placed where it won’t be stepped on. Some opinions say that there is no obligation to pick up food at all, apart from bread. As brought in Piskei Teshuvos, pastries that are no longer fit to eat and amount to less than a kezayis need not, strictly speaking, be removed. Nevertheless, it is proper to remove them from where people walk. But if bread has become moldy and is completely unfit for eating, there is no need to do anything with it. And regarding bread crumbs, the Gemara in Pesachim mentions: neshvara

24:28 Speaker 2 In the house, it brings poverty. So too, the Gemara in Chullin relates a story about a man whom the spirit of poverty pursued. The Gemara says it could not get hold of him. It could not overcome him because the man never let bread crumbs remain on his floor. Again, the problem is especially when people step on them. Yes. One day, he ate bread among the grasses in a forest. The spirit said, “Now I’ll surely catch him,” when he drops crumbs on the ground, where people pass. But after he ate, he brought a spade, uprooted the grasses and threw them into the river. He did not leave any opportunity for crumbs to remain on the ground. The Shulchan Aruch also states, in Orach Chaim 180:4: Before washing his hands, one should sweep the house so that no crumbs remain there and become soiled by the water from the washing, even though it is permissible to dispose of crumbs smaller than a kezayis. The concern is that an unlearned person may be present who does not know the rules and will also put pieces the size of a kezayis on the floor, thereby actually destroying a kezayis of bread, which is forbidden. The Magen Avraham writes that there is no concern about throwing the crumbs into water, even though they are destroyed that way, since they are smaller than a kezayis. The Alter Rebbe therefore rules accordingly in his Shulchan Aruch. In other words, if you now wipe up all the crumbs with a cloth and put them in the sink, and they go down the drain—sorry, they go down the sink—that is fine. There is no concern, because they are smaller than a kezayis. Another matter: when a person eats and forgets to make a blessing, the Shulchan Aruch states in 172:1–2: If he put a drink into his mouth and forgot to make a blessing, he swallows it and does not make the blessing before drinking. What can he do? He cannot do it on that drink. If he forgot and put food into his mouth without making a blessing—

26:17 Speaker 2 if it is something that would become unappetizing, he moves it to the side of his mouth and makes the blessing. But if it is something that would not become unappetizing, he spits it out, removes it from his mouth and makes the blessing over it. Again, we see that we do not throw away food because we failed to make a blessing over it. Yes, again, the prohibition of bal tashchis. Another matter, which is not so common for us, but it is a question you may well ask us while we are on shlichus: What should a person do if he has dogs and cats and various animals in his yard, or if he looks after animals in his neighborhood or surrounding area? The Gemara in Taanis 20b says that Rav Huna stated: Food fit for people should not be fed to animals. Rashi explains that this is because it is disrespectful to food. The poskim say that if he has nothing else to feed his animal except food fit for people, it is permitted. Let us sum up the practical halachah: If getting other food involves considerable trouble, or costs substantially more than food fit for people, it is permitted. Say a person needs to buy special food for his dog. He has to start the car, drive twenty minutes to a store, buy it and drive back. Think about it: that is an expense too. Where it would cost him money in this way, he may give the dog food fit for people. And if the animal would waste away or die without food, it is also permitted. That is what the Ketzos Hashulchan writes when the animal belongs to him. We are not talking about a stray dog or stray cats. In such a case, yes, he may also give it that food. The responsa Ksav Sofer writes this, and he may also give food as a gift, say, to people who have animals, and they can give it to their animals. That is what the responsa Minchas Yitzchak writes. And leftover food—of course, if cholent or fish is left over, it can certainly be given to animals; there is no concern about that—

28:12 Speaker 2 and one may also give an animal bread crumbs smaller than a kezayis that remain from a meal. But one should not give it the remainder of a slice of bread. Again, we are particularly sensitive about bread, especially if it is a kezayis, and even if it is not a kezayis, if it still has the status of bread. On another point, regarding the destruction of food in general: You know, there is this custom—I do not know if it is a custom—but you often arrive at events and see a watermelon that no longer looks like a watermelon. It looks like half a helmet, carved and decorated with roses and flowers. Now, is that permitted? More than that, sometimes at summer camps they want to run a flour workshop, or use dough that resembles flour or sugar, all sorts of things like that. It is not intended to be eaten, although it is fit for eating, and some of it is actual food. They intend to use it for various dough workshops and the like, not to eat it. So the Shulchan Aruch writes in Orach Chaim 477:11: “One who has the practice of making a hole in the afikoman and hanging it up does not violate the prohibition against making a hole on Yom Tov.” This implies that making a hole in food is not prohibited under bal tashchis; there is no concern about bal tashchis. Some later poskim permit activities such as drawing and making crafts with food. But in practice, it is highly advisable not to use food for crafts and gluing, especially since today there are plenty of substitutes made from synthetic materials that are not edible, not food at all. So why use food specifically? Another matter: We have to remember, when it comes to food, you know, there are places that make twenty kinds of salad for Shabbos: twenty kinds of salad, ten to throw away and ten to eat. Why? My friends, understand how important it is, how important it truly is to preserve—

