By Rabbi Y. Hoffman
Join us for a tale.
It is a tale that takes us from the chains of slavery in Egypt to the study halls in Babylonia in the late 300s. Then we travel on to Barcelona, Spain in the late 1200s. It then takes us to Tzfas, Israel in the mid 1500s. We stop off in Radin, Poland in the late 1800s. We then travel across the ocean to Riverhead, New York in the 1960s, and ultimately, to our final destination-Yuma, Arizona in the past few years.
And, oh yes, one last destination point-New York City, this week.
The tale explains the somewhat unconventional pictures that you see in this article-the Grand Rabbi of Satmar, Rav Aharon Teitelbaum, holding a machete and cutting wheat in the middle of a large farm in Yuma, Arizona, and directing a large combine.
Our tale begins well over 3300 years ago. The Jews are taken out of Egypt. To commemorate the miraculous occurrence that has happened and to imbue the Jewish nation with an ever-constant source of nourishment of faith itself-the Jewish people are given the mitzvah of consuming matzah.
We fast-forward 1600 years.
We are now in Babylonia as the Talmud is being written, and Torah scholars are discussing a difficult topic. There is a fascinating exposition that the Talmud presents (Pesachim 33a) in regard to the obligation to give a Kohen the gift of terumah. The verse in the Torah states, ''Venasata lo-and you shall give it to him.'' The Talmud expounds: ''Lo velo l'uro-to him, but not to his flame.''
In other words, the terumah gift that is given to the Kohen must, at the outset, be completely edible; it cannot be something that is prohibited in consumption, to the degree that the Kohen would be obligated to burn it as soon as it reaches his hands.
The Talmud searches for an illustration of something that the Kohen would be obligated to burn, looking for an example where this exposition might apply. Finally, an answer-wheat that while still attached to the ground had become chometz. This is the first section of our tale, which took place in Babylonia in the late 300s.
The observant reader may now be thinking: Wait-just one second. Wheat still attached to the ground that became chometz? Wheat that got wet? Doesn't every stalk of wheat get wet? That's how plants receive nutrition! What is the Talmud referring to? This is a question that requires an answer.
Now we move on to the next part of our tale.
Which wheat?
We are now in Barcelona, Spain. It is the late 1200s. We are at the home of the well-regarded Rashba, Rabbi Shlomo Ben Aderet. Indeed, the Rashba is so well-regarded that even Queen Isabella of Spain has sent him to rule on some of her country's most perplexing legal cases.
The Rashba receives a letter concerning our section of Talmud. It contained the very same question that the observant reader had above. It is now posed for the first time to the Rashba. He responds (Shu''t HaRashba 7:20) with the following explanation:
''That section of the Talmud refers to wheat that became completely ripened while still attached to the ground, and it does not need any further nutrients at all. Everything that has dried out completely while still attached to the ground is considered as if it is resting in a pitcher, and is thus susceptible to becoming chometz if rain falls upon it.''
It is now 1563. We are in Tzfas, in Eretz Yisroel. The author of the Shulchan Aruch has just codified the Rashba's explanation of our Talmudic passage into his Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 467:5). Wheat that has completely ripened can become chometz if it is rained upon. If it still requires sustenance from the ground to reach full development-then there is no problem.
We move to Radin, Poland. It is now the late 1890s.
The Chofetz Chaim, in his Mishna Berura explains, what apparently has been the custom for Jews in Europe for some time. He states that Shulchan Aruch only refers to an abundance of rain. However, if it rains a little bit - then the fully developed wheat is fine and can be used for the highest standard of matzah. However, he does mention a tradition cited by Rabbi Adam Danziger in the Chayei Adam that the custom of the very pious is to cut the wheat earlier while it is still somewhat green in order to ensure that there are no problems. The concern, of course, is the issue first mentioned in the Rashba.
The Chofetz Chaim mentions this custom of cutting the wheat early twice in his Mishna Berura, once regarding this topic and once earlier in a discussion (SA 453:4) about whether the wheat has to be guarded when it is cut or when it undergoes the grinding process. In his Biur Halacha, the Chofetz Chaim cites the practice of the Vilna Gaon, who was careful only to eat matzah that was watched from when it was cut. This too, the Chofetz Chaim points out, is because of the Rashba's position.
