Editing Kitniyot

{{Italic title}}
{{short description|Category of food that some Ashkenazi Jews do not eat on Passover}}
[[File:Bean in the market.JPG|thumb|Kitniyot in the market]]
'''''Kitniyot''''' ({{langx|he|קִטְנִיּוֹת}}, ''qitniyyoth'') is a Hebrew word meaning [[legumes]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.morfix.co.il/%D7%A7%D6%B4%D7%98%D6%B0%D7%A0%D6%B4%D7%99%D6%BC%D7%95%D6%B9%D7%AA | script-title=he:קִטְנִיּוֹת | publisher=Morfix | access-date=March 31, 2013 | language=he}}</ref> During the [[Passover]] holiday, however, the word ''kitniyot'' (or ''kitniyos'' in [[Ashkenazi dialect|Ashkenazi dialects]]) takes on a broader meaning to include grains and seeds such as rice, corn, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds, in addition to legumes such as beans, peas, and lentils.<ref name=oulist>{{cite web|url=https://oukosher.org/passover/guidelines/food-items/kitniyot-list/|title=Kitniyot List – Passover|work=OU Kosher|date=22 January 2013|publisher=Orthodox Union|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref>

The [[Torah]]<ref>{{Bibleverse||Exodus|13:3|HE}}</ref> prohibits Jews from eating ''[[chametz]]'' during [[Passover]].  ''Chametz'' is defined as leaven made from the "[[five species of grain]]" ([[wheat]], [[barley]], and three similar grains). Food made from any other species is not considered ''chametz''. However, among [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] and some [[Sephardic]] customs, the custom (''[[minhag]]'') during Passover is to refrain from not only products of the five grains but also other grains and legumes, known as ''kitniyot'', even though they are not ''chametz''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kashrut.com/Passover/Kitniyot/|title=What is Kitniyot?|work=kashrut.com|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yeshiva.org.il/midrash/243|title=מנהג איסור קטניות|access-date=10 April 2018}}</ref>

==Definition==
Traditions of what is considered kitniyot vary from community to community but generally include [[maize]] (American corn), as well as [[rice]], [[pea]]s, [[lentil]]s, and [[bean]]s. Many also include other legumes, such as [[peanut]]s and [[soy]], in this prohibition.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.kashrut.com/Passover/pesachart/ | title=Why is This Food Different from Other Foods? Kashrus/Passover and Modern Food Processing | publisher=Kashrut.com | access-date=March 27, 2013 | author=Mathes-Scharf, Arlene}}</ref>  The [[Chayei Adam]] considers [[potato]]es not to be kitniyot because they were unknown in the time when the prohibition was created, an opinion followed today by nearly all [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] authorities.<ref name=oukosher>{{cite web|url=https://oukosher.org/passover/articles/what-is-kitniyot/|title=What is Kitniyot? – Passover|date=23 January 2013|work=OU Kosher|publisher=Orthodox Union|access-date=12 April 2017}}</ref>

Some [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardic]] and [[Yemenite Jews]] have not traditionally observed a prohibition on eating kitniyot on Passover, although some groups do abstain from the use of dried [[Pulse (legume)|pulses]] during Passover.

Since wheat flour only becomes ''chametz'' after it is ground and then mixed with water, one might assume that the kitniyot custom does not forbid kitniyot that were never ground or never came in contact with water. By this logic, it might be permitted to eat fresh kitniyot (like whole beans), or processed kitniyot which never came in contact with water (like certain squeezed oils or toasted solids). In fact, Rabbi [[Mordechai Eliyahu]] stated that the "first Ashkenazim in Jerusalem before the establishment of the state allowed fresh legumes and only prohibited dry legumes, but when the students of the Vilna Gaon and Baal Shem Tov came to Israel, they ‘brought with them’ from Europe the prohibition against fresh legumes".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3382886,00.html|title=Revolutionary ruling: 'Yes' to kitniyot on Pesach|date=March 30, 2007|website=Ynetnews|last1=Nahshoni|first1=Kobi}}</ref> Conservative rabbis have ruled to permit fresh kitniyot.<ref>"A Teshuvah Permitting Ashkenazim to Eat Kitniyot on Pesah", Amy Levin and Avram Israel Reisner, [https://www.sefaria.org.il/sheets/30492 source]</ref>

