kitniyos Archives | Rosh Yeshiva Responds

21 03, 2021

Defining Kitniyot

March 21st, 2021|Kashrut, Orach Chayim, Pesach|

QUESTION

Washington, D.C.

Rav Linzer, can you weigh in on why (or why not) sesame seeds and mustard seeds are kitniyot?

ANSWER

It is hard if not impossible to nail down a definition of what type of produce is included in kitniyot. Rav Moshe Feinstein (Iggrot Moshe OC 3:63) acknowledged that the two reasons given for the prohibition of kitniyot, (1) that these foods can be used to make flour and, (2) that wheat and barley often get mixed in with these foods, do not explain the list of what is included and excluded. There are foods that fit into one of these categories, such

21 03, 2021

Peanut Oil On Pesach

March 21st, 2021|Kashrut, Orach Chayim, Pesach|

QUESTION

Chicago, IL

An Ashkenazi woman discovered a Pesach recipe that belonged to her grandmother. One ingredient is peanut oil. Is she entitled to return to that prior Minhag of her family?

ANSWER

See Rav Moshe (Iggrot Moshe OC 3:63), who allows peanuts for those that don’t have a practice otherwise. He specifically mentions at the end that he has seen that they give a kosher-li-Pesach hekhsher on peanut oil. OU states that only “some” have the practice to not use peanut oil, see here.

I would say that unless she was consciously adopting a Minhag to not use peanut oil then she

14 03, 2021

Eino Ben Yomo Kitniyot Keilim On Pesach

March 14th, 2021|Kashrut, Orach Chayim, Pesach, Yoreh De'ah|

QUESTION

New York, NY

What concerns should we have about cooking and eating kitniyot (rice, for example) on Pesach keilim on Shabbat-Erev Pesach. Is this mutar lekhatchilah?

ANSWER

Yes. You will use them on Friday, and not use them again until Saturday night. They will be eino ben yomo, and there is no issur to use kitniyot eino ben yomo pots, since even if they are ben yomo, they will definitely be bateil. This follows the general principle that we don’t forbid X lest it lead to Y if even Y is mutar bedieved. See Gra YD 35:10 and Taz YD 91:7,

דכל שמותר בדיעבד לא חיישי’ מתחלה שמא ישכח וזה מוכח בסימן א’ בטור גבי ומיהו לכתחלה יכולין

6 03, 2021

Ashkenazi Roommate of a Sephardi Using Kitniyot Pots

March 6th, 2021|Orach Chayim, Pesach|

QUESTION

Chicago, IL

Any recommendations for an Ashkenazi Jew whose roommate is a Kitniyot eating Sephardi vegan viz. pots and pans and dishes etc.?

ANSWER

Yes, it’s totally fine. Kitniyot are bateil berov – Shulchan Arukh OC 453:1 and Mishnah Berurah 453:9. As such, we can assume that there is rov of the actual food being cooked against what it absorbed. Admittedly, this can be questioned:

Maybe with all the ways we go to extremes to assume that the pot absorbed its entire volume (or the amount of food being cooked, whichever is less), we should assume that there might not be rov against the food absorbed

25 02, 2021

Washing Kitniyot Vessels in Kosher for Passover Sink

February 25th, 2021|Kashrut, Orach Chayim, Pesach|

QUESTION

Chicago, IL

The OU thinks that if an Ashkenazi person is going to have kitniyot (say, baby formula) in their house on Pesach they need to wash keilim (ex, bottles, etc) in the bathroom sink. Does the Rosh Yeshiva agree?

ANSWER

No, I do not agree. The Taz says as a general rule that we do not say don’t do X, lest it come to Y, in cases where even if it came to Y, everything would be mutar bedieved. Here, if the sink is empty – what’s the concern? Yad soledet bo water puts it into the walls of the sink? Some shirayim are left that gets

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