Wheat in Williamsburg
It is now early 1948. We are in New York City. The Satmar Rebbe, Rav Yoel Teitelbaum zt''l, has arrived to raise funds for his network of educational institutions in Jerusalem, but decides to remain here to help build a Satmar kehillah. He succeeds magnificently.
But what of the matzah for Pesach? For decades, the New York Jewish community has been dealing with the problems of the wheat used for matzos. In America, it rains more than in Europe. There are very few weeks in which the wheat can be cut; it is usually only in the last weeks of June and the first week of July. If they wait until August, or even mid-July, the wheat will be so ripe that it no longer gets nourishment from the ground. If it rains within a few days of the wheat cutting, the wheat may get either cracked or blown up from the rain, rendering it chometz. This is the problem mentioned in Shulchan Aruch. During the Fifties and Sixties, Reb Yolish, zt''l, was nervous when it came time for the cutting of the wheat. Will it rain or will it not rain?
Why not use the past methods of wheat cutting that were used in Europe? Why not cut the wheat while it is still green, as the Chayei Adam suggests?
The answer is that green wheat cannot be easily cut commercially. Green wheat, by virtue of its excessive moisture, bogs down the combines. It is not commercially viable. In Europe, before the commercialization of wheat harvesting, it was cut by hand, but this could no longer be done in America.
One way that it was dealt with in the past, from a halachic perspective, was by invoking the halachos of bitul, negation of the invalid item in a majority of the valid. This is a matter that involves with yet another halachic controversy. When wheat mixes with other wheat is it treated as a liquid or as a solid? Most authorities are of the opinion that a powder mixing with a powder is to be looked at like a liquid and therefore permitted with a simple majority (see MB 453:25).
Another issue is that not every authority agrees that the matzah used on the night of the seder can rely on the notion of bitul to fulfill the mitzvah of ''And you shall guard the matzos.'' The Shoel U'Maishiv (MK Vol. I #210) holds that bitul would not work to fulfill the biblical obligation of ''U'shmartem es hamatzos.'' This is also the view of the Pri Chadash as well, cited by the Shoel UMaishiv.
Ironically, it is the stringent position of the Vilna Gaon not to eat any matzah even during the rest of Pesach out of a concern for the fully developed grain getting wet that many chassidim have adopted. What then do the rebbes do for the flour used in their matzos?
For those who wished to avoid leniencies, hand selection of the wheat was performed. Each stalk was carefully examined for signs of expansion and only those that were blemish free were used.
In the 1960's, the Satmar Rebbe looks into the issue in great depth, and seeks a logistical solution. In 1964, he tells the manager of the kehillah's matzah bakery, Reb Lipa Levi, to try to purchase wheat that was grown and harvested in Arizona. Arizona's weather patterns were very different than that of the rest of the country. ''Perhaps there, we can find wheat that can be cut with a combine, where it does not rain,'' he says.
The Rebbe's words are remarkably accurate. In June the average precipitation in Yuma is less than .02 inches. The average monthly precipitation for any given month is never more than .42 inches. In short, as far as matzah wheat goes, the weather in Yuma Arizona is perfect.
Reb Lipa follows through, and in the years 1966, 1967, and 1968, the Bais Ofeh Dkh'al Yetiv Lev D'Satmar on Broadway bakes the kehillah's matzos with wheat obtained from Arizona.
Back and forth
In 1968, however, the Rebbe suffers a serious stroke, and for some reason the kehillah apparently stops using the wheat from Arizona. According to Rabbi H. Stein from the Satmar Bakery in Williamsburg on Rutledge Street, the reason for discontinuing using Arizona grown wheat was because that wheat was very difficult to work with. The initial type of wheat that was grown in Arizona was a different variety of wheat that was primarily used for pasta. It didn't work well for the kneading of dough for matzos. The baking of the matzos became much more difficult, and no one at the time tried to find a solution to the problem.
The kehillah bakery, therefore, decides to discontinue the Arizona wheat and continues to use the wheat from the fields in Riverhead, Long Island or from other places.
