עברית
Halachot and Customs
Is It Permissible to Burn the Challah Portion?
Question
Hello esteemed Rabbi!
A religious woman told me it is not advisable to burn the piece of dough on which the blessing for the oven's opening is recited because it could render the stove impure, even if the separated piece is wrapped in aluminum foil. Afterwards, there would be a problem with the stove, requiring its purification. She said that burning it is complicated, so it is preferable simply to throw it in the trash after carefully wrapping it. I had a dispute at my mother-in-law's home about this because she claimed this is incorrect. She always burns the piece on the stove, and this does not cause impurity; in fact, the opposite is true. My husband supported her, as did the rest of the family. Honestly, my husband somewhat made me feel that since I came from a secular background and I continually study halachic matters, I listen to everyone and apply their views (which is very wrong!). In general, I feel that if I know something they (my mother-in-law's family) do not know, they do not really listen to what I say, meaning they do not take into account what I say regarding halacha, especially my husband. I study and try to learn as much as possible, and this is uncomfortable... My husband thinks he is very knowledgeable, yet I see how lenient he is on many halachic issues (like eating non-Jewish milk powder in ice cream, waiting only four hours after poultry instead of being stringent and waiting six, and so forth). He also claims I should follow what he does — waiting only four hours... and there are many other leniencies he adopts, and I oppose this. So what should be done in such a situation?
Answer
Greetings and blessings. You are correct. On the one hand, there is a Torah commandment to burn the dough portion of challah. However, on the stove, the dough does not truly burn; it chars on the outside while the inside remains baked rather than burned. Moreover, if not well wrapped in aluminum foil, the forbidden dough prohibits the stove. For this reason, many have the custom to conceal all challah separations until Erev Pesach, when the leaven is burned, and during that burning, it should be assumed that the dough is completely burned. If there is concern that the challah will be eaten, it is preferable to dispose of the dough in the trash using two bags. It is difficult for religious individuals raised in observant families to accept that they may be mistaken in certain matters or that customs once practiced in Jewish communities abroad should now be changed. For example, waiting fewer than six hours was customary in many overseas communities according to their poskim, but in reality, it is forbidden to be lenient today at all. Avoiding non-Jewish milk powder is a commendable stringency for any God-fearing individual, although from the strict law itself it cannot be forbidden. This differs from actual non-Jewish milk, which certainly may not be leniently permitted in the state of Israel.
Blessings, Binyamin Shmueli
