Although there are Poskim who justify the custom of throwing bread from one end of the table to another, one should nevertheless abstain from throwing bread completely. This applies especially to the bread eaten during the Shabbat meals upon which the head of the household recites a blessing in order to fulfill the Mitzvah. In such an instance, the Peri Megadim (Chapter 167, Eshel Avraham, Subsection 38) writes that even according to the Rashba, it will be forbidden to throw the bread, for this constitutes “degradation of a Mitzvah.” Several other Acharonim rule likewise.
I wonder how much upbringing plays a role.
ReplyDeleteFor a couple of years I davened at a shul that offered a nice Friday night dinner after davening and the Rav, after cutting the hallah, would throw it towards each of the people at the table. I told my father, a"h, about it and he was horrified. You don't throw bread!
The Rav was raising in America where a loaf of bread isn't such a big thing. My father was raising in Poland in poverty where a loaf of bread was a Friday night treat and a luxury for many. Perhaps that plays a role in how one approaches this.
Is there a question and answers facility on this blog?
ReplyDeleteQ: why has nevuah left us?
I heard the Vilna Gaon explanation, that it was only to counter idolatry, so now we have no need for it!
(Typical cop out, even from a Gaon)
Not such a cop pout. Previous there was an irresistable force to worship other powers other than God and nevu'ah countered that. Without idol worship, unrestrained nevu'ah makes being an erhlicher Yid obvious so there's no value in observance.
DeleteThere's still an overwhelming force to worship other powers. Problem is that the rabbis have incorporated much of this into kaballah.
DeleteBut I guess this is very much like the reform argument, - no, we don't need the temple, or sacrifices or moshiach anymore to be erlicher yids. We have synagogues.
It's all reform.
Years and years ago I read somewhere that since God's creation is perfect, nothing He created can truly disappear. The Chazal tell us that since prophecy was taken from the prophets, it can still be found in the mouths of small children.
DeleteAnd the writer said that same thing was true of avodah zara. Instead of external worship - that idol, that false-god on Olympus, etc - it was now about internal worship. The person is the deity and worships himself.