A primer for the non-food items and a reminder of what freedom is all about.
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
The
writer is Head of Yeshivat Har Bracha and a prolific author on Jewish
Law, whose works include the series on Jewish law "Pininei Halacha" and a
popular weekly column "Revivim" in the Besheva newspaper. His books
"The Laws of Prayer" "The Laws of Passover" and "Nation, Land, Army" are
presently being translated into English. Other articles by Rabbi
Melamed can be viewed at: www.yhb.org.il/1
Medicines on Pesach
The general rule regarding
medicine on Pesach is that if the medicine is tasty, such as a syrup or
lozenges, one must check if it is kosher for Pesach. As long as it is
not known that it is kosher for Pesach, swallowing it is forbidden. Only
someone who is dangerously ill, and whose medicine has no
equivalent substitute, is permitted to swallow it, because
‘pikuach nefesh’ (the saving of life) overrides the prohibition of eating
chametz.
A tasteless medicine, however, does not require kashrut, because even if
chametz that was previously edible was mixed in the medicine, since now it is not fit to be eaten even
‘b’shat ha’dachak’ (in times of distress), because it is unfit even for animal consumption, it no longer has the prohibition of
chametz.
Some meticulously observant people try to avoid even bitter medicines that contain
chametz. They show concern for the opinion of the few
poskim who
maintain that medicine is not considered unfit for animal consumption
since we deem it significant, and it is thus rabbinically
prohibited. But according to the opinion of most halakhic authorities,
it is permitted to swallow without checking a medicine that is not fit
to be eaten.
It should be added that the chances of medicines containing
chametz are
very slim, and even more so today when many people are sensitive to
gluten, and ingredients containing grains are not mixed into medicines
by drug companies without cause, and they prefer substitutes that are
gluten-free.
Consequently, the thick pamphlets that the HMOs
publish are superfluous, and should be focusing on the flavored
medicines. By not doing so, they prove the rule: “
tafasta merubeh, lo tafasta”
(“If you have seized too much, you have not seized” - i.e. if you
overdo it, you miss the main issue). Because of their preoccupation with
tasteless drugs, no effort is being made to clarify the composition of
the flavored medicines, the only ones for which clarification is
important.
Body Lotions and Cosmetics
Poskim disagree whether body ointments that contain
chametz may be used on Pesach. While soaps, shampoos, and creams are not made from
chametz, they sometimes contain grain alcohol or other
chametz derivatives, leading to queries about their status on Pesach.
Some say that applying an ointment is equivalent, by rabbinic enactment, to drinking. Consequently, even if the
chametz in these products is not fit for a dog’s consumption, it retains the status of
chametz because
it is suitable for anointing, and thus it is forbidden to use them on
Pesach. Accordingly, one must use soaps, shampoos, and creams that are
kosher for Pesach.
Others maintain that the Sages only equated the
application of ointment to drinking with regard to Yom Kippur and
anointing with oil consecrated as
teruma (priestly gift). All
other Torah prohibitions relate to eating alone, not anointing. Although
it is forbidden to derive benefit from
chametz, the
chametz in these products was rendered unfit for a dog’s consumption even before Pesach began and thus lost the status of
chametz. It is therefore permissible to derive benefit from them and apply them to the body during Pesach.
In practice, even if we know that
chametz not fit for a dog’s consumption was mixed in these products after Pesach commenced, since it is a
‘safek d’Rabbanan’ (rabbinic
law that is not incontrovertible), the halakha goes according to the
lenient view. In practice, the vast majority of cosmetic products
produced in Israel do not contain wheat-derived alcohol (
Peninei Halakha: Pesach 8:9).
Toothpaste and Lipstick
Toothpastes and lipsticks must be certified kosher for Pesach because they are flavored, and thus like any other food product.
Be Careful of Products that Look like Chametz
Just
as our Sages forbade baking bread with milk lest one come to eat it
with meat and transgress the prohibition of the Sages (the prohibition
from the Torah is only when meat and milk are cooked together),
similarly it is forbidden to eat products whose ingredients are kosher
for Pesach but look like
chametz products – lest one err, and come to eat
chametz products themselves.
Therefore,
wafers and cookies, which do not have a very significant change in
their shape, even if they have kashrut for Pesach certification, should
not be eaten on Pesach. In this matter, credit goes to the kashrut
department of the Chief Rabbinate, which insisted on clarifying the
halakha, and applying it. However, sometimes it takes years for all the
factories to comply with the directive, and in the meantime, consumers
have to be careful.
Dishwashing Liquid
There is no need
for kosher for Pesach dishwashing liquid. Although it comes into contact
with food utensils, because its taste is completely foul, even if
chametz was mixed in it, it is no longer prohibited. True, if a person intends to eat
chametz that
is unfit for a dog’s consumption, since he considers it as food, he
thus transgresses a rabbinical prohibition; but in this case, since no
one is interested in tasting the dishwashing soap, even if the dishes
were not rinsed well and taste of the soap remains on the dishes, there
is no prohibition.
Consequently, the kashrut bodies that provide
kosher for Pesach certification for dishwashing liquid mislead the
public and make their Torah “a spade with which to dig” - i.e. using
Torah for financial profit.
The Foundation of Freedom
Sometimes
it seems that values of religion clash with values of freedom, to the
point where for many people the value of freedom seems alien to
Judaism. But the truth is that the value of freedom is the foundation of
the Torah, and the entire exodus from Egypt and Pesach –
‘z’man cherutainu’ (the
time of our freedom) – is meant to reveal the value of freedom: that
through freedom, the soul that God instilled in man can be revealed, and
by means of it, one is able to choose good, reveal the image of God
within him, and become a partner with God in repairing the world.
