Article: Does my cereal need to be Pas Yisroel?
Mezonos cereals produced of risen batter from the Chameishas Minei Dagan (the five types of grain, i.e., wheat, barley, rye, oats and spelt) are considered Pas (bread product) by many Poskim, since the process resembles the production of bread. These cereals are therefore subject to the Issur D’Rabbanan (Rabbinic prohibition) of Pas Goyim (bread of non-Jews), colloquially called Pas Akum. What are these restrictions?
Is it homemade or pre-packaged bread?
The Issur of Pas Akum forbids a Jew to partake of bread baked by a non-Jew in a private setting. However, Pas Palter (commercially-produced bread) is not prohibited, as long as it is certified kosher—and especially if pas Yisroel (bread of Jews, i.e. a Jew was involved in the production process) is not accessible. However, there are many communities that have a long-standing Minhag to eat only pas Yisroel if possible. On Shabbos and Yom Tov—and certainly during Aseres Yemei Teshuvah (the ten days that begin with Rosh Hashanah thru Yom Kippur), even those who normally partake of Pas Palter are stringent to use only Pas Yisroel.
(There are those who argue that cereals do not have the appearance of bread and therefore do not share the same restrictions as pas, but this is not the Halachic consensus. If Mezonos cereals are not considered pas, they are similar to all other cereals that may be subject to the Issur of Bishul Akum.)
Would you serve it to the President?
Cereals that are not pas are limited by the Issur of Bishul Akum (food cooked by non-Jews). Bishul does not have the same dispensation as pas for commercial food, so factory-produced and home-cooked food are equally restricted according to mainstream Psak (ruling). However, there are a number of conditions that classify the Issur of Bishul: primarily the food has to be Oleh Al Shulchan Melachim (fit to be served at the king’s table), and many Poskim agree that breakfast cereals are not gourmet repast to be served as an entrée for an honored guest. Others argue that since breakfast cereals are almost never served at a meal consisting of bread, they do not require Bishul Yisroel (a Jew to have a hand in the cooking).
What’s in a cereal?
Some exclude corn-based cereals from needing Bishul Yisroel, since they consider corn as a food that is never categorized as Oleh Al Shulchan Melachim. In addition, the corn used in cereal production is not choice grain, but cultivated specifically for that purpose, and grown larger than what is ever brought to any table.
Cereals produced from other grains (rice, sorghum) may also be disqualified since they undergo a high-pressure puffing process through extrusion that may not be considered “cooking.” Those cereals that are cooked prior to extrusion may be excluded from Bishul Akum because they are not appetizing (fit for Shulchan Melachim) after the cooking process, but only when production has been completed. In addition, the cooking may be counted as part of one long puffing process and not definitive enough to be classically labeled as “cooking.” Even if cooking is considered a process separate from puffing, it is only a preliminary step to extrusion, and not an end in itself.
Some argue that cereals are not normally eaten on their own; milk needs to be added to make it a “dish.” Therefore, they consider plain, dry cereal as something that is not Oleh Al Shulchan Melachim because of its reliance on being completed by the consumer.
Who really made that?
Additional Heterim (dispensations) are utilized as a Snif (reinforcement) to other circumstances in cereal production that support leniency; although these Heterim are not Halachically solid enough to stand on their own, in concurrence with others they allow for dispensation. One possible exemption on Bishul is that cereal “cooking” is done with steam and not water. In addition, some maintain that factory production may not be included in the Issur of Bishul Akum since there is no concern of social interaction between producer and consumer, similar to Pas Palter. (This is the position of Maharit Tzahalon with regard to all professional food preparation, not just factories). Another potential leniency is that home-cooking, wherein the Issur of Bishul originated, is so dissimilar from the methods of factory production as to not be included in the original prohibition. Cereal is also manufactured by machine—non-Jews are involved in “cooking” only in a manner of Grama (indirect handling, a dispensation that is used in various areas of Halachah).
Is it on the menu?
There are those, however, who apply more specific interpretations of Oleh Al Shulchan Melachim. They consider only whether the main grain-ingredient and not the end product is fit for royal consumption. The “king’s table” may be the regent or president’s private breakfast meals, not only state dinners. They may also interpret the “king’s table” as any meal with guests in attendance, which may sometimes include cereal on the menu—perhaps at a morning business meeting or in a hotel hospitality suite. Moreover, cereals may be served in creative ways that are, indeed, fitting repast. Those who define Bishul more strictly will only eat cereals that are Bishul Yisroel.
Tavo Aleihem Brachah (may it merit them extra blessing).
From Halacha2Go Archives
#694
