I recently listened to a shiur from R’ Yosef Yitzchok Lerner shlita on the topic of ba’al tashchis. One of the things he mentioned was the heter to wrap up food in a bag and then place it in the garbage. He then commented: That a lot of people are scared to do this, and they prefer to hang their bread in a bag on the outside of the garbage can hoping someone will take it. This is very common in Me’ah She’orim. He then commented: “This is very stupid, and people really need to learn halachah, as wrapping it up in a bag and throwing it in the garbage is permissible, whereas hanging bread on the outside of a garbage can leads to poverty (קשה לעניות), and should be avoided.”
I am sure that all my readers are aware of this halachah, however, unfortunately I wasn’t, so to do teshuvah (which is what Elul is all about), I decided I must do some research and write a sheet about the topic. Below is some of what I came across.
The new school year starts around now, and many children will be going back to school finally giving their parents some respite. In many schools/chadorim children hang up their bags which often contain bread inside, is this potentially a problem of hanging bread?
In many shuls they sell challos on Friday morning in honor of Shabbos, and many people fill up a plastic bag and hang it on a hook (hoping that no one will accidentally take it, even though they have an identical bag with the same amount of challos inside!), is this potentially a problem and can it cause poverty?
Insights Into Halachah
The following sign was once hung-up a in a kollel in Yerushalayim, is it correct? (Read on and find out).
Personally, until I heard the above from R’ Lerner, I would hang challos in a bag on some hooks that are on the side of my fridge, is this a problem?
Below we will try and determine what exactly the problem is. Why it should lead to poverty. If it still applies today. And what solutions there are to avoid the issue.
Source
The Gemara in Pesachim (111b) relates: תלאי בביתא קשי לעניותא. כדאמרי אינשי: תלא סילתא תלא מזוניה. ולא אמרן אלא ריפתא, אבל בישרא וכוורי לית לן בה, אורחיה היא “Hanging bread in the house leads to poverty, like people say: If one hangs a basket – he hangs his substance. This is only said regarding bread, however, meat and fish are ok, the reason being that meat and fish are considered normal to hang.”
Prohibited Or Just a Bad Idea?
After a careful reading of the above Gemara, one will notice that the Gemara doesn’t say it’s forbidden to do the above, rather, although it may be permissable, doing so can cause one to become poor. The same thing is when it comes to “bizoy oichlin” [“disgracing food”], although it may be allowed, it can cause one to become poor. The same is with destroying crumbs less than a kezayis mentioned in the continuation of the aforementioned Gemara, that although it is even ruled in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 180:4) that one is allowed to destroy crumbs less than a kezayis, it can still cause one to become poor.
Hanging In a Basket, Or Hanging the Bread Itself?
Both Rashi and the Rashbam understand the Gemara, that one hangs the basket, and the bread is hanging inside the hanging basket. However, the Aruch (Erech סליתא) understands that the Gemara is talking about two different cases, either one hangs the bread itself on a hook, or one hangs a basket with bread inside.
The Aruch adds:והוא ממופתי עניות, צא וראה שהרי כך אנשים אומרים התולה סלו מזונותיו תלויים – “This is a ‘sign of poverty’, as go out and see, people say ‘one who hangs his basket, hangs his sustenance’”.
The Aderes (Kuntros Kosheit Imrei Emes Sefer Einay Binyomin pg. 191), Shemiras HaGuf VeHanefesh (31:2) and Shu”t Siach Yitzchok (189) all say that perhaps we can be medayek from Rashi and the Rashbam that hanging bread inside a basket is what brings poverty, however, hanging the bread itself would be ok.
The Aderes writes: There is no logical reason to differentiate between hanging with or without a basket, however, the whole idea is not so clear anyway, therefore, since Rashi and the Rashbam both mention that the issue is when hanging bread inside a basket, who can come and argue and stretch it to more cases (and say that even without a basket is a problem).
