Rabbi Heshy Kahn
Airline Meals
Q: What should one be concerned about when eating the rolls on an airline meal?
A: One should be concerned that his “mezonos roll” is not all that “mezonos” for numerous reasons:
1) One will usually be eating it together with the other foods i.e. eggs, yogurt, chumus etc.. This would therefore give it the status of a k'vias seudah[1] which would require one to wash, make hamotzie and recite birchas hamazon.[2]
2) Even if he were to just eat the roll by itself, many mezonos rolls do not have apple juice as the majority ingredient nor is the taste of the apple juice recognizable enough[3] to distinguish this roll as pas habah b'kisnin (i.e. cakes, pies, knishes etc.).
3) Even if the “fruit juice” is of the majority, the bulk of juices added to these rolls are not real fruit juice but rather water that is only “fruit flavored”.[4] More so if it actually is “real” fruit juice, this also is usually only 20% fruit juice from concentrate with 80% water.[5] All of these common possibilities inhibit these rolls to meet the criteria for being comprised of majority fruit juice. It is therefore ideal to wash and bentch on the roll when eating it with other food items and thereby avoid all Halachic issues.[6]
Q: If one drinks the milk of any major company (i.e. Dellwood, Krasdale, Garelick etc.) based on the leniency of R' Moshe Feinstein zt”l, may he rely on this leniency in other countries aside for the U.S.?
A: The entire idea behind the leniency is based on the fact that United States government regulations requires that all milk be that of a cow as opposed to any other animal (i.e. goat, camel pig). Out of ear of infractions and fines which will invariably lead to poor public relations we can be assured, according to R' Moshe zt”l, that all milk is from a cow and is not chalav t'ameah. The understanding is that since we “know” that it is cow's milk that is being used it is almost as if we actually “saw” that the animal being milked is a cow.[7] When traveling out of the U.S. This fear of government sanctions and loss of reputation is not as much a reality as the laws are not identical to those of the American government.[8] One should therefore only purchase items with recognizable symbols of Kashrus and confer with a knowledgeable Kashrus authority for a particular psak on an any individual item.
Birchas Gomel & Tefilas Haderech
Q: Should one say Gomel upon landing at his destination?
A: While many have the tradition to only make this bracha after taking an international flight[9] (i.e. to Eretz Yisroel), other Poskim seem to hold that even after taking a domestic flight (i.e. Florida, Chicago, Toronto etc.) one should make the bracha.[10] The tradition seems to be with the former view.
Q: When is the ideal time to recite tefilas haderech when traveling by plane?
A: Although there is a well known psak of the Rogerchover zt”l not to say tefilas haderech on an airplane as traveling via shamayim is not considered “haderech”, the custom is that one does recite tefilas haderech when taxiing down the runway.
Tefillah
Q: Should one daven vasikin on the plane or wait until landing and then daven at a later minyan?
A: Since davening in the area right near the restrooms serves to be a large inconvenience to the other passengers, one should be encouraged to daven upon landing in a place that is more conducive to prayer and less conducive to Chilul Hashem.
Q: In the event that one will not be able to daven upon landing at his destination, how should one go about praying while traveling?
A: Halachically one should not really start traveling before he prays.[11] However, if one's only option is to daven while en route, and he will not have proper concentration when standing, he may sit through the entire davening, making sure to stand in the places of Shemonai Esrai where one bows down.[12] While this alternative may be practiced on a train or airplane, if one is driving a car this would not be permitted,[13] as one is not able to daven while engaged in other activity.
Staying in a hotel over Shabbos
Q: Is there an issue with elevators on Shabbos?