30:09 Speaker 2 to preserve what we have, to safeguard the treasures we have. We must make a real effort in this regard. This is not meant to burden or bother people; it is simply right to protect what exists in creation. We have all seen the reports and news about how much food—tons of food—is thrown away every year in our country and throughout the world. My friends, that is bal tashchis. We must take care to preserve food, not destroy it, eat what we need and not throw away what we do not need. Surely this will only bring abundance and blessing to each and every one of us. Now, to things that may be destroyed for a person’s needs. First, I will open with an interesting story an important doctor once told me. Of course, I will not give his name. He asked me, “In your opinion, why do people in less developed countries live shorter lives than people in developed countries?” My first answer was, “Surely their medical care is less advanced.” He told me, “That is one answer, but there is another. In less developed countries, people use their bodies more; they do more physical work. Everything involves walking and physical effort, so the body undergoes more wear and tear than in Western countries. When the body wears down, that ultimately affects life expectancy too.” Again, I am not turning that story into a thesis or some sweeping, definitive claim, but it is interesting and gives us something to think about. Certainly, the Gemara in Shabbos 129 tells us about a person who had blood drawn and became chilled. It relates that sages broke furniture, even expensive furniture, to warm themselves by a fire. This shows that our bodies—the human body, yes, our bodies as the Jewish people—are more precious than utensils and furniture. With all due respect, that is not bal tashchis; it is protecting the body. And the Gemara also says,

32:02 Speaker 2 The Gemara says on page 140: “Someone who can eat barley bread,” which was cheaper, “but eats wheat bread violates the prohibition of bal tashchis.” Why? Because wheat is more expensive. Let him eat barley bread. Why should he seemingly waste more expensive food when he could eat something simpler? But the commentaries point out that avoiding harm to the body is more important. It is better for a person to care for his body by eating good food than to protect his money, even if that food is more expensive. In Shulchan Aruch Harav, Laws of Guarding One’s Life, section 14, the Alter Rebbe writes that a person must be very careful to protect his body. What usually happens? Young people, especially in their teens, at eighteen or twenty, feel invincible. They are more careless about what they lift and what they do. But, my friends, the body collects the bill later. The body collects payment later for everything we did to it. So there is a mitzvah and a commandment to take care of the body. If someone doesn’t go for dental treatment, well, we hope he’ll have a miracle, but he might simply end up with cavities. So, my friends, we have to take care of the body. We have to make an effort to protect it. Later authorities also discuss someone who will not allow himself to eat foods that would help him recover and strengthen his body. He says, “How can I? Buy special food? It’s expensive, and it pains me to spend the money.” They write that he may, G-d forbid, be violating the prohibition of bal tashchis. In summary, bal tashchis applies to the body, and a person has a mitzvah to protect his body even if that means using up other things. Now let’s look at some examples. The Gemara in Shabbos, page 108, says that a person may soak bread in wine. Bread, yes—the very thing we were so careful about and discussed in previous classes, how we have to look after it. Even when there is less than a kezayis, as long as it still has the appearance of bread, we must pick it up; it must not be left on the floor. Yet one may take bread, soak it in wine, and place it on the eye as a remedy. This is brought by the halachic authorities,

33:58 Speaker 2 and also in Shulchan Aruch, section 328, subsection 39: a person may—pardon the expression—empty his stomach by vomiting, thereby expelling the food so that he can eat the third Shabbos meal. This is not considered wasting food. We see that a person’s body takes precedence over his money and even over his food. But of course, there has to be a reason, a justification. It isn’t something a person just decides to do for no reason. And another interesting point: as Chabad chassidim who are careful to keep a high standard of kashrus, we have surely all encountered this with mishloach manos. Shluchim, too, certainly receive mishloach manos, and the food they receive does not necessarily have the most stringent kosher certification. So what do we do in that situation? Let’s start with a different subject: tzitzis. Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim, section 15, subsection 1, says that one may remove the tzitzis from one tallis and put them on another. But simply tearing off tzitzis for no reason, when they are not invalid, is forbidden. One may also remove existing tzitzis that seem perfectly good in order to put on nicer ones, for the sake of beautifying the mitzvah, whether it is a minor or a major mitzvah. In other words, beautifying a mitzvah carries weight even when it costs money. This is also brought in the Mishnah Berurah. Similarly, a person buying from a store may be unsure whether the produce was tithed there, even though the store has a kosher certificate. Teshuvos Vehanhagos by Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, as well as other later authorities, says that one may separate tithes even