R’ Moshe Yadler (Me’or HaShabbos, Vol. 2, Oir HaPeninim, ois 165) suggests a reasoning to differentiate between hanging the bread itself and hanging bread inside a basket, based on a Gemara in Bava Metzia (27b). He understands that hanging a basket in the air, is like fixing a place and establishing that one’s source of sustenance is in the air. He then brings the Gemara which says: “A person shouldn’t lend his purse to someone, as it’s not a good siman for the mazal [luck] of the person”, yet we find that people certainly lend money and, on the contrary, doing so brings great berachah. Seemingly, the difference between lending a purse and lending money, is that the purse is the utensil which holds the money, and people are worried about having bad mazul on the utensil that holds the money, however, on the money itself they aren’t as worried. Therefore, here as well, the problem is hanging the utensil which holds the bread, and not the bread itself.
However, from the poskim which all ask on the minhag to hang bread used for an eruv, or on the minhag to hang matzah used for afikomen, it’s clear that they hold that even hanging the bread itself is a problem. And as we mentioned, the Aruch also clearly understands that hanging the bread itself is a problem.
Does Hanging Bread Cause Poverty Even Today?
The Shulchan Aruch makes no mention of the issue of hanging bread. However, it is brought in Shulchan Aruch HaRav (Choshen Mishpot, Hilchos Shemiras HaGuf VeHanefesh, sif 9), the Ben Ish Chai (Year 2, Parshas Pinchos) and Kaf HaChaim (Orach Chaim 180, s.k. 14) that hanging bread can cause poverty, however, by fish and meat we aren’t concerned as doing so is normal.
The Shlah (Kitzur Shlah, Hanhagos HaSeder 185, 186) writes: The minhag to make a hole in the matzah used for afikomen and to hang it on the wall the entire year is a bad minhag, as it is “bizoyan oichlin” [“disgrace to food”], and it’s also clear from Chazal that it can cause poverty, rather, one should keep it in a pocket in his garment for a shemirah [protection].
We must understand why the Shulchan Aruch omits this halachah, in spite of the fact that he brings the next thing mentioned in the Gemara about not wasting even crumbs of bread as it can cause poverty (Orach Chaim 180:4)?
Reasons for Leniency
The sefer Likutei HaZevi (Pesachim, ois 381) writes: The Shulchan Aruch omits this as people are not careful about it, and perhaps:כיון שדשו בו רבים והקלו בזה שמר פתאים ה' – “since the public tramples over it and acts leniently, Hashem protects those who act foolishly”. Like we find in Shabbos (129a) that although bloodletting on Tuesday’s is dangerous, since the public does it anyway, we apply the rule of:שמר פתאים ה' – “Hashem looks after those that are foolish”. He adds an additional svora, that in our towns mazikim are not so common (see Tosfos, Yoma 77b and Chullin 107b). [This second svora only helps if we take on that the issue of hanging bread is an inyan segulee, and not because of bizoyan hapas, we will expand on this below.]
R’ Gamliel HaKohen Rabinovitz (cited in Pardes Yosef HaChadash on Haggadah Shel Pesach, siman 19) brings from his predecessor R’ Levi HaKohen Rabinovitz, the Madanay HaShulchan, that from the Gemara it seems that the main problem is because כדאמרי אינשי תלא סילתא תלא מזוניה – “like people say: If one hangs a basket – he hangs his substance”, i.e. it’s a problem because people say it’s a problem. Therefore, nowadays, since people don’t say this, besides for the people who have seen this Gemara, there is no longer a problem.
The Aderes (Kuntros Kosheit Imrei Emes Sefer Einay Binyomin pg. 191) says something very similar, he says that there is no concern for something, if people aren’t worried about it.
These arguments are based on the Gemara in Pesachim (110b) which says:מאן דקפיד קפדינן בהדיה – If one is particular about it, they will be particular about him”. We also find this idea in the Meiri (Pesachim 109b), the Meiri says that one should be worried about zugos, doing things in pairs, as people are accustomed to being careful about this. We see that the problem is because people are careful, if however, people wouldn’t be concerned, then it would be ok.
Based on this, we can understand why the Shulchan Aruch never mentioned this din. Since already during the times of the Shulchan Aruch people weren’t worried about this din, it was already no longer causing poverty. However, by wasting crumbs which is to do with “bizuy oichlin”, the Shulchan Aruch does mention it, as that is not dependent on what people say and what people are worried about.
