View source for Chadash

{{Short description|Dietary restriction}}
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{{For|the Arab and Jewish Israeli political party|Hadash}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox Halacha|image=Various grains.jpg|caption=Grain products|verse={{Bibleverse||Leviticus|23:14|JPS}}|mishnah=[[Hallah (tractate)|Hallah]] 1:1, [[Orlah (tractate)|Orlah]] 3:9, Kiddushin 1:6, and Menahot 10:6–7|talmud=Menahot 68b, Kiddushin 37a-38a, Keritot 5a|rambam= Maachalot Assurot 10:2|sa=[[Yoreh De'ah]] 293|codes=[[Sefer ha-Chinuch]] mitzvot 303–305}}
{{Redirect|Yashan|people named Yashan|Yashan (name)}}
In [[Judaism]], '''''Chadash''''' ({{Hebrew Name 1|חָדָשׁ|ḥāḏāsh|"new [grain harvest]"}}) is a concept within [[Kashrut]] (the Jewish dietary regulations), based on the Biblical requirement not to eat any grain of the new year (or products made from it) prior to the annual ''[[Omer (unit)|Omer]]'' [[korban|offering]] on the 16th day of [[Nisan]].<ref>{{bibleverse-lb||Leviticus|23:14}}</ref>

Grain products which are no longer affected by this law are referred to as '''''Yashan'''''  ({{Hebrew Name 1|יָשָׁן|yāshān|"old [grain]"}}).

==The five types of grain==
In Rabbinic Judaism, this requirement is restricted to the [[five species of grain]] – wheat, [[barley]], [[spelt]], [[rye]] and a fifth ''shibolet shual'' (which has been identified with [[oat]], a species of barley called ''segala'' in Latin, and a kind of [[millet]] called ''sophonion'' in Greek). Any of these grains (or products made from them) that are too "young" to pass the requirement are referred to in Judaism as ''chadash'' "new [grain harvest]". Additionally, the rabbinic interpretation requires grain to have taken root (defined as either 3 days or 2 weeks after planting) prior to the ''Omer'' offering for it to become permitted; therefore, grains planted after Passover could only be consumed, at the earliest, twelve months later.

Following the destruction of the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], the ''Omer'' offering was no longer offered. Instead, Rabban [[Yohanan ben Zakkai]] interpreted the Biblical law that the new grain harvest becomes permissible at the end of the ''day'' on which the offering was brought in ancient times.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Enelow|editor-first=H.G.|editor-link=Hyman G. Enelow|title=Mishnat Rabbi Eliʻezer (aka The Thirty-two Hermeneutical Principles)|year=1933 |publisher=Bloch |location=New York|page=50 |language=he|oclc=607826 |title-link=Baraita on the Thirty-two Rules }}, s.v. {{Script/Hebrew|במצוות שהיו נוהגות בבנינה}} (Lines 14{{ndash}}17)</ref><ref>[[Jerusalem Talmud]] (''[[Sanhedrin (tractate)|Sanhedrin]]'' 1:2 [6a in the [[Oz Vehadar|Oz ve-Hadar]] edition]), Commentary [[Pnei Moshe]], s.v. {{Script/Hebrew|היה ר' מאיר אומר הרי הוא אומר}} unto {{Script/Hebrew|קרב העומר והותר החדש}}</ref> [[Chazal|The Sages of Israel]] enacted a one-day further delay outside of the Land of Israel because of the extra day of holiday outside the [[Land of Israel]].<ref>Babylonian Talmud 68b.</ref>

==Outside the land of Israel==
The applicability of the ''Chadash'' rules to grain grown outside the [[Land of Israel]] is a subject of debate among ''[[halakha|halakhic]]'' authorities. Although the Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud record a Tannaitic dispute about applicability outside Israel<ref>Mishnah Kiddishin 1:9 and Talmud Bavli to Kiddishin 37A</ref> the majority of medieval Jewish scholars (e.g. [[the Rambam|Moses Maimonides]], the [[Isaac Alfasi|Rif]], and the [[Asher ben Jehiel|Rosh]]) forbade its consumption. The later codifiers of Jewish law for [[Ashkenazic]] and [[Sephardic]] Jewry followed suit, both Rabbi [[Moses Isserles]] and Rabbi [[Joseph Caro]] declaring the stringent position.