In the 1930s, [[Maxwell House]] coffee hired the Joseph Jacobs advertising firm to market to a Jewish demographic.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/nyregion/09haggadah.html |title=Giving a Haggadah a Makeover |last=Berger |first=Joseph |date=April 8, 2011  |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=March 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Levitt|first=Aimee|date=March 26, 2021|title=The Maxwell House Haggadah was a triumph of advertising|url=https://thetakeout.com/history-of-the-maxwell-house-haggadah-passover-seder-t-1846547523|access-date=2021-03-28|website=The Takeout|language=en-us}}</ref> The agency hired a rabbi to research coffee, resulting in a determination that the coffee bean is more like a berry than a bean, thus making it kosher for Passover.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/22/AR2011032202119.html|title=New Maxwell House Haggadah out for Passover|first=Leanne|last=Italie|agency=The Associated Press|newspaper=Washington Post|date=March 22, 2011|access-date=April 12, 2011}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

==History==
The [[Halakha|Halakhic]] argument (the argument according to Jewish law and tradition) against eating kitniyot during Passover originated in [[early medieval]] France and Provence and later flourished in [[high medieval]] Ashkenazi ([[Rhineland massacres|Rhineland]]) Germany. Most rabbinic sources prior to the 13th century, including the writings of [[Rav Huna]] (3rd century), [[Rava (amora)|Rava]] (4th century), [[Rav Ashi]] (5th century), and [[Maimonides]] (11th century), explicitly allowed eating ''kitniyot'' during Passover.<ref name="golinkin2015" />

The original reasons behind the custom of not eating kitniyot during Passover are not clear. Suggestions include:
* The grains which form ''chametz'' are commonly found mixed into ''kitniyot''. Therefore, someone who cooks ''kitniyot'' may inadvertently eat ''chametz''.<ref name=mb>[[Mishnah Brurah]] 453:6</ref> (According to one theory, farmers in northern Europe using the [[three-field system]] would grow grain and legumes only a few months apart in the same fields, making the mixing of these products a common reality for Ashkenazi Jews, and leading to the ''kitniyot'' custom developing among them.<ref>[https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/why-sephardim-eat-kitniyot-but-ashkenazim-dont/ Why Sephardim eat Kitniyot but Ashkenazim don’t]</ref> Even today, commercial harvests of gluten-free oats are often contaminated by wheat, barley, or rye from a previous harvest.<ref name=cheer>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160506014837/https://mosaicmagazine.com/observation/2016/04/why-are-these-cheerios-different-from-all-other-cheerios/ Why Are These Cheerios Different from All Other Cheerios?]</ref>)
* ''Kitniyot'' are frequently processed in ways similar to ''chametz'' grains, and cooked to make foods similar to ''chametz'' (e.g. [[cornbread]]). Thus, unlearned people might deduce from the presence of ''kitniyot'' foods that ''chametz'' is permitted as well.<ref name=mb/> This would make ''kitniyot'' a case of [[marit ayin]].
*  The [[Talmud]]  notes that [[Rava (amora)|Rava]] objected to the workers of the [[Exilarch]] cooking a food called ''chasisi'' on Pesach, since it could be confused with ''chametz''.<ref>[[Pesachim]] 40b</ref> [[Tosafot]] and [[Nathan ben Jehiel]] understand that ''chasisi'' are lentils.<ref>Tosafot, Pesachim 40b, s.v. Rava; [[Nathan ben Jehiel]], the ''Arukh''</ref> According to [[Vilna Gaon]], this story establishes the basis for the concern for kitniyot.<ref>Hagahot HaGra, ibid.</ref>
* Because one is commanded to rejoice on holidays ({{Bibleverse||Deut|16:14|HE}}), and "there is no joy in eating dishes made from kitniyot",<ref>Rabbeinu Manoah (Provence, ca. 1265) [https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=19411&st=&pgnum=27 Sefer Hamenuchah, Hilchot Hametz Umatzah 5:1]</ref> some Jewish communities avoided ''kitniyot'' during all festivals as far back as the 9th century and similar customs were observed by the ancient Greeks, Romans and Arabs.<ref name="golinkin2015" /> Elsewhere, lentils are considered a food of mourners.
* While ''kitniyot'' do not fully ferment in the manner of ''chametz'', they do undergo partial fermentation, similar to {{ill|chametz nuksheh|he|חמץ נוקשה}}.<ref>[https://asif.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/1-5-91.pdf  אלישע אנצ'לוביץ': חירות, שוויון, אחווה], quoting [[Asher ben Meshullam]] and [[Yom Tov Asevilli|Ritva]]</ref>
* The [[Jerusalem Talmud]] prescribes an experiment to determine if a species can become ''chametz''; once the experiment was forgotten, species which might have tested positive had to be treated as potentially forbidden. Therefore (it is proposed) custom in the Land of Israel (where the Jerusalem Talmud was followed) eventually forbid kitniyot, and this custom was inherited by Ashkenazi communities.<ref>Eli Lansey, [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OESLajNkIxUIC7P2JXcVHsyyiM_M7jpt3elsuVGFJ_w/edit In Defense of Kitniyot]</ref>