“Bizuy Oichlin” or “Inyan Segulee”?
There is a machlokes haposkim as to what the underlying concern with hanging bread is, some learn it is “bizuy oichlin”, a disgrace to the food, and others learn it is more of a segulee type of issue.
R’ Shlomah Zalman Auerbach (Me’or HaShabbos, Michtevei R’ Shlomah Zalman Auerbach, Michtav 30, ois 4, and Halichos Shlomah, Pesach, Perek 9, Orchos Halachah, he’orah 359), R’ Elyashiv (He’oras Pesachim 111b, Vezois HaBerachah, Perek 2, ois 4), R’ Moshe Sternbuch (Vezois HaBerachah, Perek 2, ois 4) and R’ Shamai Gross (Shevet HaKahosi 3:152) all understand that the issue is “bizuy oichlin”. Based on this we can answer up the widespread minhag to hang bread inside the bags of children in school/cheder. Since it is not being done in a disgraceful manner, and on the contrary, it is more disgraceful to leave the bag on the floor. They all prove their opinion from the Gemara which says: ולא אמרן אלא ריפתא, אבל בישרא וכוורי לית לן בה, אורחיה היא – “this is only said regarding bread, however, meat and fish are ok, the reason being that meat and fish are considered normal to hang.” We see from here that the issue is to do something irregular and hanging a bag on a hook in school/cheder is normal.
R' Moshe Yadler (Me’or HaShabbos, Vol. 2, Ohr HaPeninim ois 165) writes: It is very likely that R’ Shlomah Zalman Auerbach was only lenient when hanging the bread in a bag which is set aside for this purpose and used on a constant basis, then in would be considered “regular”, however, to use a disposable bag would still be considered a disgrace. This is also the opinion of R’ Elyashiv (Ashrei HaIsh Vol. 1, pg. 207) that hanging bread in a disposable bag is a problem.
On the other hand, R’ Ben Tzion Aba Shaul (Ohr LeTzion, Vol. 2, Perek 12, sif 18) understands that the issue is segulee, and the Aderes (Kuntros Kosheit Imrei Emes Sefer Einay Binyomin pg. 191) also writes: “This matter is one of the unclear things of nature, and doesn’t work with logical reasoning, therefore, we only need to be worried about what is said.”
Based on this, R’ Ben Tzion Aba Shaul says, we must be concerned about the minhag of hanging up bags in kindergartens/schools/chadorim as even if it’s not done in a disgraceful manner, the segulee reason still remains. He would say in his shiurim (see Vedorashtah Vechokarta, Yoreh Deah 3, siman 5, ois 3) that many avreichim struggle with parnosah, and they don’t understand that they should be more careful when sending out their children with bread in their bags, that they don’t hang up the bags, as this brings poverty upon themselves. They should be more careful and make sure that either the teacher/rebbe hangs up the bag, or make sure to double wrap the bread. The Rashbam says “bread in a basket”, so we can be medayak that a basket in basket, i.e. a double wrapping, would be ok.
R’ Ben Tzion Aba Shaul is mechadesh (according to his understanding that it is segulee) that hanging bread only causes poverty if one hangs his own bread, like the Gemara says התולה פתו – “One who hangs his bread”, therefore, the teachers/rebbes should hang up the bags, and this would avoid the issue. The sefer Shemiras HaGuf V’Hanefesh (Perek 31, s.k. 3, he’orah 2) brings from R’ Dovid Moskovitz zt”l that he was medayak this from Rashi (Pesachim 111b). The Gemara says תלא סילתא, however, Rashi has the girsa [textual version] תלא לסילתיה. R’ Moskovitz understands that Rashi is changing the girsa and coming to say, that the problem is only when one hangs his own bread.
Along the same lines, I would humbly like to suggest another eitzah. R’ Elya Lopian instituted in his yeshivah, that when washing netilas yodayim from a keli of water, each bochur should fill it up for the next one, this way each bochur would get an extra mitzvah. As instead of filling up for oneself, he filled it up for a friend. Perhaps the chadorim should do the same thing with hanging the bags, each child should hang up someone else’s bag, this way each child will get a mitzvah, and they will avoid the issue of hanging their own bread.