Nevertheless, the same Rabbi Isserles (at least for Ashkenazim) also ruled that, because in general, in cases of purchased grain (with no other information) there is a double doubt as to 
* whether the grain was harvested before Passover of that year (which would render it ''yashan'') and
* whether, even if harvested after Passover of that year, it took root before Passover of that year (which would at least put its status in doubt)
the combination of doubts renders general grain permitted.<ref>Rama to Yoreh De'ah 293:3</ref> However, many have difficulty understanding this double doubt, as in essence it is a doubt whether the grain is "old" or "new".<ref>Rabbi Akiva Eiger there.</ref>

In addition a novel lenient approach was presented by Rabbi [[Yoel Sirkis]] who felt it is permissible if the grain originally belonged to a non-Jew.<ref>''[[Arba'ah Turim]]'' (''[[Yoreh De'ah]]'' 293, Laws of Chadash, [[Bayis Chadash|Bach]]’s commentary on the side of the Tur).</ref> Additionally, the manner in which various foods have historically been available has meant that Jewish populations would need to risk starvation to pursue stringent compliance with this aspect of kashrut. All these factors led to a situation in which observation of the ''Yashan'' regulation was relatively limited until very recently (at least in the [[Ashkenazic]] community).

===In Chabad literature===
Rabbi [[Schneur Zalman of Liadi]], the author of [[Tanya (Judaism)|Tanya]] and [[Shulchan Aruch HaRav]], quotes the basic opinion of Chadash being forbidden [[D'Oraita and D'Rabbanan|Midioraita]]<ref>Shulchan Aruch HaRav 489:29.</ref> and after considering the leniency of Rabbi Yoel Sirkis writes that - even for wheat harvested from a non-Jewish field – a "Baal Nefesh" (lit. an "owner of soul") should be scrupulous and not rely on lenient rabbinic opinions.<ref>Shulchan Aruch HaRav 489:30.</ref> Similarly, Rabbi Schneur Zalman notes in a [[responsa|responsum]] that in generations prior to his the custom was to take the lenient approach (i.e. rely on Rabbi Sirkis's leniency) but in his generation many have assumed the stringency of not consuming ''Chadash''.<ref>Responsa (as addendum to) vol. 5 of Shulchan Aruch HaRav p. 506.</ref>

Rabbi Schneur Zalman's son, the [[Mitteler Rebbe]], explains in a [[Maamarim (Chabad)|Maamar]] the important aspect of the [[Kohen]] bringing the ''Omer'' offering on the [[Mizbeach]] (from barley, usually used as [[Compound feed|feed]]) and only then is the consumption of wheat (usually reserved for human consumption) permitted.<ref>Maamarei Admur HoEmtzoi Bamidbar vol. 2 p. 465.</ref>

From the writing of his followers, it has recently been published that Rabbi [[Sholom Dovber Schneersohn]] – the fifth Chabad Rebbe – was scrupulous in refraining from ''Chadash'' products when he attended a [[Siyyum]] of Yeshivah students.<ref>Reshimat HaRava"sh ([[Kehot]] 2001) p. 96.</ref>

==Chadash today==
In modern times, particularly in [[Developed country|developed countries]], food is much more readily available than it historically had been, and grain is in sufficient abundance that many [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jews]] have become more interested in observing ''chadash'' restrictions. Modern packaging practices, which in some nations involve the stamping of production dates on every package, often allow individuals to determine whether food is definitely ''yashan'' (not "''chadash''"); packaging organisations sometimes add [[Hechsher|Kashrut information to the packaging]], and sometimes include in this information whether the product is known to be ''yashan''.
<!-- The following paragraph is difficult to understand, since beer is made from barley, not wheat.

===Beer===
Since the staple ingredient for beer is wheat, adherents to Yashan need to ascertain that their brand of beer was produced using [[Winter Wheat]].<ref>which generally does not pose an issue for the Yashan adherent since it takes root before the Passover season</ref> Many beer producers in the United States and Canada choose spring wheat for their brew, for example [[the Molson Coors Brewing Company]] uses ''Canadian Spring wheat'' for many of its brews -posing a problem for the Yashan adherent.
-->

==References==
*Joseph Herman, ''A Guide To Chodosh''. This publication came out every year from 1973-2023, but has since ceased to be published, with the Kashrut organizations publicizing the information instead.

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101112001123/http://www.ou.org/kosher/daf/advanced/yoshen.htm An article about the Orthodox Union's policy regarding Yoshon]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100328222659/http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-yoshon-old_new.htm An article from the Star-K's about Yoshon]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716224218/http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-yoshon-prepchodosh.htm Preparing for Chodosh]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802162139/http://www.koltorah.org/ravj/chadash.htm An article by Rabbi Howard Jachter about Yoshon]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070403070953/https://web.archive.org/web/20070403070953/http://www.crcweb.org/community/chicagoGuide.html#Pas_Yisroel_and_Yoshon_List Some info from the Chicago Rabbinical Council]
*[http://chaburas.org/chodosh.html The laws of chodosh—an in depth article]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140101180708/http://www.jewlight.org/Guide_to_Chodosh.pdf A Guide To Chodosh by Yoseph Herman]

{{Kashrut}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Jewish sacrificial law]]
[[Category:Kosher food]]
[[Category:Negative Mitzvoth]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in the Hebrew Bible]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law]]
[[Category:Jewish law and rituals]]