DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
"Delivered to Over 6000 Registered Recipients Each Day"

      
(File size: 1.14 MB)
Erev Pesah on Shabbat – The Mukse Status of Masa

On Erev Pesah, Halacha forbids partaking of Masa with which one may fulfill his obligation of Masa at the Seder. (This is to the exclusion of egg Masa, which may not be used for the Misva at the Seder, and which one may therefore eat on Erev Pesah.)

This prohibition results in an interesting Halacha in a situation when Erev Pesah falls on Shabbat. Since Masa is not suitable for consumption on this day, it serves no functional purpose and is therefore deemed "Mukse," something that one may not handle on Shabbat. Several authorities, including the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), Rav Haim Palachi (Turkey, 1788-1869) and Hacham Ovadia Yosef, have indeed ruled that it is forbidden to handle Masa on Erev Pesah when it occurs on Shabbat.

It should be noted, however, that this prohibition applies only to "Shemura Masa" – Masa made from grain that had been carefully protected from water from the time it was harvested. Shemura Masa, which is what we use at the Seder, is particularly costly, and one therefore generally reserves it specifically for the Seder. Other Masa, however, which is less expensive, is often used on Erev Pesah to feed young children. As such, it serves a purpose even on Erev Pesah and may therefore be handled even when Erev Pesah falls on Shabbat.

If one must move Shemura Masa on Erev Pesah that falls on Shabbat, he should place an item that may be handled – such as some other food product – on top of the Masa. The Masa then becomes a "Basis Le'davar Ha'mutar" – a "base" for a permissible item – which Halacha allows one to move on Shabbat.

Summary: When Erev Pesah falls on Shabbat, it is forbidden to handle Shemura Masa on that Shabbat. Other Masa may be handled. If one must move Shemura Masa on such a Shabbat, he should place a permissible item on the Masa and then move the Masa.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Does One Recite a Beracha Aharona if He Ate a “Ke’ayit” in Two Sittings?
If One is Uncertain Whether He Recited Birkat Ha’mazon
If One Intended to Recite One Beracha But Recited a Different One
If One Mistakenly Recited Birkat Ha’mazon Instead of Me’en Shalosh
Does the Beracha Over the Wine at Habdala Cover Wine Drunk During Melaveh Malka?
If a Person Eats a Ke’zayit of “Mezonot” Food and a Lesser Amount of Fruit
If One Ate a Food Requiring “Me’en Shalosh” With Fruits or Vegetables Requiring “Boreh Nefashot”
Changes in the Text of “Me’en Shalosh” When One Eats Products Grown in Israel
The Beracha Over Products Made From Corn Flour and Other Unconventional Types of Flour
Berachot Over Rice and Rice Products
Does “Boreh Nefashot” Cover Foods Requiring “Me’en Shalosh”?
The Proper Text for the Conclusion of “Al Ha’mihya”
The Beracha Aharona After Eating Mezonot and Drinking Wine
The Beracha for Stuffed Chicken, Stuffed Artichoke and Stuffed Avocado
Which Beracha Does One Recite on an Ice Cream Sandwich?
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found