Shulchan Aruch: Chapter 504 - The Laws [Governing] Spices on a Festival

SECTION 504 The Laws [Governing] Spices on a Festival (1-9)

1 Spices may be crushed in a mortar in an ordinary manner; it is not necessary to deviate [from one’s familiar routine.1 The rationale is that] this melachah is associated with the preparation of food and it is impossible for [a person] to perform this melachah on the day before the festival without impairing or detracting from [the spices’] flavor.2If one would crush them on the day before the festival, their flavor would be impaired.¹

The same law applies to all substances that are crushed and whose flavor is impaired [with the passage of time], e.g., garlic, cress,3 or pepper. It is, however, forbidden to crush on a festival any substance whose flavor would not have been impaired were it to have been crushed on the day before the festival, e.g., salt4 or turmeric,¹ unless one deviates from his ordinary weekday pattern of crushing [such substances,² for example,] he leans the mortar on its side when crushing [them] or he crushes [them] in an [ordinary] bowl, [not a mortar].¹ In this way, it will be evident [to him] that the day is a festival and he will not demean it [by performing] other forbidden melachos.5

There are authorities who differ with the above and maintain that it is forbidden to crush spices on a festival without deviating from [one’s] ordinary practice even when their flavor would be impaired. [These authorities maintain that a person] is not permitted to perform a forbidden melachah in the complete sense6 on a festival [solely] because the flavor [of the spices] will be slightly impaired were they to be crushed on the day before the festival. [An exception is made] only when [the person] did not know on the day before the festival whether he would need spices on the festival,7 i.e., he did not know which foods he would cook on the following day, and not all foods require spices. One should follow the stringency of their ruling.

2 Even if, on the day before the festival, one did not know whether he would need spices on the festival,8 it is customary to be stringent and deviate slightly [from one’s ordinary manner] when crushing [the spices]. In this way, [the person] will be aware that it is forbidden to crush more [spices] than what is necessary for the festival. It is proper to instruct people at large in this manner, [since] they do not know of the distinction between whether they knew [on the day before the festival] that they would need spices on the following day or whether they did not know that they would need [spices on the festival].

3 [When a person is permitted to crush spices,] he is [also] permitted to bring the spices or a pestle near a mortar or [to bring] a mortar near the spices or near a pestle.9 We do not suspect that [the person] will change his mind and not crush [the spices. Were he to change his mind,] he would be unnecessarily troubling himself on a festival [by carrying the spices, mortar, or pestle. Moreover,] one is even permitted to bring such articles through the public domain10 although he could have brought them on the day before the festival. [The rationale is that] based on the reason explained in sec. 495[:8,11 the Sages] did not impose a [restrictive] decree against carrying articles [on a festival] even though one could have carried them out on the day before the festival.

4 All the above applies with regard to a mortar [and pestle]. It is, however, forbidden to grind peppers12 and mustard in the small grinders [designated] for them even when one grinds them one by one. [The rationale is that] the ordinary practice is to grind a large amount [of these spices] on one day [to suffice] for many days.13 Thus, [grinding these spices] resembles mundane activities, and [doing so] demeans the festival.14

For this reason, it is forbidden to grate horseradish, commonly known as chrain, in a grater because it is common practice to grind a large amount [at one time, enough] for two or three days.15

5 It is, however, permitted to grate cheese with a grater because it is not common practice to grate a large amount [at one time, but] only what one needs at that time. Nevertheless, one must deviate slightly from his weekday practice since it is possible to grate the cheese before the festival without impairing its flavor.² [Moreover,] even if its flavor would be slightly impaired, one should act stringently and make a slight deviation [in the way he grates the cheese] if he knew on the day before [the festival] that he would need to grate [the cheese on the festival] for the reason explained above according to the latter opinion [stated in subsection 1].

6 It is, however, permitted [to use] a grater to grate bread that has been baked.16 [The rationale is that] since the wheat [from which the bread was made] was already ground once, the prohibition against grinding does not apply to it, for [there is no prohibition against] grinding something that has previously been ground, as stated in sec. 321[:10].

Nevertheless, one must be careful not to remove the somewhat larger crumbs from among the crumbs that were finely ground and resemble flour, for [these two types of crumbs] are considered as two separate species that are forbidden to be separated one from the other, even on a festival, as stated in sec. 506[:4] (consult that source),17 as explained in sec. 319[:5]18 (consult that source).

7 Groats, (i.e., kernels of wheat and barley) should not be crushed (to remove their shells)19 in a large grinder so as not to follow the ordinary weekday practice, for this is demeaning for the festival. They may, however, be crushed in a small grinder, for that constitutes a deviation in [the way] they [are ordinarily prepared].

When does the above apply? In a place where it is common to eat groats throughout the year and they are the primary cooked food [of that region]. Therefore, the common practice is to [crush] them in a large grinder, and [thus] using a small grinder constitutes the deviation in [the way] they [are prepared]. However, in Eretz Yisrael and similar places where groats are not commonly [eaten] and a small grinder is sufficient for them throughout the year, [using] a small grinder is not considered a deviation [when crushing kernels] in them.20 Therefore, it is forbidden for [the people in such places] to crush kernels even in a small grinder on a festival.

8 In the present age, when we are not certain which type of grinder is classified as large and which is [considered as] small, [grinding groats] in all [grinders] should be forbidden in all places.

9 Even though it is forbidden to measure on a festival,21 a person is permitted to measure spices and place them in a pot in a measured and limited manner, so that his food will not be ruined.22 In the present age, we do not measure the amount of spices to be placed in a pot even on an ordinary weekday but merely estimate the amount [of seasoning], without worrying that the dish will be spoiled. Therefore, it is forbidden to measure [spices] even23 on a festival.