Welcome to your ASBEE Mishpacha
Anshei Sphard - Beth El Emeth Congregation
120 East Yates Rd. North, Memphis, TN 38120
901-682-1611, Fax: 901-682-1641
asbee@aol.com
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Welcome to your ASBEE Mishpacha Anshei Sphard - Beth El Emeth Congregation 120 East Yates Rd. North, Memphis, TN 38120 901-682-1611, Fax: 901-682-1641 asbee@aol.com |
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What's in a Little Charoses?Collected rabbinic sources on the origin, use and composition of charoses What's the recipe?Geonim (Babylonia)- fruit, similar to the people of Israel who are compared to apples, "under the apple I stirred you, pomegranates, "like the peel of a pomegranate is your forehead..." figs, dates, "I said I would go up the date tree," nuts, "I went down to the garden of nuts" and almonds, Shkd= G-d watches over the end... R. Chananel- Cinnamon... Rif- (Andalusia, Sp. 11th cent.) cinnamon and sinbal Rambam (commentary to Mishna)- We make it like this- we soak figs or dates and cook them and mash them until they are moist and knead the whole thing in vinegar and we put in it sheboleth nerd or eizov and the like not ground. (in Mishne Torah 7, 11)- dates or figs or raisins or the like and beat it and place vinegar in it and spice it up with spices like mortar. Rashbam- vegetables (?), finely ground spices, apples Tosaphot- (Rashis' grandchildren, 13th cent. Fr.)- Jerusalemite Talmud-to remember the blood, that's why it's called a liquid dip, and that's what people do. They make it hard, and at the time of eating they weaken it with wine or vinegar. Rabbeinu Yechiel (Paris, 13th cent.)- our Talmud- thick. JT- thin, to remember the blood, and both are true. One first makes it thick and when we dip we thin it with wine or vinegar (Hag. Maim. ibid, 9) RAAVAN (Ger. 12th cent.) apples and nuts and cinnamon and the like and vegetables like mirtach and romaine lettuce. Rokeach (# 284, Ger. 12th cent.)- nuts, dates, pomegranates, pepper, zanvgvil, kamon, karpas, mirtach (laaz), but the apples and nuts are the essentials RAAVYA- include myrrh Ittur (Provence)- pickled apples and vinegar... Rabbeinu Yerucham- things which are pickled and sweet to remember the apple.... Is the Halacha like Rebbi Elazar bar Zadok? Rambam- (commentary to Mishna)- no, then we would make a bracha. Rambam (Mishne Torah) it is a mitzva from the Scribes to remind us of mortar. Ittur- yes, since Abayey explains his words. RAAVYA- it is a mitzva of its own. What is the purpose of it? Gemara- according to the Rabbis, for "Kapa" (see below). According to REBZ- for the apples and for the mortar. Palestinian Talmud- to remember the blood.... Rashi (France, 11th cent.)- the bight of the charoses is difficult and it has a poison. Rashbam (Rashi's grandson)- it is like a poison. RAMBAM (Commentary to Mishna, Egypt, 11th cent.)- to remember the mortar. (also in Mishne Torah) Mishne Torah: And we bring to the table on the nights of Pesach. Rabbenu Chananel- (Tunisia, 11th cent.)- to kill the worm in the marror. Shibole Haleket (Italy 14th cent.)- since at night you can't see it. Ittur- mainly for poison control (JF) Kol Bo- it is not a mitzva but for remembrance. (!) Do we make a blessing over it? Rambam in Mishne Torah- According to REBZ one would have to. Kol Bo- No, because the karpas is not a mitzva just for remembrance and the carpas is the main thing and it absolves the blessing over the minor thing. RAAVYA- even though it is a mitzva by itself, since he eats it through dipping, he does not say a blessing. Manhig- When one makes a blessing over the maror it absolves the charoses for it too comes to remember the bitterness and the hard work with mortar... Do we dip the karpas (celery) in it? Mordechai (Ger. 13th cent., killed by crusaders) the first dip is not for mortar or poison control but to stir the youngsters... Or Zaruah (Ger. 13th cent.)- People are accustomed to dip it in charoses, and it is not so. For it is only for kappa, and in the Mishna, charoses isn't mentioned until the end, and in the JT it says to dip in salt and so says the Holy one of Worms, for the charoses is for the mortar and maror is for the bitterness of the work and so its place is with maror and he who moves it up is like one who sleeps with his bride (in the house of his father in law). Semag- (R. Moshe of Coucey, 13th cent.)- wine or vinegar. Manhig- no. R. Tam and R. Isaac (R. Tam's nephew). Kol Bo (compilation of laws, Provence)- yes. Do we dip the Matzo in it? Geonim- sent from the Yeshiva that the 2nd dipping is the matzo Rambam- yes. Ittur- We never find "dipping" with bread. Do we dip the korech sandwich in it? R. Amram- 10th cent. Babylonia- no. Rambam (8, 6), R. Meir of Rottenberg (died in German jail, 14th cent.), R. Tam (Rashi's grandson) - yes. Rashi- yes. Hag. Maim- yes. JT- if there is bread there is no poison. Mordechai- Rabbenu Yechiel used to dip his sandwich in haroses because we do it to remember Hillel and Hillel would dip in Haroses. So Kol Bo (Provence, 14th cent.) Or Zarua- The paytanist did not mention dipping, and so the world is accustomed and it is a wonderment for what will cut the poison, and it is hard to say the matzo cuts it, so one should dip it in charoses and so did Rabbenu Menachem for since we follow Hillel and if the Halacha is like Hillel then the main marror is with matzo and maror and charoses go together... Raavya- no. Ittur- no. Some say because the matza kills the taste. Some say because the poison has already been killed with the first dipping. Manhig (R. Elazar Hayarchi of Lunel, 14th cent.) the custom of most Sp., Provence and most of France is not to, but it cannot be for it will result in a destruction for when the Temple will be rebuilt, speedily, they will say, last year we didn't dip, now we will not dip... Rabbeinu Yerucham- (14th cent. Provence) most authorities say yes and so it is. |
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