In the last four or five years, a new development occurs. A heimish yungerman (a person from the Orthodox community) decides to ask a farmer in Yuma, Arizona to plant the same type of wheat that is grown in Long Island. The farmer in Yuma stipulates, however, that if the crop fails, for any reason, it will be the yungerman's responsibility. The wheat also has to be presold. The particular wheat that will be planted will have no other market for the farmer in Yuma.
There was no question. They would take on the risks.
Success
The Pupa Tzelem bakery was the first matzah bakery to sign on with the new wheat from Arizona. Soon the Shmirah Matzoh Bakery in Monsey signed on. Then came the Satmar bakeries in Kiryas Yoel and then in Williamsburg too. This came at the initiative of the Satmar Rebbe, Rav Aharon Teitelbaum,
Rav Chaim Leib Katz, the Serduheler Rav, a major posek in Borough Park, was one of the founders of the wheat initiative in Yuma. After this, more and more rabbonim got involved. They felt that obtaining wheat from such a dry environment was a great hiddur (improvement of the mitzvah). The wheat in Yuma, Arizona is cut at temperatures of 120 degrees Fahrenheit with very little moisture in the air.
In a conversation with the editor of Ami Magazine, Rabbi Yitzchok Frankfurter, the Rebbe explained, ''One year the rains in New York were so torrential, that I was at a complete loss as to what to do for the kehillah's matzah. Then someone suggested that we use the wheat from Yuma where it doesn't rain, as my great uncle, the Rebbe z''l had done. It is was an insightful solution to a major problem.''
Logistically, this is how it works. The bakery managers contact the farmers and purchase the wheat from them, with the stipulation that it must be harvested and examined by representatives of the matzah bakery. The grain is harvested with the combine machine, which is driven by a resident of Kiryas Yoel. After the grain is harvested, it is shipped in trailers back to New York. The trailers are locked and sealed and a resident of Kiryas Yoel accompanies the trailers on the train ride back to the East Coast. Each trailer holds approximately 42,500 pounds of grain. There are usually about ten trailers that are sent.
The final upshot? The Yuma wheat was a smashing success. Since then there have been many changes and tweaks to make it even better and better. One of those involved in the production process expressed his enthusiasm as follows, ''Every year when they cut the wheat-there was not one problem found. Often when it was done in Long Island there was a large percentage that showed signs that are problematic. Here there were none!''
There are also changes in the labeling on account of the new source. Until now they would print on the matzah boxes, ''Shamur m'shaas ketzira-watched from the time of harvesting or reaping.'' Now they write, ''Shamur m'shaas zriyah-watched from the time of planting.''
Rav Aharon of Satmar was very excited about the new wheat prospect. He has been at the forefront of halachic improvements-especially within the field of kashrus. Last year there was a meeting in Kiryas Yoel between rabbis of the Orthodox Union and Rav Aharon on matters of kashrus and how standards can be upgraded; this was not, to say the least, a typical phenomenon. Last year the Rebbe also upgraded the shechita of his kehillah to adopt the stringencies of the Bais Yosef.
The Satmar Rebbe encouraged the bakeries to use the Yuma wheat. Ultimately, the bakery in Kiryas Yoel and one of the Satmar bakeries in Williamsburg did take in the wheat.
Tears among the trailers
The very first time the trailer arrived in Monroe in the first year of the production, it was one week after Shavuos. The Rebbe's eyes welled with tears from joy. This was a mitzvah that was dear to his heart. When the Rebbe travels to Yuma, he himself climbs on board the combine and actually spends at least one hour operating it and cutting the wheat. That's right, the Satmar Rebbe operates the combine. Clearly, the Yuma wheat is a labor of love.
''It is one of two mitzvos of eating that are truly the fulfillment of a Torah commandment possible in our generation,'' he remarked.
Another benefit of the entire arrangement in Yuma is that the wheat is grown specifically for the kehillah. This allows for the fulfillment of an additional stringency. Now the harvesting can be done directly through a Torah-observant Jew. In the past, the leniency of ''omed al gabav'' was used, where the non-Jew was performing the act and the Jewish person instructing him supplies the kavanah (intent). Although in the past it was necessary to rely on these leniencies, they are not ideal.