However, R’ Shlomah Zalman Auerbach (Halichos Shlomah, Pesach, Perek 9, Orchos Halachah, he’orah 359) and R’ Shamai Gross (Shevet HaKahosi 3:152) argue on the above, and they understand that since it’s a problem because of “bizoyan hapas”, it doesn’t make a difference who hangs the bread, and even hanging someone elses bread can lead to poverty. This is also clear from the Shulchan Aruch HaRav who writes: פת תלויה באויר קשה לעניות – “Bread hanging in the air leads to poverty” where he simply mentions bread, without stating who it belongs to.
According to R’ Chaim Kanievsky (Gam Ani Oidcha, Vol. 1, Teshuvos HaGrach Teshuvah 13): טוב להיזהר שלא לתלות לחם שבתיק בחיידר – “It is good to avoid hanging bread inside a bag in cheder”. And they bring further in his name (Mili Maliysa pg. 118, Birchas Yehudah Yoreh Deah 4) that even hanging the bread of others can lead to poverty.
If One Sees Bread Hanging, Must He Take It Down?
The sefer Birchas Hashem (Mekor HaBerachah, he’orah 230) is mechadesh that if one sees hanging bread, he should take it down, however, he concludes, “from the Ohr LeTzion it seems not like this”. The Ohr LeTzion said that if someone else hangs the bread there is no problem, which clearly implies, that there is nothing wrong if one sees hanging bread and leaves it.
What About Hanging Other Food Items?
The Birchas Hashem (pg. 334) speaks at great length about whether pas haboh bekisnin is included in the aforementioned issue of hanging bread, as we find that when it comes to throwing out old stale pas haboh bekisnin, the halachah is not as strict as proper bread. Therefore, perhaps regarding the halachah of “hanging bread” which is related to “bizoyan hapas” there is room for leniency, just like we find in the Gemara that hanging meat and fish is ok. On the other hand, some learn that the problem of hanging bread is segulee, and according to this it could be that it applies to pas haboh bekisnin aswell.
The definition of what exactly “pas haboh beksisnin” is, is quite complexed, but for this write-up what we mean is, items such as cookies and cake.
Practically, R’ Elyashiv (Eitz HaSadeh, Perek 30, he’orah 15) says that pas haboh bekisnin is included in the issue of hanging bread. This can also be implied from what R’ Chaim Palagi (Chaim LeRosh, beginning of Dinei Eruvim and Mo’ed LeKol Chai, siman 21, ois 42) writes, that one should refrain from hanging ביסקוג'ו (which is pas haboh bekisnin) as it leads to poverty.
In regard to fruit, the Gemara (Succah 10a) says, and is quoted by the Shlah and Mishnah Berurah (638:11): “It is fitting to hang up nuts, almonds, peaches, pomegranates and grape vines in the succah.” From here the Eitz HaSadeh (Perek 30, he’orah 170) proves, that there is no issue of poverty when hanging up fruit, and the Gemara’s heter of fish and meat is not limited to only those two items.
We could refute the above as perhaps only when doing a mitzvah there is no problem, as we find: שומר מצוה לא ידע דבר רע – “One who guards a mitzvah knows no bad”, however, generally speaking there is. However, from what we mentioned from R’ Chaim Palagi not to hang ביסקוג'ו in the succah, we see that either he holds that over here we don’t apply שומר מצוה לא ידע דבר רע , or he simply holds that decorating a succah with these items is not a mitzvah.
For A Mitzvah Purpose
We find in a number of places, that when it comes to mitzvos they would hang bread: 1) Bread used for the eruv, 2) Chometz after bedikas chometz, 3) Afikomen. The poskim discuss if in these cases there is a problem that doing so may lead to poverty, we will expand below:
1) Bread Used for the Eruv: The Beis Yosef (Orach Chaim, end of siman 361) and the Darkei Moshe (366:1) in the name of the Ogur (siman 661) bring that the minhag in some kehillos in Ashkenaz was to hang the eruv chatzeros which was made like a matzah in the shul, and it would be left there the entire year.
