Jerusalem – Senior Sephardic rabbis issued a religious ruling calling on observant Jews to limit spending on mishloach manot, traditional gift baskets given to friends and family during the Purim holiday next week. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and the Council of Torah Sages called on their followers to “refrain from wastefulness on sweets and precious items.” The rabbis have urged their followers to be frugal in light of the economic downturn.
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Yesterday they suggested filling the gift baskets with foods with a longer shelf life and a higher nutritional value than candy.
The BP Rebbes should do the same thing, but we all know that it would never happen. Can anyone guess why.
While I strongly believe that Mishloach Manos should be controlled and limited, I also doubt that any effort to legislate this by Rabbonim will succeed. For one thing, the pattern of going lavish and expensive is too well ingrained to deeply to expect a change. I wonder if placing limits would destroy more parnosos.
OK so what is this world coming to?
The people that cant spend shouldnt spend
I would love to see them putting a limit on how much to give to rebbes
Although I am not a fan of the extravagant Shalach Monos, I think that we don’t need to tell people to cut down on doing a Mitzvah that they do with joy and love.
I agree with number five….and it shouldn’t be just the Sefardi Rebbas, it should be ALL Rabbonim…..all across the Olam…..when will people stop keeping up with the Katz family (Joneses) and realize what really is important…..with the economy falling apart daily, why are people spending money like water??and then these are the people who kvetch two weeks after Purim saying they wonder how they are going to make Pesach which costs more then $1,000…..with all of their Purim spending, they can buy very few simple, and get really nice Pesach stuff….perhaps, a new Haggadah, a new Becher for Kiddish….why spend so much right before Pesach…..it all ends up costing more on dental bills and the Staten Isaland landfills….i wish these Rabbonim luck…..i wonder how many people are going to listen and disobey…..my guess that maybe 5 percent will listen and the other 95 percent won’t listen…..come to me this Purim and you’ll see our three little things that we are giving out for Shaloch Manos this year, and we Are proud of it…..have a Freihlichin Purim….. : )
Chassidus teaches that is more important to give tzedakah during Purim – that it is only necessary to give the minimum amount of Shaloch Manos. The same goes for the Seudah; it is not necessary to have an extravagant Purim Seudah. Giving Tzedakah is much more important. Do not feel guilty about changing previous habits!
The problem is not how much is spent but what the person giving is thinking.
If a person has the money and truly wants to give the best Mishloach Manot in order to make people happy that should be one hundred percent allowed and I don’t think any Rabbi can tell him not to do it.
It is the same as purchasing an expensive Etrog for Succot or making fifteen salads for Shabbat meal!
The problems start when people don’t do it for the right reasons and make crazily expensive and elaborate Mishloach Manot just to out-do the neighbor and to show how yours was more creative. If this is the case, then it is these people who should cut down on the spending. HOWEVER, it isn’t going to help what the Rabbis say or don’t say because these type of people aren’t Menchin and won’t listen to anyone!
On the other hand all those who do have the money and are Menchin, will from their own accord see that it is not befitting to give such expensive Mishloach Manot this year because it might make others feel bad which is the complete opposite of what the mitzvah is all about!!!!
Also, as a side note, all those who spend so much on Mishloach Manot should look and see how much are they giving to Matanot L’Evyonim!!! Instead of out-doing each other this year, give more to those who really need it! And those who do give equally to Matanot L’Evyonim, then leave them alone. Hashem bencht them with a good parnasah and they are choosing to spend it on a Mitzvah of making people happy instead of themselves.
Have a Freilichin Purim!!!!
People are hurting. Kosher food pantries are seeing bare shelves. Those who can, should give tzadekah which is part of the mitzvah. That is what Rav Ovadia and the Council are saying. Sephardim are not so “in your face” as Americans. We tend to be less direct so maybe what they are saying is exactly what some posters have said; stop giving such extravagance to the rabbonim. Put you money where it can do the most good. And start enjoying giving even when you don’t get back equal value materially.
