Who May Eat Rice on Pesach?

Who May Eat Rice on Pesach?

Rice is permitted on Pesach in most Sephardic communities. The Gemara in Masechet Pesachim relates that one of the amoraim ate “aroza” (rice) at the Seder as one of the dishes eaten in remembrance of the sacrifices that were brought in the Temple on the night of Pesach. In addition, the Gemara discusses whether one can fulfill the mitzvah of matzah by eating bread made from rice. The Gemara explains that one does not fulfill the mitzvah with this type of matzah, because rice is not one of the five primary grains. Thus, the Gemara accepted the premise that rice is not chametz; rice was disqualified for making matzah only because matzah must be made exclusively from one of the five grains. There is therefore no doubt that rice is permitted on Pesach and is not considered chametz. The custom in many communities not to eat rice on Pesach arose two or three centuries ago, when there was concern that some wheat grains might become mixed with rice. In some European countries, it was common for wheat fields and rice fields to be located next to one another, and the same sacks were often used to collect both wheat and rice. The sacks were not always cleaned thoroughly of residue, and it was therefore fairly common to find wheat grains in packages of rice purchased at the grocery store. For this reason, Ashkenazic Jews adopted the stringency of not eating rice on Pesach. In general, it was not customary in Sephardic lands to mix wheat grains with rice, and therefore most Sephardim did not adopt this custom. A notable exception was Pri Chadash (Rabbi Hezekiah da Silva, 1659–1698), a Sephardic rabbi who once ate rice on Pesach and discovered a wheat grain mixed in with the rice. At that point, he took upon himself the custom of refraining from rice on Pesach. Nevertheless, as mentioned, the accepted custom among most Sephardim is to permit eating rice on Pesach, provided that it is first checked three times to ensure that no wheat grains are present. Although it is unclear how and why wheat grains end up in packages of rice, this does sometimes happen. Therefore, one may not eat rice on Pesach unless it has been carefully inspected. The minhag is to spread the rice out on a white surface so that any dark grains will be clearly visible, and to check the rice three times in this manner. It is preferable not to perform all three checks consecutively, since one may become tired after the first or second check and fail to inspect the rice properly. This inspection may not be entrusted to a minor who has not yet reached the age of bar or bat mitzvah. Interestingly, the Mountain Jews did not cook rice during the first two days of Yom Tov, but only during Chol HaMoed. This was most likely because sorting rice is prohibited on Yom Tov. Ashkenazim should follow their ancestors’ custom not to eat rice on Pesach. Although Chacham Tzvi (Rabbi Tzvi Ashkenazi of Amsterdam, 1660–1718) wrote that he would abolish this custom if he had the authority to do so, since rice is a staple food, the custom was nevertheless accepted by all Ashkenazic communities, and Ashkenazim remain bound by this prohibition to this day. If a Sephardic man marries an Ashkenazic woman, the woman adopts the customs of her Sephardic husband and may therefore eat rice on Pesach. Even though she was raised in an Ashkenazic home and never ate rice on Pesach, once she marries a Sephardi, she follows his customs. Conversely, if a Sephardic woman marries an Ashkenazic man, she may no longer eat rice on Pesach, since she is now married to an Ashkenazi. However, Chacham Ovadia Yosef ruled that if the couple visits the wife’s parents during Pesach and they live in Eretz Yisrael, she may eat rice in her parents’ home. Since Maran (the author of the Shulchan Aruch) is regarded as the authoritative halachic decisor for Eretz Yisrael, his rulings are considered the “local custom,” even for a woman who marries an Ashkenazi. http://www.dailyhalacha.com/displayRead.asp?readID=537&txtSearch=pesach