A: Since the make and model of each system differs from each company as well as within each company alternating their blueprints from year to year, it is difficult to render an overall ruling on each elevating device. In general, R' Moshe Feinstein zt”l[14] prohibited it because it looks as if one would be pushing the buttons (ma'aris ayin). R' Shlomo Zalman Aurbauch zt”l[15] permitted using an elevator provided that:
- 1)the elevator stops automatically on each floor
- 2)the doors open and close by themselves
- 3)nothing is activated via an electric eye or sensor
There are those who then hold that one may only use these special Shabbos elevators when ascending as opposed to descending.[16] Either way, since the type of elevator (i.e. electric traction, hydraulic etc.) as well as the situation being dealt with (ill, weak, elderly, infirm etc.) varies from case to case, this question can only be dealt with by a prominent halachic authority familiar with the particulars of the situation.
Q: Are there any problems with entering and exiting a hotel room on Shabbos?
A: One has to be concerned with the fact that most rooms today do not have manual locks and are accessed via automatic cards. While one may have non-Jews open the door for him under extenuating circumstances (based on the concept of shvus d'shvus b'makom tzorech)[17] it is difficult to say that anytime one wants to leave his room to go for a stroll that this is considered “extenuating circumstances.” It would therefore be ideal to place all of one's valuables in the safe prior to Shabbos and leave the door latch in between the door and the post hence not having to come onto a non-Jew doing melacha every time one wants to leave and then reenter his room.
Q: Assuming that one is able to secure a a key for manual lock what other concerns may one encounter?
A: A common issue that may arise in a hotel is the concept of having to make an eiruvai chatzairos. The sages ordained that people living in an area when two or more private homes have common access to a certain area (courtyard, hallway, lobby etc.) they may not carry through there even though the area is completely enclosed as it appears as if one is carrying from a private domain to a public domain.[18] Chazal therefore allowed one to make an eiruvai chatzairos in which everyone becomes part of “one family” by partaking in a seudah that is set aside[19] for the consumption of all inhabitants of the i.e. hotel, bungalow or apartment building.[20] If the owner or manager of the hotel is Jewish one need not make an eiruv.[21] If the owner of the hotel is a non-Jew then the following steps should be taken:
- (a)take a box of matzah and keep it in one hotel room
- (b)give the matzah to a thrid party (unrelated to the one who owns it)
- (c)the owner recites the b'racha on the eiruv[22]
- (d)the third party lifts it up a tefach (approx. 4 inches) and has in mind to acquire it for all guests
- (e)the owner says the rest of the text (b'hadain eiruva...)[23]
In the event that there are irreligious Jews staying in the hotel as well one should:
(f) rent the hotel (for a nominal sum) from the manager in order to secure “ownership”[24] to allow this binding of all families to take place.
[1] S.A. 168:6
[2] Aruch Hashulchan 168:18
[3] Piskai Halachos The Laws of Brachos 8:D2
[4] Shevet Halaivi 8:32
[5] By law the company is still allowed to claim that it is 100% fruit juice even if it is from concentrate
[6] M.B. 168:25, 26
[7] R' Moshe zt”l brings numerous proofs from both Hilchos aidus and Hilchos mamonos that a strong “y'ideah” is considered a bona fide “re'iah” when Halachah requires on to see something
[8] As many foreign officials have been proven to be corrupt
[9] Orchas Rabbainu B'Shem the Stiepler, Sh”Ut Yichaveh Da'as 2:26
[10] Be'er Moshe 7:69
[11] Shulchan Aruch Harav 89:4
[12] S.A. 94:5, Igros Moshe O.C. 4:20, 4:5, Be'er Moshe 3:14
[13] Pischai Teshuvos 94:8, Halichos Shlomo 8:4
[14] Igros Moshe O.C. 2:95
[15] SSK”H 23 footnote 140
[16] SSK”H 23:40
[17] S.A. 307:5
[18] Rashi Shabbos 6a D”h lo eirvo issurin
[19] S.A. 366:1
[20] Eiruvin 49a, Rambam Hilchos Eiruvin 1:6
[21] Teshuva from the Be'er Moshe:72
[22] Baruch atah hashem....asher kidishanu b'mitzvosav...al mitzvas eiruv
[23] Of which can be found in your average siddur
[24] M.B. 382:22