The
value of freedom is so important that to be properly understood, the
people of Israel had to emerge out of the terrible enslavement in Egypt,
which the Torah describes as “the house of bondage”,
in order to
fulfill the great and awesome Divine mission – to redeem the world from
its servitude, and repair it with kindness and truth.
Between Freedom and Free Will
However,
the difference between ‘freedom’ and ‘free will’ must be understood. A
free person is a person who has no external power forcing him to behave
in a particular way, but in practice, such a person is not truly free
because he is enslaved to his visceral inclinations and public opinion.
He can be convinced that he himself has made all of his own decisions,
but the decisive influence of his predispositions and that of public
opinion on his decisions, can easily be detected. In contrast, a truly
free person is one who is able to choose his path according to his own
free will
. The person with ‘free will’ is swept away with the flow,
while the truly free person shows the way, and shapes the flow.
The Torah Grants Freedom
The
Torah gives man the ability to be free, consequently, the follow-up of
the Exodus is the giving of the Torah, as our Sages said (
Avot 6: 2) concerning the verse: ‘The Tablets were made by God and written with God’s script engraved on the Tablets’ (
Exodus 32:16): “Read not “engraved” (
charut) but “liberty” (
chairut)
– for there is no free individual, except for he who occupies himself
with the study of Torah.” Only through the absolute and eternal word of
Hashem, which is engraved and fixed on the tablets, can man be released
from the enslavement to his desires and public opinion.
However, it is not sufficient to simply
fulfill the
Torah, but it must also be learned, because as a result of such study a
person renews himself, his soul is enlightened, and consequently, he
receives inspiration and ideas on how to add good, and improve the
world.
The Goal of the Exodus is to Enter the Land
Receiving
the Torah and learning it are not enough – all this must take place in
Israel. Therefore the goal of the Exodus and the giving of the Torah is
for Israel to inherit the Land promised to our forefathers, for
only in
the Land of Israel can the nation of Israel live in freedom, and create
its own unique lifestyle, and as a result, shower blessing to the entire
world, as Hashem said to Moshe: “I have indeed seen the suffering of My
people… I have come down to rescue them from Egypt’s power. I will
bring them out of that land, to a good, spacious land, to a land flowing
with milk and honey…” (
Exodus 3:6-7). In contrast, in exile we
are enslaved, as it is stated: “There you will serve gods that men have
made out of wood and stone” (
Deuteronomy 4:28).
Therefore,
the vision of the exodus from Egypt is entirely related to the mitzvah
of settling the Land of Israel, as stated in the response to the wise
son: “In the future, your child may ask you, ‘What are the rituals,
rules and laws that God our Lord has commanded you?’ You must tell him,
‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, but God brought us out of Egypt
with a mighty hand… to bring us to the land He promised our fathers, and
give it to us” (
Deuteronomy 6:20-25).
This is because in the Land of Israel the nation of Israel is able to reveal the unifying ‘emunah‘
(faith), to connect heaven and earth, faith and action, to reveal their
talents and to be a blessing to all peoples, as God said to Abraham:
“Go away from your land…to the land… I will make you into a great
nation. I will bless you and make you great. You shall become a
blessing…
all the families of the earth will be blessed through you”(Genesis 12: 1-3).
The Torah also says: “Now Israel, listen to the rules and laws… so that
you will remain alive and come to occupy the land… safeguard and keep
these rules, since this is your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of
the nations. They will hear all these rules and say, ‘This great nation
is certainly a wise and understanding people” (
Deuteronomy 4:1-8). The Sages taught that “wisdom and understanding” refers to the secular knowledges that receive their positive blessing from ‘
emunah’, Torah and mitzvot (
Shabbat 75a).
Thus,
precisely
through the acceptance of the yoke of Torah and mitzvoth, the
Jewish nation is capable of finding the true meaning of life in this
world. This “yoke” does not entail the closing-off of possibilities, but
rather, the opening of innumerable potentials, because Divine goodness
is revealed in countless expressions and varieties, and man must choose
which areas to invest his energies in ‘repairing the world in the
Kingdom of God’.
Religious Institutions and Freedom
Sometimes,
in an effort to preserve the path of Torah and mitzvot, we forget the
value of freedom. This situation is a carry-over from the burden of ‘
galut‘
(exile) and impulses.
For many generations we had to direct almost all
our energies to guard ourselves from any foreign influences, and we
forgot how to reveal the good thoughts in our souls, for the glory of
Torah and the world.
In order to free ourselves from the yoke of ‘
galut‘,
we must strengthen the vision of Israel’s life in its land, and as a
result, the value of freedom will receive its important standing, and
encourage initiative and creativity stemming from ‘emunah’ based on the goodness of Hashem, and a sense of mission to repair the world. The more successful the heroes and pioneers of ‘
emunah‘
are, the more people will follow in their path. And all the people of
the world will know and realize that precisely within a religious
framework, true freedom emerges in its most profound and original way,
redeems man from his material enslavement, visceral inclinations and
distress, and gives him the opportunity to reveal his Divine soul. And
as a result, we will merit complete redemption, speedily in our days.
This
article appears in the ‘Besheva’ newspaper, and was translated from
Hebrew. Other interesting, informative, and thought-provoking articles
by Rabbi Melamed can be found at:
final
will in which he predicted it would take a few centuries before
anti-Semitism would come back. Of course it took a lot less than a few
centuries. But even Hitler could not have predicted that in addition to
the familiar slogans of Jew hatred, there would be a much more
sophisticated kind of anti-Semitism that would be regularly deployed
even in the halls of the United Nations – the very international
organization created in order to prevent another Holocaust.