What to avoid on Pesach?

R' Gil Student and the RabbiWithoutACause come out against Kitniyot. (no surprises there...can't even say I disagree with them) [update: came out against EATING kitnoyot, meaning, kitniyot are STILL prohibited]

Teaneck Jews are avoiding Ethanol Gasoline this Pesach. (OK, we know that's a joke...since I've been informed that the Teaneck Israeli who owns the gas station is Yoram and not Yaniv)

HOWEVER, Michelle Levine, a spokeswoman for Israel's "Green Leaf" party has announced: Cannabis is among the substances Jews are forbidden to consume during the week-long festival, which begins Monday.

Green Leaf is a small political party that supports the legalization of marijuana. Although it is by no means a Jewish religious authority, the group decided to warn its observant supporters away from the drug on Passover.

"You shouldn't smoke marijuana on the holiday, and if you have it in your house you should get rid of it," Levine said. The edict was first reported in The Jerusalem Post.

But not everyone needs to give up their habit for the duration of the festival. The rabbinic injunctions banning hemp were never adopted by Sephardic Jews, who come from countries in the Middle East and North Africa. That means there is no reason they can't keep smoking marijuana, Levine said, except that it remains illegal, despite her party's best efforts.

Green Leaf contested the last three national elections but never won a seat, despite gaining popularity as a protest vote. According to Levine, the party has a large number of religious supporters. YahooNews (hat-tip: Amshi)

Huh? What does marijuana have to do with kitnoyot? I must have missed something in the Washington Heights Drugs for Dummies 101 course. (Not for users of course, just for general knowledge)

KIDS: Say no to drugs all year round...not just for Pesach!






Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael

Pre-Pesach Observations in Israel

With the Jewish Month of Nissan in full swing, Pesach is less than 2 weeks away.

And how can you tell? Doing our first serious round of Pesach grocery shopping a few nights ago, I found special "Kosher for Pesach" areas in every aisle (in addition to the exclusive "Kosher for Pesach" aisles).

The difficult problem is the "kitniyot" issue. (For info on kitniyot, I suggest you check out Hirhurim or maybe RWAC will have something to say...or perhaps The Orthonomic SephardiLady...the following link is interesting, but I'm not recommending you follow it without consulting your local halachik authority)

As opposed to say, the USA, where "Kosher for Pesach" generally means "kitniyot free", in Israel, products are diverse.

The labels on products range from:

Kosher for Pesach, only for Kitniyot eaters
Kosher for Pesach, also for Non-Kitniyot eaters
Kosher for Pesach, not for those who don't eat Kitniyot
Kosher for Pesach, contains "Mei Kitniyot"
Kosher for Pesach, only for Kitniyot eaters who eat "Lifteet"

Confusing? No Kidding.

Wish we had a real Sanhedrin already to get rid of Kitniyot once and for all!

When my wife reminded me to check every single package, she wasn't kidding. The hamburgers came in 3 different packages, and while 2 out of 3 were ok for non-kitniyot eaters, one was not (you really have read the fine print!)

However, the amount of Kosher for Pesach food is enormous, regardless of whether you are Sefaradi or Ashkenzai, and eat Kitniyot or not. Prebaked cakes from Elite and Osem are simply amazing (fudge chocolate with chocolate chip) and it's a far cry from the Streits cake mixes from 20 years ago.

Barton's chocolate was cool though...and I sold enough one year to be the grand prize winner for the entire school...which won for me a $10 walkie talkie set which didn't work. (They should have offered helicopters instead).

Obligatory Pre-Pesach Joke.

Q: What’s the difference between an Arab terrorist and a woman cleaning for Pesach?
A: With an Arab terrorist you can negotiate...

And last year's Pesach video:

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael