Parshas Shlach 5785 – Intriguing Questions & Answers
Flying through Jordan or Egypt to return to Israel and dressing up as an Arab
Q: I was asked this week, since war broke out with Iran and there are simply no flights from abroad to the Land of Israel, is there any way to fly to Jordan or Egypt and from there travel by car to Israel? A Jew who wants to dress up as an Arab so as not to endanger himself when traveling through Jordan or Egypt, is there a prohibition on putting himself in a dangerous place? Furthermore, is it forbidden to dress up or say that he is an Arab in order to enter Israel?
A: I will try to answer in short (since I’ve been delayed in NY and haven’t been able to get back to Israel). The answer must be divided into three parts:
Is it permissible to enter a dangerous place in order to enter Israel?
What is actually ruled that it is forbidden to commit idolatry and must be killed and not committed — is it also intended if one says that he is an Arab, or to dress up as an Arab?
Does dressing up as an Arab violate the prohibition in their constitutions that you shall not go?
Regarding the risk, it would seem to be permissible because it is not common to be complete danger over there based on the Gemara (Pesachim 8:1) not to be concerned about danger when it isn’t a common occurrence. Also, some say today that the Jordanians do not kill Jews, but this of course depends and can’t be used as a blanket psak since it depends on the situation. Although the Supreme Court in Israel says not to travel in Jordan, because it is dangerous. Traveling for leisure would be a problem, but some say if he will be dressed up or traveling with a body guard there is no danger.
Regarding clothing, based on the psak of the Shulchan Aruch (YD:157:2) if one is afraid that Gentiles will mistreat him, it is permissible to dress up as a Gentile. However, one shouldn’t dress up with clothing of avodah zarah. Additionally, it is prohibited to say that one is a non-Jew for the sake of avoiding danger, just to dress like a non-Jew for that sake is permitted.
In regards to the prohibition of “going in the ways of the goyim”, the dress code of Muslims has similarities to some Jewish people’s dress code so one doesn’t have to suspect that he is transgressing that prohibition.
In conclusion, if one must travel through Jordan to get back into Israel, and it doesn’t pose any specific danger, one is permitted to dress like an Arab for his safety but is forbidden to say he is an Arab for this purpose.
Sour Dough – Sushi and Tevilas Kelim
Q: Recently I’ve been asked about the preparation of sour dough for making sour bread challahs. As part of the detailed preparation, part of the ingredients have to be weighed for exact measurement to ensure that the bread will come out just perfect. Specifically, the question came up in regards to weighing the dough particles directly on a metal scale. Does the scale require Tevilah since it might be considered as part of preparing the bread?
A: In the past we already elaborated on the basic guidelines of Tevilas Keilim. To better understand the correct ruling for this question, it would seem that since it is not used for eating at all, but only for measuring, one doesn’t have to tovel it.
However, I saw that some contemporary poskim ruled regarding measuring utensils or scales made of metal that touch the weight, such as what is used for matzoh and maror, that they require immersion, since it is placed on the scale. In Responsa Chai Halevi (10:117) he writes that measuring utensils for flour do not require immersion. The reasoning is based on the discussion in the achronim whether one is required to tovel utensils that are meant to prepare the food when it is at a state that it is fit for consumption (see Schach 120:sif 5). Since the poskim debate about this, one who is lenient has what to rely on.
Special knives to make slits on the top of sour bread
Q: Another question was posed to me in regards to a special knife that women use to design the sour bread and is used for this purpose. Do the knives have to be toveled in the keli mikvah since they also take part in the final preparation of the bread, or maybe making the slits on top of the bread aren’t significant enough to require tevilah?
A: In my Sefer Ohel Yaakov on hilchos tevilas keilim we discuss similar utensils that play a minute role in the preparation of the food. Perhaps we could compare them. As mentioned already, the accepted halachic ruling for Ashkenazim is to tovel all dishes that are involved in some preparation of the food even when the food is still fit to eat without their involvement. Tevilah is required without a bracha.
We have brought down that often at a falafel stand the worker will take a razor blade knife-box cutter, to make a slit in the pita. The psak I give to falafel shops is that one must tovel that knife even if the knife is used for other purposes other than food, since we paskin like the achronim who mention to tovel kelim even when used once in a while for food, while the main usage is for non-food items.
In conclusion, I ruled that these women should tovel the small knives made to make slits on top of the sour bread, but should take much caution while using them since I’ve heard that one can cut themselves easily — “be careful”!!
Displaying sushi on glass boards — do they require tevilah?
Q: Often at a simcha, women set up the sushi station with rolls of sushi placed on nice glass trays for a nice display. The question is do those glass trays require tevila?
A: The Shulchan Aruch (YD:120:1) brings down that glass dishes require tevilah rabbinically since they are similar to metal that when broken down into pieces they can be fixed and put together like metal. Therefore, one is required to tovel them with a bracha.
The question over here is whether trays of glass are considered a dish or not. In the mishnayos of kelim we find that “pashutie kli zechuchis,” which are glass dishes without an inside or borders, aren’t considered a utensil in regards to the halachos of tumah and taharah.
Therefore we must examine whether or not one has to follow the same guidelines for tevilas kelim. In this case, if we compare the halochos we would be exempt from tevilah. However, many poskim rule that we don’t adapt that leniency and therefore require you to tovel the tray, although in this case it would be without a bracha, since the tray isn’t preparing the food to be fit to eat. This can be seen at length in the Shu”t Shevet Halvie (6:245).
Challah that was separated and got mixed back into all the dough
Q: Challah dough has the status of non-kosher food, therefore when asked very often that a woman prepared a piece of dough to separate for challah which got mixed up with the other dough, what is permitted at that point in regards to the challah baked from that dough?
A: First, we must point out that when a piece of dough is not thoroughly mixed into the remaining dough, and it can be clearly spotted out, then it must be removed. However, in the event — which is common — the challah dough is mixed completely with the batter, and the remaining dough is 101 times the size of the challah that was separated, the entire dough may be baked and eaten.
There is a dispute in the poskim if after the challah got mixed in the remaining dough that had 101 volumes against the challah dough, does one still have to take off challah from the mixture? The Chazon Ish (Demai:15) writes that you need to retake challah from the mixture, whereas Harav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l holds that you don’t, therefore some advise to retake challah without a bracha.
However, if the designated piece of challah was thoroughly mixed into the remaining dough, and the remaining dough is not 101 times larger in volume than the piece of challah, then the entire dough has the status of forbidden food.
In the event that the challah mixed completely, the halacha is as follows: the person who separated the challah should gather three to form a beis din and tell them about the mistake. She should say “I regret having made that piece of dough into challah, and had I known that I would later regret it I would not have designated it as challah.” The three men then say three times “muttar lach.” And then it is permitted to eat.
If the woman can’t go herself to annul her challah, she may ask her husband or someone else to go on her behalf, and he should tell the three men that he is coming in place of his wife.
The question is: who can be part of the three-man beis din to annul the challah that was taken? In Shulchan Aruch (YD:234:57) we find that the husband can’t be part of the three men, although the sons over the age of bar mitzvah could be part of the beis din.
In a very pressing need, when one can’t find three men to mattir the mixture, some permit annulling the challah on the phone while three men are listening.
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