We very much hope that by the time Pesach arrives the current war with Iran will be well and truly over, but just in case, below we will briefly discuss a number of important halachos related to Pesach, which during a regular year you may not need to be aware of or know about.
Bedikas Chometz of the Miklat
The miklat that is found in many buildings in Eretz Yisrael belongs to the entire building, therefore, the obligation to perform bedikas chometz there is upon all the people living in the building. Generally, in a normal year, everyone sells their part of the miklat to a goy before Pesach, and no one uses it over Pesach, therefore, there is no need to check it during bedikas chometz.
However, during a war when it is more common to use a miklat, and it is likely that it will be used over Pesach, it can’t be sold to a goy. Therefore, this year, the people living in the building must make sure to clean it for Pesach and perform bedikas chometz there, especially this year where it is very likely to have chometz there, as children take chometz and eat it whilst in the miklat.
If one person is happy to check it on behalf of the entire building as a shliach for them that would be fine, but it must be checked and cleaned from chometz before Pesach.
Various Different Scenarios of Interruptions During Leil Seder When Going to a Miklat or Maamad If Chas Vesholam a Siren Sounds
We hope and daven that Leil HaSeder will run smoothly without any interruptions, however, if chas vesholam a siren sounds we must know what to do in various different scenarios. There are a number of different locations that people relocate to when a siren sounds, some enter a ma’amad in the same apartment, some enter the stairwell outside their apartment but within the same building, and some go to a miklat on the bottom floor. We must determine what to do in all these cases.
Considering the current situation that we are in, it is important that when making kiddush or a birchas hanhenin, one should have in mind and be aware that he might have to make a shinuy makom [go to a different place]. If one has this in mind, then if he goes from room to room under the same roof, then it’s clear from the Rema (178) and Mishnah Berurah that it is not considered a shinuy makom. Bedieved even if one didn’t have in mind that he may end up going to a different room, and he went from one room to the next, the Biur Halachah (d.h. hamotzi) says that it’s a sofek and one shouldn’t recite another berachah.
However, if one goes to a miklat, there is a machlokes haposkim if going from an apartment down a stairwell to a miklat is considered shinuy makom.
What If One Finished Kiddush and Then a Siren Went and Because He Was Panicking, He Drank the First Cup of Wine Without Leaning?
The Rema (472:7) says that if one drank the first cup of wine without leaning, he can rely on the opinion of the Ravyah who says we don’t need to lean nowadays, in order to avoid the issue of adding on to the four cups of wine.
However, the Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 21) says that since there is a machlokes between the Rema and the Magen Avraham, it is correct that before making a berachah on the first cup of wine, one should have intention to drink extra cups of wine between the first and second cup, and then if he doesn’t lean the first time, he may drink a second time this time making sure to lean.
What About the Second, Third and Fourth Cup?
If one forgot to lean when drinking the second cup of wine, the Rema writes that he should drink a second time without making a berachah, even if one remembers in the middle of the meal.
However, for the third and fourth cup, if one forgot to lean, there is no need to repeat and to drink them again.
What If a Siren Sounds After Kiddush Before One Manages to Drink Anything?
If one finished kiddush, and before he sat down to drink his cup of wine whilst leaning, he hears a siren and goes out to the stairwell or the miklat, what should be done upon return?
1) If one went to a ma’amad within the same apartment, then there is no need to repeat any berachos, even if bedieved one never had this in mind at the time of kiddush (like the Biur Halachah we mentioned above).
2) If one went out to the stairwell, according to R’ Shlomah Zalman Auerbach zt”l, if one goes from his apartment to a stairwell it is not considered a shinuy makom, and it is the same as going from one room to the next, since it is all under one roof. On the other hand, R’ Elyashiv zt”l held, if one leaves his apartment and goes to somewhere nearby which is an area exclusive for his own personal usage then it is not considered a shinuy makom, however, if it is not exclusively for him, rather it is a joint area, then going there is considered a shinuy makom as one is limited in what he can do there. One can’t act in a stairwell the same way as he can in his apartment, therefore, according to R’ Elyashiv it would be considered a shinuy makom (Shevus Yitzchak, Inyonei Berachos, Perek 20, ois 4, s.k. 2).