The enterprise, of course, is not without its problems or its critics. One of the bakery managers remarked, ''The price I pay for a pound of Yuma wheat is 500% more than the Long Island wheat cost. We have to charge at least one dollar more per pound than the other bakeries.'' At $23 to $24 dollars per pound, this can add up, especially since most of the families that purchase this matzah eat it the entire Yom Tov of Pesach.
There were also rumors that the atmosphere and area in Yuma were prone to have excessive salt. This would cause a violation of a custom mentioned in Shulchan Aruch (see OC 455:5). However, this was soon demonstrated to not be the case, as fifteen rabbonim who recently visited the farm have attested.
Others have propounded the argument that the adoption of new stringencies casts aspersions on the minhag of earlier years or times. The response given to that criticism is that even in previous times efforts were made to avoid this problem. The Chayei Adam, for example, cites the custom to cut the wheat when it is green for a reason. Now the combines won't work with this method, but in all years there were attempts to resolve the underlying problem.
''Chas v'shalom people shouldn't think that the other wheat is not kosher, chalilah,'' remarked Rabbi Stein. ''It is just that if it is possible to perform the mitzvah in a more mehudar way, we should.''
The Yuma initiative is now four years old. During the first two years, the Satmar bakeries under the auspices of Rav Aharon offered both types of matzah, wheat from Long Island as well as from Yuma. However, last year only the Yuma wheat matzah was offered for sale; this year will be the same.
An Israeli dilemma
As an interesting footnote, this year in Eretz Yisrael there was a problem. In Eretz Yisrael wheat-cutting season is much earlier than here. There it is usually done right after Pesach. In the United States, wheat for matzah production is usually cut in the summer.
This year was the first time in many years in Israel that it rained immediately after Pesach. The Vaad HaKashrus of the Beis Din in Jerusalem called Rav Aharon of Satmar to consult with him as to what to do. On Tuesday of last week, Rav Tuvya Weiss, the head of the Eida HaChareidis in Jerusalem, came to the United States to visit.
He met with Rav Aharon at his home in Williamsburg. When they met, it was raining, which served as a catalyst for the conversation that ensued. The Satmar Rebbe began, ''I heard that in Jerusalem that there is a problem because of the rain….''
Rav Weiss responded, ''Yes, they are going to take wheat from other areas in Eretz Yisrael since it rained after the wheat had already dried.''
The solution developed in Yuma Arizona, has resolved these problems, at least here in the United States. In the United States, wheat for matzah production is usually cut in the summer. Generally it is done in the Hebrew month of Tammuz. This year, however, because of the extra month added for the leap year, the cutting season takes place at the end of June.
Homecoming
They came home from Yuma, a week ago from last Thursday. They were tired. Who? Rav Bentzion Vosner of Monsey; the Belzer Dayan, Rav Asher Eckstein; Rav Yisroel Tzvi Broidy, the rav of Shaarei Orah; Rav Bentzion Strasser, the Nitra Rav from Boro Park; Rav Hersh Leib Bernstein, one of the dayanim in Satmar of Williamsburg; Rav Elya Simon, one of the roshei yeshiva of the Satmar Yeshiva in Monroe; eight workers; the rabbonim and the mashgichim from the Monsey Bakery; the Dayan of Vishnitz Monsey, Rav Yechiel Steinmetz; the Williamsburg Bakery; the Monroe Bakery; the manager of the Monroe Bakery and the mashgiach from one other bakery as well.
When the issue of the salt came up last year, Rav Vosner of Monsey was visiting his father, the author of the Shevet HaLevi, in Israel. When he heard about the issue, he wasted no time. He flew straight to Arizona from Israel to ensure that the wheat was salt-free. It was.
This past week, on Thursday, one of the nine trailers has finally arrived. There are eight more trailers filled to capacity. Often the Jewish people recite a verse in Tehillim, and the intent is figurative. On this occasion, however, when they recite the verse, there is both a figurative and very literal meaning-the verse, ''Hazorim b'dimah b'rinah yiktzoru-those who plant in tears, shall reap the harvest in joy.''
The author can be reached at [email protected].
{Rabbi Yair Hoffman/Five Towns Jewish Times/Matzav.com Newscenter}
