DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Halacha is For Refuah Shelemah for
 Leah bat Virgina

Dedicated By
Friends and Family

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
      
(File size: 882 KB)
The Status of Pasteurized Wine

A well-established Halacha forbids partaking of wine or grape juice that had been handled by a gentile or Shabbat violator, unless the wine is "Mevushal," meaning, it had been cooked. The question arises, does the process of pasteurization, which entails heating wine to a temperature exceeding 170 degrees Fahrenheit, suffice to render wine Mevushal?

Hacham Bension Abba Shaul (Jerusalem, 1923-1998), in his work Or Le'sion (vol. 2, p. 187), ruled that pasteurization does not qualify as "cooking" with respect to the Halacha of wine handled by a gentile. He notes that the Shach (commentary to the Shulhan Aruch by Rabbi Shabtai Ha'kohen, 1621-1662), in his commentary to Yoreh De'a (123), rules that wine is considered Mevushal only if its quantity diminished somewhat as a result of boiling. Pasteurization is performed in a closed container such that the full quantity of the wine is retained. Hence, according to Hacham Bension, pasteurization does not meet the qualifications of Mevushal, and one may therefore not partake of pasteurized wine that had been handled by a gentile, unless the wine had also been boiled in an open utensil.

Hacham Ovadia Yosef, however, in his work Yabia Omer (vol. 9, p. 256), disagrees. He cites the work Ma'aseh Ha'ge'onim (p. 77) as recording the view of several Geonim that the wine's quantity does not have to be diminished for the boiling to render the wine Mevushal. Hacham Ovadia further notes that the Shulhan Aruch (Yoreh De'a 123:3) defines "Yayin Mevushal" as wine that has been brought to a boil over a fire, making no mention whatsoever of its diminished quantity. Accordingly, Hacham Ovadia contends that pasteurization does, in fact, qualify as "cooking" with respect to the status of wine, and it is therefore permissible to drink pasteurized wine or grape juice that had been handled by a gentile or Shabbat violator. This is also the position taken by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (Russia-America, 1895-1986), in his work Iggerot Moshe (3:31). In fact, he extended this ruling even further, claiming that wine is deemed Mevushal even it only eached the temperature of "Yad Soledet Bo" (the point at which one's hand would immediately recoil on contact), even if did not reach a boil.

Summary: Halacha forbids partaking of wine or grape juice that had been handled by a non-Jew or Shabbat violator, unless it had been brought to a boil, such as through the process of pasteurization.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
If a Person Forgot to Recite Ya’aleh Ve’yabo on Rosh Hodesh
Modesty in the Privacy of One’s Home
What Constitutes An Elder
The Proper Words to Use When Bidding Somebody Farewell
Standing for Kaddish; Reciting Kaddish After Learning Torah
Reading Tehillim at Night
May One Use an Electric Drier to Dry His Hands After Netilat Yadayim?
The Status of Charity Money That Does Not Reach the Intended Recipient
Does Money Used For A Sefer Torah Count As Ma'aser
Can A Congregation or Community Rely On A Designated Charity Fund and Restrict People From Soliciting From Individuals
Giving Sedaka in the Proper Manner and at the Proper Time
Is a Non-Verbal Commitment to Charity Binding?
Paying or Accepting Interest as a Gift
Doing Favors for the Lender in Lieu of Interest
Lending Money on Condition that the Borrower Fulfills a Wish of the Lender
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found