However, R’ Yitzchak Zilberstein shlita (Chasukei Chemed, Nedorim 31a) points out, that it could be that R’ Elyashiv was only machmir during a regular time period, however, during a war when the guidelines are that if a siren sounds and one doesn’t have a ma’amad he should go out to the stairwell, and such a thing is considered normal during a war, it could be that during a war going to such a place would be like going from room to room within the same apartment and wouldn’t be considered a shinuy makom. According to this, if one didn’t talk between kiddush and drinking the wine, he wouldn’t need to repeat the berachah even if he went out to a stairwell.
3) If one went down to a miklat, it is more likely that it is considered a shinuy makom, however, it is not simple and is a sofek, therefore, out of doubt one shouldn’t make a berachah again.
If One Made Kiddush and Drank the Wine and Then He Heard a Siren and Went Down to the Miklat, and Later Returned, What is the Din?
Since at the time of kiddush he had intention to continue with the Leil HaSeder and to eat a meal, even though there was an interruption in the middle there is no need to make kiddush again, as the Mishnah Berurah (273 s.k. 12) writes, that if one made kiddush and drank wine, and for whatever reason he needed to get up and go outside, when he returns to his original place, there is no need to make kiddush again, since in the end of the day, the seudah took place in the same place as kiddush.
It’s noteworthy to add, that if some of the family members remained in the place where the Seder was taking place, one can certainly be lenient based on a chiddush the Shu”t Rabbeinu Yosef MiSlutsk (end of siman 7) brings from R’ Chaim Volozhin. He brings a chiddush that when it comes to kiddush bemakom seudah, if one started as a group and some of the group left and some remained, and then those that left returned, there is no need to make any berachos again and it’s not considered a shinuy makom.
R' Elyashiv adds, that kiddush on Leil HaSeder is better than regular kiddush, as on Leil HaSeder the cup of kiddush is the first one of the Arbah Koisos which everyone drinks, therefore, it is like they made a kevius to drink together, and therefore if some people remained it helps for those that leave, and since those that left drank a meloi lugmov, it is considered that they had a kevius.
How Does One Normally Fulfill Kiddush Bemakom Seudah on Seder Night?
We must understand how one normally fulfills kiddush bemakom seudah on Seder night, being that there is large interruption between kiddush and the meal.
Normally if one interrupts between kiddush and the meal for things that are needed for the meal it is okay and is not considered an interruption. Therefore, on Seder night, since one must eat matzah which has the Haggadah said over it, the Haggadah isn’t considered an interruption.
R’ Shlomah Zalman Auerbach (Halichos Shlomah – Pesach, Perek 9, he’orah 50) explains that since Chazal enacted to recite Haggadah after kiddush, it is not a contradiction to the rule of kiddush bemakom seudah, since Chazal said that on Seder night kiddush bemakom seudah is by interrupting with the Haggadah. (See the Vayaged Moshe, siman 6, s.k. 7, for another approach).
However, interrupting to go to a safe place between kiddush and the seudah is not something that is needed for the seudah, therefore, we had to mention what we brought above.
Making Sure to Cover the Wine
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 272:1) rules that one shouldn’t make kiddush on uncovered wine because of הקריבהו נא לפחתיך. The Mishnah Berurah (s.k. 3) adds that if the wine is left uncovered for a short amount of time one doesn’t need to be concerned. However, there is a machlokes haposkim about how long the wine may be left uncovered, therefore, when leaving the room, one should make sure to cover the cup of wine and any open bottles.
What If One Started Eating Matzah and Then the Siren Sounds?
If one made the berachah of hamotzi and al achilas matzah and started to eat the matzah whilst leaning and then a siren sounds and he immediately enters a ma’amad or goes down to the miklat, it’s obvious that he shouldn’t speak as the berachah of al achilas matzah has not yet been chal [as one hasn’t finished the mitzvah]. However, sometimes one must speak to calm down his children, in such a case there is room for doubt, if one must repeat the berachah of al achilas matzah when he returns to the Seder table.