Even in the early days of the ''kitniyot'' prohibition, some [[posek|poskim]] opposed it, among them [[Rabbenu Yerucham]] (14th century), who called it a "foolish custom", [[Jacob ben Asher]] (14th century), who called it "an unnecessary stringency", and [[Samuel ben Solomon of Falaise]], one of the first to write about the custom the 13th century, who called it "mistaken".<ref name="Golinkin page 10">Golinkin, "The Kitniyot Dilemma,  Kolot  Vol 6, No. 3, page 10, Spring 2013</ref><ref name=Golinkin /><ref name="golinkin2015" />

More recently, rabbis including Rav Moshe Feinstein did not advocate abandoning the custom, but opposed expanding the list of forbidden kitniyot.<ref>[[Igrot Moshe]], [[Orah Hayyim]] 3. 63</ref>

==In non-Orthodox Judaism==

Although [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] and [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] Ashkenazi Judaism currently allow for the consumption of ''kitniyot'' during Passover, long-standing tradition in these and other communities has been to abstain from their consumption.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=307314|title=A plea for 'kitniyot'|work=jpost.com|publisher=[[Jerusalem Post]]|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://momentmag.com/talk-of-the-table-rice-and-beans-for-passover/|title = Can Jews eat rice, beans, lentils and other kitniyot on Passover?|date = 17 March 2020}}</ref>

Reform Jewish authorities, such as the [[Central Conference of American Rabbis|Responsa Committee of the Reform Jewish Movement]], the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada, have ruled in favor of permitting kitniyot.<ref>{{cite web|first=Eric|last=Berk|title=Food Restrictions on Passover Explained|work=Reform Judaism.org|url=http://www.reformjudaism.org/food-restrictions-passover-explained-chametz-and-kitniyot|access-date=2016-04-16|archive-date=2019-04-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417154727/https://reformjudaism.org/food-restrictions-passover-explained-chametz-and-kitniyot|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=PESACH KASHRUT AND REFORM JUDAISM|url=https://ccarnet.org/responsa/rr21-no-5756-9/|website=CCAR RESPONSA|publisher=Central Conference of American Rabbis|access-date=24 April 2016|date=1995}}</ref> Reform Judaism first formally permitted eating ''kitniyot'' during Passover in the 19th century.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sanchez|first1=Tatiana|title=Passover to include new food options this year|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/apr/21/passover-kitniyot-jews/|access-date=24 April 2016|work=The San Diego Union-Tribune|date=21 April 2016}}</ref>

While many Conservative Jews observe the tradition of avoiding ''kitniyot'' during Passover, the [[Committee on Jewish Law and Standards]], an authoritative body in Conservative Judaism, issued two [[Conservative responsa|responsa]] in December 2015 that said it was now permissible to eat these previously prohibited foods throughout the world.<ref>{{cite web|first=Lisa|last=Schoenfien|title=Conservative Movement Overturns 800-Year-Old Passover Ban on Rice and Legumes|work=The Forward|date=April 14, 2016|url=http://forward.com/culture/food/338525/conservative-movement-overturns-800-year-old-passover-ban-on-rice-and-legum/}}</ref><ref name="golinkin2015">{{cite web|last1=Golinkin|first1=David|author-link1=David Golinkin|title=Rice, beans and ''kitniyot'' on Pesah – are they really forbidden?|url=http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/public/halakhah/teshuvot/2011-2020/Golinkin-Kitniyot.pdf|website=Committee on Jewish Law and Standards|publisher=Rabbinical Assembly|date=24 December 2015|access-date=25 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Levin|first1=Amy|last2=Reisner|first2=Avram Israel|title=A Teshuvah Permitting ''Ashkenazim'' to Eat Kitniyot on Pesa<u>h</u>|url=http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/public/halakhah/teshuvot/2011-2020/Levin-Reisner-Kitniyot.pdf|access-date=25 April 2016|date=November 2015|website=Committee on Jewish Law and Standards|publisher=Rabbinical Assembly}}</ref> These responsa were based on a 1989 responsa by the [[Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies|Responsa Committee of the Israeli Conservative Movement]] that permitted Conservative Jews in Israel to eat ''kitniyot''.<ref name=Golinkin>{{cite web|last1=Golinkin|first1=David|author-link1=David Golinkin|title=Eating ''Kitniyot'' (Legumes) on ''Pesach''|url=http://www.responsafortoday.com/engsums/3_4.htm|website=Responsa for Today|publisher=Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies|access-date=24 April 2016|date=1989}}</ref> While eating kitniyot has become more common in Israel, due in large part to the influence of Sephardic Jewish food customs, it is not yet clear whether Conservative Jews in other parts of the world will embrace the new rulings or continue to refrain from kitniyot.<ref>{{cite web|first=Ann|last=Green|title=To Kitniyot or Not to Kitniyot, Passover's New Question|work=Jewish Boston|date=April 16, 2016|url=http://www.jewishboston.com/to-kitniyot-or-not-to-kitniyot-passovers-new-question/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=David|last=Holzel|title=Rabbis Expand the Passover Menu-- But Will Conservative Jews Bite?|work=Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)|date=April 12, 2016|url=http://www.jta.org/2016/04/12/life-religion/rabbis-expand-the-passover-menu-but-will-conservative-jews-bite}}</ref>

