What is “kitniyos” and how does it apply to us today?
A:
The minhag to not eat kitnios begins on Erev Pesach at the same time that one may not eat chametz. Although one may not eat kitnios, one may own and derive benefit from kitnios. Therefore, on Pesach one may keep cans of sweet corn in their property or feed millet to their parrot. Additionally, children, people who are ill, and people whose diet is otherwise restricted and must eat kitnios, are excluded from the minhag and may do so after consulting with a Rav. This halacha is quite relevant to baby formulas and nutritional supplements which invariably contain kitnios, and are usually used by people who have few non-kitnios choices, if any. When such foods are used on Pesach they should be prepared in special non-Pesach and non-chametz utensils, which should not be washed with the Pesach dishes.
Some say that new tablecloths which may have been ironed with clothing starch, which could be made from Kitniyot, should be laundered in hot water in order to remove the starch.
Some are lenient to allow feeding Kitniyot to children below chinuch who need it. Check with one’s rabbi before applying this. The Shem Aryeh EH 95 writes that there’s no issue with feeding a child below chinuch something (latfiso byadayim) that is only a chumra and not even a rabbinic prohibition. He is writing about not eating dried fruits on Pesach which was a certain minhag. The Sdei Chemed Chametz Umatzah 6:6 quotes it regarding Kitniyot.
It is permitted even for Ashkenazim to eat Kosher for Pesach foods that were made in pots that were used for cooking kitniyot if it wasn’t used within 24 hours. Some say that it is permitted even if it was used within 24 hours – Based on the Mishna Brurah 453:9 who says that kitniyot is nullified with a majority, the Yechave Daat 5:32 writes that vessels in which kitniyot was cooked are permitted for Ashkenazim even within 24 hours. Some argue that one shouldn’t use the pots that were used for kitniyot for someone who doesn’t eat kitniyot. See the Dirshu 453:7 quoted Shevet Halevi and others who were strict that you shouldn’t use the same kelim for kitniyot and non-kitniyot.
Ashkenazim who need to cook kitniyot for someone sick should set aside specific pots for that.
Some say that it is initially permitted for an Ashkenazic Jew to eat at a Sephardic Jew’s home on Pesach and just not eat the Kitniyot even if the other food was made in pots and served on plates used for kitniyot. Others say that unless it is a close relative or in-law and it can be easily avoided one should avoid it.
Kitnios is batel b’rov, which means that if someone accidentally put kitnios into their Pesach food, the food is b’dieved permitted assuming the food contains more non-kitnios than kitnios. This means that although the food may have a pronounced taste of kitnios, the food is permitted (unless there are recognizable pieces of kitnios which haven’t been removed). Therefore, if a beverage is sweetened with aspartame made of kitnios shenishtaneh, even those people who hold that aspartame is forbidden (as explained above) may drink the beverage because the aspartame is batel b’rov in the other ingredients. Similarly, we have seen that there is a disagreement as to whether fenugreek is kitnios. Nonetheless, even those who follow the strict approach may consume maple syrup which is flavored with fenugreek (as it often is) because it is batel b’rov. Thus, although we’ve seen a number of disagreements as to whether certain foods are or aren’t kitnios, those disagreements are limited to one who wants to consume the actual item (or a hashgachah certifying someone else who is intentionally putting the ingredient into a food), but these disagreements rarely affect consumers.
Some poskim are lenient to allow Ashkenazim to eat processed foods with a minority of Kitniyot ingredients which aren’t recognizable.
Haggadah of Rav Elyashiv page 12 states that if a Sephardi wants to eat kitniyot but his custom earlier was not to then he should perform a hatarat nedarim.If the last day of Pesach is Friday and one set up an eruv tavshilin it is permitted for an Ashkenazi to cook kitniyot on that Friday for Shabbos since they will be able to eat it on Shabbos.Some hold that it is permitted for someone who doesn’t eat kitniyot to cook for someone who does eat kitniyot on Yom Tov, while others argue |