[Avodah] Gluten free oats

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Apr 26, 2022 at 05:32:12AM +1000, Rabbi Meir G. Rabi via Avodah wrote:
> which rekindles the Q = are oats one of the five grains?

To me the question is multi-part:

1- Does "chameishes minim" and the idea that all 5 are subtypes of chitah
& se'orah have anything to do with biology? If so, Rashi's identification
of shibboles shu'al is a non-starter. Biologically, oats are an entirely
different thing.

2- Does the difference between chameitz and sircha really boil down to
gluten? If chameitz had a scientific definition similar to "leavened",
then why the limitation on which liquids are in the dough? Again, if it
is, oats cannot be one of the 5 grains, as they have no "gluten"; the
topic of this discussion until this hijacking post.

(Tangent: Dew and other water are considered different liquids, e.g. in
makhshirei tum'ah. Would dough made with dew only be assur derabbanan?)

3- If the answer to both of those questions is no, minim and chameitz are
both based on sociology and how humans relate to the kind of grain and the
kind of leavening, or anything else but biology and chemistry... Then and
only then can we can ask whether oats qualify.

I hear that oats and barley are often grown together. Maybe that's the
basis of Rashi's position. In people's minds, they are parts of a single
crop.

Or maybe the majority of rishonim are correct.

Tangent: BTW, often with a third partner -- beans. Thus the English
children's song about "Oats and Beans and Barley grow". Which changes
the whole way I would look at qitniyos. If oats are a min of barley
by farming association, why are beans only assur by minhag and not as
deOraisa as oats? Or, because it is a less common member of the crop,
at least derabbanan!)

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 Today is the 10th day, which is
http://www.aishdas.org/asp   1 week and 3 days in/toward the omer.
Author: Widen Your Tent      Tifferes sheb'Gevurah: When does strict
- https://amzn.to/2JRxnDF                judgment bring balance and harmony?