[Avodah] kitnoyot

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Thu, Apr 06, 2017 at 08:06:29AM -0400, Akiva Miller via Avodah wrote:
: Let's begin with what we agree on: I think that every Shomer Mitzvos
: understands the need for gezeros and minhagim, such as those that protect
: people from accidentally using flour in a way that they mistakenly think is
: acceptable on Pesach. The disagreements will be over how restrictive those
: measures should be.

Actually, you and I agree on that too. I think that minhagim should be
mimetically defined, by definition, and therefore it's only a very
overwhelming sevara that says the minhag is damaging that should change
a minhag.

And if we were talking about gezeiros, then we'd need a Sanhedrin or
universal consensus to create one. ("Universal consensus", eg RSZA
on electricity.) But we would also need that level authority to modify
or repeal one. So there too there is a high barrier to change.

So in either case, while I could appreciate R' Aviner's reasoning, I
don't know if I would be comfortable applying it lemaaseh.

:> No, we didn't have factory kitchens making gebrochts bread sticks
:> that seem exactly like real ones. (If not of your favorite brand.)
:> This really is a recent development.

: Are you suggesting that the frozen non-gebroks pancakes that I can buy in
: the store today are a bigger problem than the matza meal pancakes that my
: mother made at home?

While, really I'm suggesting that an environment where -- even a bagel
or a loaf of bread -- could be a gebrochts or potato starch replacement
poses bigger problems than we faced 50 years ago.

Because a person can pick up anything and mistake it for a KLP alternative.

Much like one of the reasons given for qitniyos.

The same was not true when the only KLP pancakes were rare and homemade.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             "The most prevalent illness of our generation is
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