[Avodah] kezayit

[David Wacholder via Avodah]

How many swallows of Matzo are necessary?
How many olive tree generations to Calendar Year Tohu and Gan Eden?

The following came up last year:
FEARLESS RULING FOR PERSON WITH DIFFICULTY EATING: Every average person's
swallow is a Kezayit, the amount which fulfils the Mitzvah and is the
measure for the Bracha on Achilas Matza. As a Hidur and to erase all
doubt, a second normal swallow would be good. That is for Motzi-Matzah,
where the first olive-size swallowed fulfils a Torah obligation.

Additional for Afikoman one swallow is certainly enough. For a person
struggling to eat, try to eat at least a taste.

Any more than that is for those who tolerate Matzo well.



I look at how much a person can swallow - one swallow. That would measure
a Kezayit. 100% the person has fulfilled the Mitzvah after one swallow.
For margin of error issues, add another second swallow. For those with
difficulty eating, one may then stop. For Afikoman the one swallow
is sufficient.

This needs no authority to base it on. Chazon Ish gave his asembled
family pieces about the size of his palm , as described by qualified
dedicated observer in Orchos Rabeinu. Traditions vary. Some quoted Rav
Chaim Valozhiner as saying - the size of an olive is an olive is an
olive. Another tradition said one must use an egg-size as a base unit.

On Atkins Low-Carb Diet, daily consumption was - for starting extreme
levels - 30 grams per day - about an ounce. I cut the piece of Challah,
which by volume probably was an olive, but the air pockets should have
been counted, so the person could say Birkas Hamazon for themselves.
Someone else was Motzi the dieter in Birkat Hamazon.

Air pockets and weight issue
The swallow size may be according the the air pockets normally contained
in Matzo, not ground, and according to volume not weight.

VOLUME NOT WEIGHT
By weight, comparable amount of Chareidim Boro Park 5774 MATZOS weighed
perhaps 7 grams compared to perhaps 30 grams of a heavy brand of Hand
Matzo. Using volume measures as weight measures creates significant
errors. The person had been using 30 grams of WEIGHT as the Standard,
not 30 grams of volume. It was a reasonably filled sandwich bag. Also
Matzo can absorb moisture from the air making it heavier, can be freshened
in the oven, which will make it weigh less. Volume remains the same.
 Weighing your Matza introduces a major error factor.

SHEKEIN NEHENEH
According to Rav Elchanan Wasserman, even a non-believer fulfils the
Mitzvah, Shekein Neheneh. I have doubts if Kavana Hafucha would even work.
I certainly think a person should not have Kavana Hafucha in the sense
of - only be Yotzei when Measurement X is reached.

NOT THE AMOUNT TO FILL THE CHEEK
This is neither cheekful nor yet a mouthful. Observe how your neighbor
swallows his food eating calmly.
[DW comment - this is a normal comfortable swallow, not a contestant
requiring for safety a Hatzala person or Heimlich Maneuver needed to
monitor.
This is not a Superman-Swallower who attempts to swallow the size of all
olives ever eaten, whose face turns red but comes out OK after a KAPITAL
TEHILIM. That is Achila Shelo K'darkah, and certainly is not optimum.

That eliminates the Double and Exponential/Logarithmic olives from
consideration for a single swallow. Never swallow more than a comfortable
amount.

SUKKOT
No custom requires swallowing all at once in the Sukkah. Others require an
Egg Plus size.
ARUCH HASHULCHAN
Aruch Hashulchan functioned as a review of the other Poskim in Orach
Chaim. He pointedly does not double the Kezayit. MISHNA BRURAH - to my
reading - says the same. Indeed I grant the MB does not totally negate
a double-size as having precedent.

MY HANDWIDTHS

On a flat table, I measured my keyboard's width two different ways. first,
using all ten fingers flat on table, it was 4 hands wide.  With thumbs in
air and only the eight fingers flat on the table, my keyboard was 5.5 hands
wide. The thumbs were sideways, so the width added drilled through the
wrinkle on the back to the fold on the front. This would be the thumb
measured in Halacha.  I certainly am not a measurement specialist, so I
appreciate all feedback. According to best knowledge, that through-thumb
measurement is the one which is supposed to be 25 percent of the other four
fingers.

CHZON ISH
Even the writings of CHzon Ish reflect a defensive stance. As a practical
matter, the CI knew in his heart that a Zayis will not change in recorded
history. Olive trees of 1000 years old are not uncommon, and one in EY is
2000 years old. They are propogated from plantings identical to the
original.   As little as three generations of trees  in EY could easily
reach Calender Year 1.

RIDDLE - HOW MANY OLIVES TO EAT A KEZAYIT?
RABI YOCHANAN ATE ONE OLIVE-  and made bracha acharona. It was the big
variety salad olive, or a large specimen of the oil olive.

I was convinced by a strong presentation in a conference from several years
ago. A Bar Ilan professor compared olives from various species and showed
pictures of all the oldest olive trees in EY. The oil olives were in the 4
cc to 7 cc (4-7 grams volume). Salad olives - the kind whose seeds were
commonly eaten in Masada - max out at 17 grams. He convincingly argued that
double size super-olives would in all likelihood kill the trees.

4 ccs is well below an average swallow.  Please double check my numbers, as
I am writing from memory.



-- 
David Wacholder