Some rabbis, such as Orthodox rabbi [[David Bar-Hayim]] and Conservative rabbi [[David Golinkin]], have argued that the prohibition of ''kitniyot'', while appropriate in Eastern Europe where the Ashkenazi tradition began, should not apply to the United States or Israel.<ref name="Golinkin page 10"/><ref name=Golinkin /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3869641,00.html|title=Rabbis: 'Kitniyot rebellion' continues|last1=Weiss|first1=Ruchama|date=31 March 2010|work=Jewish World|access-date=24 April 2016|publisher=Ynetnews|last2=Brackman|first2=Levi}}</ref><ref name=machon>{{cite press release|title=Beth HaWaadh Permits Eating of Kitniyoth by all Jews in Israel During Pesach |url=http://machonshilo.org/content/view/70/1/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070503054815/http://machonshilo.org/content/view/70/1/ |archive-date= 3 May 2007 |url-status=dead |date=20 March 2007 |work=Machon Shilo }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://machonshilo.org/PDF/Machon_Shilo_Pesaq_Qitniyoth_2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070503054815/http://machonshilo.org/PDF/Machon_Shilo_Pesaq_Qitniyoth_2.pdf |archive-date= 3 May 2007 |url-status=dead |title=פסק הלכה בענין מנהג אי-אכילת קטניות בפסח |language=he |trans-title=Halachic Ruling on the Custom of Eating Kitniyot on Passover }}</ref> According to ''The Forward'', some Israelis are choosing a more permissive rabbinical interpretation of kitniyot, which allows for the consumption of a wider range of formerly banned items,<ref name="JDFa">{{cite news |last1=Jeffay |first1=Nathan |title=Pesach Kitniyot Rebels Roil Rabbis As Some Ashkenazim Follow New, Permissive Ruling |url=http://forward.com/articles/104483/pesach-kitniyot-rebels-roil-rabbis-as-some-ashkena/? |access-date=11 March 2015 |issue=News, Community News |publisher=The Forward Association, Inc. |date=April 1, 2009}}</ref><ref name="HDNa">{{cite news |last1=Ahren |first1=Raphael |title=Efrat rabbi tilts against Passover food restrictions for Ashkenazi Jews |url=http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/anglo-file/efrat-rabbi-tilts-against-passover-food-restrictions-for-ashkenazi-jews-1.356076 |access-date=March 11, 2015 |issue=Home – Weekend – Anglo File |publisher=Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. |date=April 15, 2011}}</ref> and some Ashkenazi Jews in Israel who are married to Sephardic Jews have adopted the Sephardic custom. While the [[Orthodox Union|Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America]] and other Orthodox organizations still maintain that the prohibition is binding on all Ashkenazic Jews worldwide,<ref>{{cite web|author1=Luban, Yaakov|author2=Gersten, Eli|title=Curious about Kitniyot?|url=https://www.ou.org/jewish_action/03/2015/curious_about_kitniyot/|website=Jewish Action|publisher=Orthodox Union|access-date=24 April 2016|date=4 March 2015}}</ref> [[Orthodox Union Kosher]] maintains a ''kitniyot'' [[hechsher]] intended for non-Ashkenazic Jews who consume ''kitniyot'' on Passover.<ref>{{cite press release|title=IN TIME FOR PASSOVER 2013, OU KOSHER ANNOUNCES NEW "OU KITNIYOT" CERTIFICATION SYMBOL|url=https://oukosher.org/blog/consumer-news/in-time-for-passover-2013-ou-kosher-announces-new-ou-kitniyot-certification-symbol/|website=OU Kosher|publisher=Orthodox Union|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.yeshiva.co/ask/?cat=205/ Yeshiva.co: Kitniyot]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20181006083313/http://www.kashrut.com/Passover/kitniot_list/ Kashrut.com: Kitniyot List]
* [http://ph.yhb.org.il/en/category/pesah/09-kitniyot/ HaRav Eliezer Melamed: all about kitniyot on Passover]

{{Passover Footer}}

[[Category:Ashkenazi Jews topics]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law]]
[[Category:Jewish law and rituals]]
[[Category:Oral Torah]]
[[Category:Passover]]
[[Category:Sephardi Jews topics]]