[Avodah] Preparing Food Before or on Yom Tov (was Definition of Religion)

[Prof. Levine]

At 02:07 PM 9/28/2012, Akiva Miller wrote:
>Specifically, chapter 2, paragraph 1. (Sources available there.) 
...
>"A cooked food whose taste will not spoil at all if he cooks it on 
>Erev Yom Tov, such as fruit soup, should be prepared before Yom Tov. 
>If he did not prepare it before Yom Tov, because of forgetfulness or 
>lack of time, he may do so on Yom Tov, provided that he makes a 
>small shinui in the melacha. If he was anoos...
>he may do so on Yom Tov even without any shinui in the melacha.

>"And why did Chazal say that he should prepare beforehand? It is a 
>gezeira lest one ...                and it will end up that his whole 
>Yom Tov will be spent on food-related melachos, and he will miss out 
>on Simchas Yom Tov."

I must say that I do not understand this. Before there was refrigeration,
food would not keep for very long. Hence, one had to prepare it as
close to possible as to when it would be eaten.

Furthermore, any really good restaurant prepares the food after the
customer has ordered it. Why, because it is tastier when it is prepared
fresh. Thus, should it not be part of simchas Yom Tov to eat delicious
food that is prepared as close to being served as possible?

I also note that you wrote, "it will end up that *his* whole Yom Tov will
be spent on food-related melachos, and *he* will miss out on Simchas
Yom Tov." Am I to deduce from this that the man is to do the cooking
for Yom Tov?


At 02:07 PM 9/28/2012, Zev Sero wrote:
>Fruit soup is an *example*.  *All* food that can be made before yomtov
>without any loss of quality may not be made on yomtov.  The heter to make
>food on yomtov only applies if it can't be made beforehand, because it
>won't be as good.

Freshly prepared food is invariably better than food prepared earlier
and then reheated. This is why the best restaurants prepare the food
after the customer has ordered it and one has to wait longer to be served
in such restaurants than in not so good restaurants where they prepare
things in advance and then reheat it in a microwave.

Fruit soup is probably one of the few dishes that does not taste any
different when it is reheated. In addition, if one make fruit soup on
Yom Tov, then one will have to wait until it cools which takes some time.
In addition, fruit soup that has been refrigerated takes even better.
Thus I do not think that "Fruit soup is an 'example' for other food.

There is no comparison in taste to freshly cooked chicken and to chicken
that is reheated. Freshly cooked chicken definitely takes better.
The same is true for most dishes.

YL