On Thursday evening, June 18, between Minha and Arvit a rich and beautiful Halachic discussion took place. I mentioned the Halacha Yomit of that day presenting the ruling of Maran Hacham Ovadia Yosef to follow the ruling of Maran the Beit Yosef to recite Borei Minei Mezonot on Hallah needed in fruit juice and/or eggs (Shulhan Aruch 168:7). Thus for Lehem Mishneh on Shabbat, Sepharadim should use only water challah and not egg challah. I noted that this was the widespread Minhag of the Sephardic community. After the evidence of the Minhag being confirmed by Ezra and Nissim Douek, I related how my sister-in-law Rabbanit Esther Tokayer (formerly Najar), the associate principal of Magen David Yeshiva High School in Brooklyn, always arranges for water Hallot to be served at their school Shabbatonim, at the behest of the esteemed Poseik of Magen David, Rav Shimon Alouf, a renowned student of Hacham Ovadia.
Menahem Bestoff, however, raised the following formidable question: Why then does Maran Hacham Ovadia Yosef rule that HaMotzi is to be recited on even one slice of pizza? Maran Hacham Ovadia’s ruling follows Maran’s ruling (O.H. 168:17) that Pashtida (quiche) filled with either cheese or meat or fish requires a Bracha of HaMotzi since this is a meal-type bread as opposed to cake, cookies and crackers, which are defined as snack bread (Pat HaBa’ah B’Kisenin) whose Bracha is Borei Minei Mezonot. Thus, HaMotzi should be recited on egg Hallah, argues Menahem HaLevi, since it is a meal-type bread and not merely snack bread.
Rabbi Dr. Michael Chernick responded that the pizza and Pashtida of Maran and Maran, respectively, must refer only to these items when made from a dough consisting solely of water and flour. The extras were simply added on top of the base of plain dough, unlike the egg Hallah whose egg and/or fruit juice is added to the base of the dough itself.
Whichever approach is taken, a few things are clear: the love of Torah is alive and well at Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck. Moreover, the devotion of the Jewish People to observe Hashem’s Mitzvot runs deep and is profound. So much energy and thought exerted simply to discover how to accurately praise and thank Hashem for the food He so generously provides. Ki K’Amecha Yisrael, who indeed can match the special spiritual quality of the supernatural people, Am Yisrael.
Rabbi Haim Jachter is the spiritual leader of Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck.
By Rabbi Haim Jachter
