The Scoop On Charoset

There is a sensational new flavor of ice cream being produced by Ben & Jerry’s. The unique charoset flavor is kosher for Passover. Charoset flavor? That’s nuts! But whine? It’s only available in Israel. A representative of Ben & Jerry’s that I spoke to noted that there are no kosher-for-Passover flavors of their ice cream available in the United States. I innocently asked why not. The response was that Ben & Jerry’s produces limited-production batches. They are meant to sell for three to six months. “Passover is like one week, right?” Still, with all the interest, they didn’t rule out an American version of charoset ice cream next year. For all Ben & Jerry’s fans, they noted that every comment on the charoset flavor is being noted to determine if there will be a future production. Keep those phone lines busy! They confirmed that the flavor is the traditional charoset flavor, which is apple and nuts. Though some Sefardim might disagree with that being considered the traditional flavor.

Can one use Ben & Jerry’s charoset at the Seder? If this question is posed to a rav he should immediately hand the questioner a wad of cash. When the Brisker Rav was asked whether or not milk could be used for the four kosos, he responded by giving the questioner 25 ruble to buy Pesach provisions. His wife expressed surprise, since wine costs much less. The Brisker Rav responded, “If he is contemplating using milk, he obviously doesn’t have enough money for meat at the Seder either!” Rav Dovid Feinstein, shlita, quotes his father that milk can be used for the four kosos if wine or grape juice are unavailable. (The meal would perforce not contain meat.)

My father, my rebbe, Rav Yaakov Sebrow, noted that while charoset is often associated with a sweet flavor, it seems that a sweet recipe is certainly not universally accepted. Rebbe Elazar bar R’ Tzadok say that charoset is an independent mitzvah. Tosfos (Pesachim 116a) say that his opinion is accepted as halachah. It is interesting to note that according to the Aruch, we should really add charoset to the simanim of the Seder. We should list Kadesh, Urchatz... Motzi-Matzah, Maror, Charoses, and Korech. The author of the accepted list of simanim was of the opinion that charoset is not an independent mitzvah.

Rebbe Levi opines that charoset is to recall the apple trees under which the women in Mitzrayim gave birth while trying to hide from the Egyptians. Rebbe Yochanan opines that charoset is to recall the clay used for constructing bricks. Abaye therefore says we should make charoset tart and thick. It should be tart to recall the apple trees and thick to recall the clay. The Rashbam writes that charoset is made thick by putting in lots of vegetables. Not fruit! The Rashbam is unconcerned that the resultant mixture won’t be sweet. Further, the apple that is added should be tart, as Abaye says. The Ran specifically writes that tapuchim chamutzim, sour apples, should be used for charoset. Moreover, some Rishonim (as explained by the Bach) are of the opinion that we don’t intend to recall the apple trees at all, but the sour flavor is meant to recall our sour plight in Mitzrayim. In that case, the charoset should certainly not be sweet. Granted, vegetables and sour apples might not make a great ice cream flavor, but at least it would be a mitzvah.

Tosfos quote the Yerushalmi that there is another symbolism in the charoset. The mixture is to somewhat resemble blood. The Aruch HaShulchan writes it is to recall all the blood that was shed by the Egyptians when they killed Jewish children. The P’nei Moshe writes that the blood symbolism is to remind us of the first plague when all the waters of Egypt turned to blood. However, Tosfos note that the symbolism of clay and blood are contradictory. How can the mixture be at once thick and liquidy? Tosfos write that we can accomplish both. Originally, the mixture should be made thick. Right before it is used with the maror, red wine should be added to turn it liquidy. The Ohr Zarua notes an interesting application of this custom. One should not eat charoset on erev Pesach. Since it is a mitzvah of the Seder, one should wait until the Seder to enjoy it. However, since the custom is to add red wine, the mixture is incomplete without the red wine. Therefore, one can eat charoset on erev Pesach if the wine wasn’t added yet. However, this year the first Seder falls out on Friday night. One may not add wine to the charoset mixture on Shabbos because of an issue of losh, kneading. The wine should be added before Shabbos. Consequently, according to the Ohr Zarua, one should not eat the resultant mixture on erev Pesach. If one forgot to add the wine before Shabbos, a rav should be consulted. If a permit is granted to add wine on Shabbos (because the mixture is already liquidy), one would have to deviate from the normal practice by adding the charoset to the wine and mixing it with his finger (or not at all).

Finally, Tosfos note the opinion of the Geonim that charoset should be comprised of fruits that Klal Yisrael are compared to in Shir HaShirim. The ingredient list in Tosfos includes apples, pomegranates, figs, dates, walnuts, and almonds. It is clear that this mixture will be sweet. The Rema codifies this opinion.

As a last ingredient to be added to the charoset, the Gemara in Pesachim says that we should add spices to recall the straw. Rav Dovid Feinstein writes that adding ground cinnamon is pointless since it does not resemble straw. One can use cinnamon sticks. The Dirshu Mishnah Berurah notes that Rav Chaim Kanievsky uses a meat grinder to grind the cinnamon sticks so that there would still be large pieces to resemble straw.

I highly doubt Ben & Jerry’s would use large pieces of cinnamon stick in their ice cream. They would have a lawsuit on their hands. One final point worth noting: Even the Ohr Zarua who holds one shouldn’t eat charoset on erev Pesach would agree that one may enjoy Ben & Jerry’s charoset ice cream instead. After all those Pesach preparations, you earned it!