W4W: The Most Important Jewish Value!!

03/29/22 • 24 min

Power Up!

What's the most important Jewish value to instill in ourselves and our kids?

What's the most important Jewish value to instill in ourselves and our kids?

Previous Episode

Shabbos Treasures 19 - Grinding

How to make a salad on Shabbos? Or otherwise put what could possibly potentially be wrong with making a nice salad on Shabbos?

After the grain was isolated from the dirt it was ground into flour.

The melacha of grinding is breaking down and reducing a sizable entity into small parts whereby it becomes suitable for a new use.

So, crushing, chopping, pulverizing any object into small particles whether by hand or with a utensil.

Eg chopping lumber into wood chips.

By food, it's only an issue when food is reduced to small particles which makes it easier to eat.

There are 4 exceptions to grinding under which if you have even 1 of these 4 its ok:

1) It is only an issue with earth grown foods. So, meat, fish, cheese etc can be chopped up.

2) There is no problem of grinding after grinding.

So you could crush a cookie into tiny crumbs because the flour was already ground.

3) For immediate use is fine.

So even if it wasn't pre ground, and it came from the ground you can reduce the fruit or vegetable to a pulverised mass eg by chewing on a carrot.

4) When done in an abnormal way is fine, eg grinding with the handle of a knife is ok.

So, when we speak about making a salad on Shabbos, other than "borer" - sorting issues we saw such as removing bugs or taking the bad from the good, the issue to look out for is grinding related.

The way to deal with this issue is to prepare the salad immediately before consumption. The other exemptions of not growing from the ground and being chopped previously don't apply.

If it's not practical to chop the fruits or vegetables just "before" the meal you can avoid the issue by either using the back of a knife, or by cutting it into long thin slices under which the whole issue doesn't arise.

Next Episode

Shabbos Treasures 20 - Medicines & Treatments

In the time of the Talmud most medicines were derived from herbs, which were prepared by grinding or pulverizing. This involves the melacha of grinding, therefore any form of medication or therapy was Rabbinically forbidden to safeguard the melacha. Even exercise would be included in this as it improves one's fitness. 1) As a rule any form of progressive therapy is forbidden, so any form of corrective or health enhancing therapy is included, eg, ingesting pills, use of ointments acupuncture etc. This is even for a healthy person, therefore medications, exercise, vitamins taken to improve one's physical constitution are out. 2) However, vitamins are OK to maintain one's health, eg to prevent a relapse. Preventative therapy is ok as long as it doesn't also strengthen or also improve him. So vitamins not ok if also to improve his general health. 3) Only minor ailments are included in this prohibition. Severe illnesess etc were never restricted by Rabbinic ordinance. 4) Also note, if it could be excused as behaviour of a regular person it's ok, eg having a hot tea to sooth a throat is ok, as is taking a walk to ease tension, as people who are fine do these things too. 5) Medications that will only be effective when taken over many days consecutively may be taken. Antibiotics are fine to continue with as needed to complete the course. 6) For an illness such as a headache that it's bad enough to confine him to bed, he can then take medicine. We shall now look at a number of real life examples and get a feel for how complicated this can be and why to ask a Rabbi in all cases!: 1) Removing a splinter? OK as not healing, but removal of "outside affliction". 2) Talcum powder for perspiring feet? Ok as only absorbing troublesome moisture. 3) Applying a plaster (bandaid) on shabbos? Ok (as long as no ointment on it) as it merely covers and protects the wound. 4) Drinking whisky to to calm nerves? Ok as it could be something a regular person does. 5) Taking a pill when fearful a headache could come on? Ok as preventative. 6) Sleeping pills? Ok as fatigue isn't regarded as a medical condition. What to do if I want/ need to take medication but it doesn't appear to follow any of the lenient examples? You can always camouflage it into food eg smeer with peanut butter or crush into a dribk before shabbos, as then it doesn't have appearance of medicine.