35:51 Speaker 2 though they may already have been separated at the store, for the sake of being more scrupulous in the mitzvah. The book Eitz Hasadeh also tells a very interesting story. An ascetic Jew was particular about fasting on Mondays and Thursdays—not an ascetic like in our stories, but someone who truly observed those fasts, especially during the weeks of Shovavim. Then he found himself at a seudas mitzvah, and food was served to him. He didn’t want to reveal his practices and his fasts. The book says that he may discreetly throw the food in the trash without violating bal tashchis, because there is value in his care in observing mitzvos, even if the food is thrown away. Yes? But—and this needs to be said—we do not simply throw food away because it does not meet our preferred standard of kashrus. That is what the later authorities write, and it is straightforward. If someone brings you a product with a rabbinate kosher certification, whichever rabbinate it may be, the product may be presumed kosher. Why take it and throw it out? Pass it on elsewhere, give it to neighbors, give it to other people. Under no circumstances should you throw it away. On the other hand, the author of a later work, Pachim Ketanim, writes that one may not give someone non-kosher food. But if one person eats only glatt meat and his friend does not keep that standard, he may give his friend meat that is not glatt. The same applies to other mehadrin standards. But suppose you have food whose kosher certification is itself in doubt, and you say, “Well, he isn’t particular anyway; let’s give it to him and make him happy.” In that situation, you may not give it to him. That falls under “Do not place a stumbling block before the blind.” So let’s summarize. When we have food with a kosher certification, we may not throw it away. We should pass that food on

37:42 Speaker 2 to people who are less particular about kashrus standards. On the other hand, when we have food whose kashrus is in doubt, we certainly need not be concerned about wasting it. We can throw it away, or perhaps give it to a non-Jew. The Rema writes in section 296, subsection 1, that it is customary to spill some wine from the cup onto the ground before finishing the blessing Borei Pri Hagafen, yes, so that the cup should not be considered deficient. Wine is also spilled from the Havdalah cup, and the spilled wine is then discarded; the candle is extinguished in it. Why? The Kaf Hachayim also explains that it is a small amount, so there is no concern. That is also why a little wine is spilled when the cups are filled at a chuppah, and in similar situations. This is also stated as halachah in Shulchan Aruch, section 560, subsection 2. Another point: the Gemara in Yoma, page 78b, says: “My nurse told me” that raising children requires warm water for bathing and oil for anointing. When a child grows a little, he is given an egg in kutach. I’m giving this in translation. When he grows a little more, he is given utensils to break and satisfy his urge, as Rava would buy cracked earthenware utensils cheaply and give them to his children, who would break them as a game. It is also brought in Shulchan Aruch that papers with a little dirt on them, which are unsuitable for writing but could still be used for something, such as wrapping things, may be given to a young child who enjoys tearing them into small pieces. There is no need to worry about bal tashchis. In other words, we see that when there is a reason to break or destroy something—a justified reason, such as letting children play or helping a child develop properly—there is no prohibition against seemingly destroying the object or wasting the money. But here we have

39:47 Speaker 2 There’s one more thing I think we can all be more careful about, and thereby fulfill the mitzvah of not wasting. The Gemara in Shabbos, page 67b, says that someone who covers an oil lamp or uncovers a container of kerosene violates the prohibition of bal tashchis, because doing so causes the fuel to burn up faster for no benefit. Later authorities wrote that in their day, people would leave candles burning at night so that if someone woke up and needed to learn, or needed to use the bathroom, or the like, there would be a light on. One of them wrote that people who customarily put two wicks in a lamp each night to provide plenty of light, and sleep with it that way because they’ll need the light when they get up, should remove one wick when they go to sleep and leave only one burning, because of bal tashchis. Other later authorities wrote this as well. And this applies to every one of us. We need to be careful to turn off the electricity, to turn off the lights, and not waste the energy that Hakadosh Boruch Hu has placed in His world. And, my friends, let me return to the point we were discussing. We need to remember that the prohibition of bal tashchis, as we’ve seen, also applies to other things. To sum up, the prohibition of bal tashchis does not apply to things needed for the body—if, for example, a person needs to use up money or food in order to eat better, and so on. We’ve also seen that there is an obligation to care for our bodies and an obligation to care for the possessions in our keeping. May it be Hashem’s will that, even in a time like this, which is not easy financially, if we exercise restraint in this matter and preserve the resources and treasures that Hakadosh Boruch Hu has placed in our hands, He will give us more, and then give us still more. Someone once told me about a relative of his. She grew up in a transit camp with nothing at all.

41:45 Speaker 2 And she became very wealthy. He told me that she would always, always say to him: “The great wealth I was blessed with came because I was always careful never to throw away food at home. I would bake bread, and from the bread that was left over I would make breadcrumbs, and I would use the breadcrumbs for schnitzel, and from the schnitzel… In the end, I never threw away food.” So certainly, when we take on this mitzvah—which, by the way, is a Torah prohibition, bal tashchis—and observe it, we will all surely merit abundant blessing and success, materially and spiritually, in good health and joy.