Chadash

For the Arab and Jewish Israeli political party, seeHadash.

Chadash

Grain products
Halakhictexts relating to this article
Torah:	Leviticus 23:14
Mishnah:	Hallah1:1,Orlah3:9, Kiddushin 1:6, and Menahot 10:6–7
Babylonian Talmud:	Menahot 68b, Kiddushin 37a-38a, Keritot 5a
Mishneh Torah:	Maachalot Assurot 10:2
Shulchan Aruch:	Yoreh De'ah293
Other rabbinic codes:	Sefer ha-Chinuchmitzvot 303–305

"Yashan" redirects here. For people named Yashan, seeYashan (name).

InJudaism,Chadash(Hebrew:חָדָשׁ,ḥāḏāsh,"new [grain]" ) is a concept withinKashrut(the Jewish dietary regulations), based on the Biblical requirement not to eat any grain of the new year (or products made from it) prior to the annualOmerofferingon the 16th day ofNisan.

Grain products which are no longer affected by this law are referred to asYashan(Hebrew:יָשָׁן,yāshān,"old [grain]" ).

The five types of grain

In Rabbinic Judaism, this requirement is restricted to thefive species of grain– wheat,barley,spelt,ryeand a fifthshibolet shual(which has been identified withoat,a species of barley calledsegalain Latin, and a kind ofmilletcalledsophonionin Greek). Any of these grains (or products made from them) that are too "young" to pass the requirement are referred to in Judaism aschadash"new [grain]". Additionally, the rabbinic interpretation requires grain to have taken root prior to theOmeroffering for it to become permitted; therefore, grains planted after Passover could only be consumed, at the earliest, twelve months later.

Following the destruction of theTemple in Jerusalem,theOmeroffering is no longer offered. Instead, the new grain becomes permissible following thedateon which the offering was brought in ancient times.Chazalenacted a one-day further delay because of the extra day of holiday outside theLand of Israel.

Outside the land of Israel

The applicability of theChadashrules to grain grown outside theLand of Israelis a subject of debate amonghalakhicauthorities. Although the Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud record a Tannaitic dispute about applicability outside Israelthe majority of medieval Jewish scholars (e.g.Moses Maimonides,theRif,and theRosh) forbade its consumption. The later codifiers of Jewish law forAshkenazicandSephardicJewry followed suit, both RabbiMoses Isserlesand RabbiJoseph Carodeclaring the stringent position.

Nevertheless, the same Rabbi Isserles (at least for Ashkenazim) also ruled that, because in general, in cases of purchased grain (with no other information) there is a double doubt as to

• whether the grain was harvested before Passover of that year (which would render it yashan) and
• whether, even if harvested after Passover of that year, it took root before Passover of that year (which would at least put its status in doubt)

the combination of doubts renders general grain permitted.

In addition a novel lenient approach was presented by RabbiYoel Sirkiswho felt it is permissible if the grain originally belonged to a non-Jew.Additionally, the manner in which various foods have historically been available has meant that Jewish populations would need to risk starvation to pursue stringent compliance with this aspect of kashrut. All these factors led to a situation in which observation of theYashanregulation was relatively limited until very recently (at least in theAshkenaziccommunity).

In Chabad literature

RabbiSchneur Zalman of Liadi,the author ofTanyaandShulchan Aruch HaRav,quotes the basic opinion of Chadash being forbiddenMidioraitaand after considering the leniency of Rabbi Yoel Sirkis writes that - even for wheat harvested from a non-Jewish field – a "Baal Nefesh" (lit. an "owner of soul" ) should be scrupulous and not rely on lenient rabbinic opinions.Similarly, Rabbi Schneur Zalman notes in aresponsumthat in generations prior to his the custom was to take the lenient approach (i.e. rely on Rabbi Sirkis's leniency) but in his generation many have assumed the stringency of not consuming Chadash.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman's son, theMitteler Rebbe,explains in aMaamorthe important aspect of theKohenbringing the Omer offering on theMizbeach(from barley, usually used asfeed) and only then is the consumption of wheat (usually reserved for human consumption) permitted.

From the writing of his followers, it has recently been published that RabbiSholom Dovber Schneersohn– the fifth Chabad Rebbe – was scrupulous in refraining from Chadash products when he attended aSiyyumof Yeshivah students.

Chadash today

In modern times, particularly indeveloped countries,food is much more readily available than it historically had been, and grain is in sufficient abundance that manyOrthodox Jewshave become more interested in observingchadashrestrictions. Modern packaging practices, which in some nations involve the stamping of production dates on every package, often allow individuals to determine whether food is definitelyyashan(not "chadash" ); packaging organisations sometimes addKashrut information to the packaging,and sometimes include in this information whether the product is known to beyashan.

References

• Joseph Herman,A Guide To Chodosh

External links

• An article about the Orthodox Union's policy regarding Yoshon
• An article from the Star-K's about Yoshon
• Preparing for Chodosh
• An article by Rabbi Howard Jachter about Yoshon
• Some info from the Chicago Rabbinical Council
• The laws of chodosh—an in depth article
• A Guide To Chodosh by Yoseph Herman