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...
Making a Zimun When a Third Person Joins After the First Two Finished Eating
Can People Form a Zimun if One Person’s Food is Forbidden for the Others?
When is Birkat Ha’mazon a Torah Obligation?
Can People Sitting at Separate Tables Join Together for a Zimun?
Birkat HaMazon If One Ate a Ke’zayit of Bread Slowly, Over the Course of an Extended Period
Kavana During Birkat Ha’mazon
Must the One Who Leads Birkat Ha’mazon Hold the Cup Throughout the Sheba Berachot?
“She’hakol” and “Boreh Nefashot” if One is Drinking Intermittently in One Location
Using for Kiddush or Birkat Ha’mazon a Cup of Wine From Which One Had Drunk
If the Group or Part of the Group Recited Birkat Ha’mazon Without a Zimun
If Three People Ate Together and One Needs to Leave Early
Should Abridged Texts of Birkat Ha’mazon be Printed in Siddurim?
Making a Zimun When a Third Person Joined After the First Two Finished Eating
The Importance of Using a Cup of Wine for Birkat Ha’mazon; Adding Three Drops of Water to the Cup
If One Ate Half a “Ke’zayit” of Fruit Requiring “Al Ha’etz,” and Half a “Ke’zayit” of Other Fruit
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found