The Ben Ish Chai (Year 2, Parshas Pinchos, ois 12) writes, that they cancelled this minhag as it leads to poverty, and they enacted that it be placed in a box on top of the amud instead.
R’ Chaim Palagi (Chaim LeRosh, beginning of Dinei Eruvin, pg. 24) answers up the minhag: Since bread for the eruv and matzah from the afikomen is hung up so that mice don’t eat it, and so that it doesn’t go moldy, and so that people that enter the shul can see that there is an eruv, it doesn’t cause poverty, and it’s not considered a disgrace to the food. He proves this, from the fact that the Shulchan Aruch allows hanging up chometz after bedikas chometz.
2) Chometz After Bedikas Chometz: The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 434:1) and Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 2) bring that chometz after bedikas chometz which is destined to be burnt, and any chometz which was left over in order to be eaten the next day, should be left in a guarded place so that mice don’t get to it. One of the solutions given is to hang the bread in the air. R’ Chaim Palagi in his sefer Yefeh LeLev (Vol. 2, siman 434, s.k. 1) and in his Haggadah Chaim LeRosh (pg. 24) and the Orchos Chaim (Spinka, Orach Chaim 434:3) ask, how can we advise hanging bread, surely it leads to poverty?
The Kaf HaChaim (434:13) answers: Since it is being hung for a mitzvah reason, we apply the rule of שומר מצוה לא ידע דבר רע. (See the sefer Gam Ani Oidcha, Pesach, siman 5, for further answers.)
I was thinking of another heter, that since the bread is destined to be burnt, there is no longer any need to show it respect. Boruch Hashem I found that in Sha’arei Siach (pg. 116, Teshuvah 260, and he’orah 166) they bring such an idea from R’ Chaim Kanievsky zt”l.
3) Afikomen: The Magen Avraham (500:7), Elyah Rabbah (477:1), Shulchan Aruch HaRav (477:11) and Mishnah Berurah (500:15) all bring down the minhag to make a hole in some of the matzah used for afikomen and to hang it on the wall and leave it there the entire year. The Shlah writes (Kitzur Shlah, Hilchos Pesach) that this is not a good minhag, as it’s a disgrace to the food, and Chazal say, “if one hangs food, he hangs his parnosah”. Especially, when hanging the piece of matzah with a nail which is very disgraceful. If one wants to fulfil the minhag, he should take a small piece of the afikomen and keep it in his pocket and it will serve as a protection to save him from being robbed.
However, the Sha’arei Teshuvah (Orach Chaim 477:4) in the name of the Shevus Yaakov (3:52) answers up the minhag, that it’s not considered a disgrace to food or to a mitzvah item, as it is being done to remember Yetzias Mitzrayim. He concludes: “I have seen my ancestors and rebbeim doing this.”
From the Aderes we mentioned earlier, we see the opposite of the Shlah, and that hanging the bread itself is ok, and only hanging bread inside a basket is a problem. Based on this, we can understand the minhag to hang the matzah of the afikomen.
An additional argument to answer the minhag has been suggested by R’ Moshe Yadler (Meor HaShabbos, Vol. 2, Ohr HaPeninim, ois 165) he suggests: Since it is being hung out of honor for the afikomen, as one is taking it and using it as a segulah the entire year, it is not included in the issue of hanging bread.
In Kovetz Beis Aharon V’Yisroel (Gilyon 56, cited in Birchas Hashem pg. 332) they write, since the minhag is to hang the afikomen, it is like hanging fish and meat, where we said that since it’s normal, it doesn’t lead to poverty.
Finally, the Shu”t Shevet HaKahosi (3:152) writes about all the above, since the poverty comes because of bizoyan [acting disgracefully], when one has a good and legitimate reason for why he is hanging the bread, it is not considered a bizoyan. Therefore, hanging chometz after bedikas chometz to proect it from mice, hanging the eruv and hanging the afikomen are all very justified, and would be ok. He bases himself on the Pri Megodim (M.Z. 368:4) who writes in regard to hanging bread for the erev, that it’s not a bizoyan, since it is done to stop it going moldy.
In the zechus of learning and now hopefully being careful with the above halachos, may we all merit to have parnosah b’shefa.