If one goes down to a miklat and speaks in order to calm down his children, there is room for doubt regarding the berachah of hamotzi as well, since he hasn’t yet eaten a kezayis of matzah. Less than a kezayis is something שאין טעונים ברכה במקומם – one has no obligation to bentch in the place he started, where the halachah is that one must make a new berachah when leaving his house as is clear from the Mishnah Berurah (178, s.k. 28). Although the Mishnah Berurah says that even one room to another requires a new berachah, that is only lechatchilah. This makes a difference in a case when one went into a ma’amad within the same apartment, in such a case then bedieved even if one never ate a kezayis, there would be no need to repeat hamotzi, however, if he went to a miklat then he would need to repeat hamotzi. However, this would depend on the machlokes between R’ Shlomah Zalman Auerbach and R’ Elyashiv, if going to out to a stairwell is considered a shinuy makom, and we mentioned that according to R’ Zilberstein it could be that during a war even R’ Elyashiv would be lenient that there is no need to repeat the berachah. Tzorich iyun. We can also add the opinion of the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, who holds that if one started part of the shiur required for a mitzvah, even if he speaks before eating the complete shiur, bedieved it is not considered an interruption.
Halachah lema’aseh, R’ Yom Tov Sanger shlita writes that it seems one wouldn’t need to repeat the berachos.
Continuing to Eat Matzah in the Ma’amad
If a family wants to leave the main room and continue eating matzah in the ma’amad and there is not enough space for everyone to sit down, it’s important to realize that just because women are exempt from leaning on Seder night, they should still avoid standing up, and many poskim hold that if a women eats or drinks on Seder night whilst standing up she isn’t yoitza even bedieved (see pg. 77 in this year’s Limuday Moshe Haggadah).
Making a Berachah on Maror if One Went to the Miklat After Karpas
When making the berachah of ho’adomah on karpas one should have in mind for the maror as well, however, if one went down to a miklat in-between, there is room to question if perhaps the shinuy makom requires that a new berachah of ho’adomah should be made on the maror, therefore, some say that before washing for motzi matzah, one should make ho’adomah on a banana or pineapple (something which one doesn’t normally eat on Seder night, and is therefore, not exempt with the h’'adomah of karpas) and have in mind the maror.
Eating the Afikoman in a Ma’amad or Miklat
The afikoman is eaten as a zecher to the Korban Pesach, and since by the korban Pesach it says:בבית אחד יאכל – “In one house it shall be eaten” one shouldn’t eat afikoman in two different places as is clear from the Rema (478:1). Therefore, if a siren goes off in the middle of eating afikoman, one can’t simply continue in a ma’amad or miklat. It’s unclear what should be done if a siren sounds with just a few minutes before chatzos left to go, and by the time one returns it will be after chatzos. Tzorich iyun.
This halachah is also important in a case where the lights go off in the middle of eating afikoman, one should make sure to continue eating in the original place he started, as one shouldn’t eat afikoman in two different places.
What If One Ate Koreich Without Leaning?
If one ate his koreich without leaning as a siren sounded and he was very unsettled, the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (475:20) rules that one doesn’t need to eat it again since there is anyway a machlokes if koreich requires leaning. On the one hand it contains matzah which requires leaning, on the other hand it contains maror, which doesn’t. Therefore, bedieved, if one forgot to lean, he may rely on the opinions that hold that koreich doesn’t require leaning.
What If One Ate Afikoman Without Leaning?
If one ate his afikoman without leaning as a siren sounded and he was very unsettled, if he already washed mayim achronim and certainly if he already recited birchas hamazon, then he shouldn’t eat it a second time.
However, if one realized before washing mayim achronim, then he may eat again this time making sure to lean, if it is not too difficult for him to eat afikoman a second time.
The month of Nissan that we are currently in has already been a month full of miracles. May it be Hashem’s will that this month should be a month of yeshuah and geulah for Klal Yisrael, like Chazal tell us “In Nissan we were redeemed and in the future, we will also be redeemed in Nissan”. May we merit to see the fulfilment of זך שוכן מעונה ,קומם קהל עדת מי מנה בקרוב נהל נטעי כנה פדוים לציון ברנה , and the arrival of Moshiach speedily in our days.
This sheet was compiled by R’ Moshe Harris and is based on pesokim of R’ Yom Tov Sanger shlita that were said over in his Shabbos HaGadol Drosha, the author can be contacted on [email protected] or on 0583249052.