People we can say it the rabbunim can ban it but people do as they please people are to worried what others think and will spend and spend in order to keep up with the katz’s fact of life .some people need to receive lavish gives to feel important nebach. There are 3 other mitzvahs on purim each as important so give more to matones levyomin as you never hear them saying I don’t know what I’m going to doi with it all and so close to peasach. Bottom line its down to lack of sechel and priorities.
I think that it falls into the category of expensive family simchas. You do it because everyone else is doing it. It would only be fair if the Rebbes would come out with an issur, to limit a package to X amount of Dollars. There is another Mishegaas out there, that you have to give to the whole world, and once you gave someone, you can never remove him from your list. and every year you have to give something nicer than the year before. …and then there will be a recession….(It is already here)
wow, a lot of chassidus bashing. i’m not sure what this issue has to do with chassidim. We all send the same things and spend the same amount whether chassidish, litvish, or sefaradi. It is true that the Rama says it is more important to give to the poor than to give shalach manos, but also says that to give many shaloch manos, instead of the one that is halachicly required, is praiseworthy. So obviously chazal wanted us to give many as long as we don’t go overboard.
There should be no disagreement about what the Sephardic Rabbonim are suggesting. We all know that we only have to give two items to one person and that we should rather focus on Matanos L’Evyonim and on Seudas Purim, which includes inviting the needy, the downtrodden, and the like.
What’s most important from their statement is that the selection of items shold be of higher nutritional value than is common today. I don’t know how the principle of giving food items to friends evolved to giving bags and tins and baskets, etc., of junk foods of no nutritional value and something only a dentist can appreciate, after the damage has been done. While young kids can be forgiven, somewhat, for exchanging their nosh for their friends’ nosh, there is no excuse for adults giving such items.
If you are the recipient of our Mishloach Monos, you will probably get bottled water, rice cakes or the like, and probably a fruit or two. And I won’t feel guilty about what we’ve chosen to place in our package.
A Simchas Purim from the Purim Party Pooper to All!
Sephardic rabbonim have a lot more brains than the ashkenazic ones. The latter do not have the courage to tell the community what to do. They are always afraid of offending the money bags who support them.
You can be yoitzeh essrog with a $10 one. You can be yoitzeh chanukah licht with simple candles in a tin menorah. You can be yoitzeh lots of mitzvos with less, BUT YOU DON’T!!!
So why are you cutting back on the shlach monos that you are giving “yenem”??? Sure it is enough to give two food items, but that’s the bare minimum!
Start with cutting back on the mitzvos you enjoy, like showing off in shul with a $500 essrog in a silver box, or lighting chanukah candles with olive oil and bees wax candles in a silver menorah (wouldn’t you love to light it at the window and show it off?).
Or how about cutting back on your fancy seudas shabbos and yom tov – you can be yoitzeh with a piece of challeh. Save those calories and make that cut, before you start sending out monos of a raisen and a candy to one or two people!
Don’t be mevazeh yourself, your friends and the mitzvah!
Besides, how impractical can you get? There are so many “chiyuvim” – the children’s rebbes and morahs, the Rov of the shul, the inlaws, relatives, very close friends, chavrusah, mashpia, landlord, the nebech person, the chesed person etc. not to mention the children’s friends…who are we going to “cut”???
Let me tell you some chiyuvim –
Your kid’s rebbe and morahs should be #1 on your list. Even if you don’t consider them “rayahu” (your friends), at the very least “act” that way for your child’s sake. Show your kids that you are “machshiv” these teachers, feel close to them, appreciate their dedication and their importance in your kid’s life. When you are giving (in this case, SM), they should be getting. And their SM ought to be the nicest and most prominent gift.
Next on your list needs to be your Rov. Firstly because he deserves to be, and again, if you don’t appreciate this intellectually, at least give this message to you family – that you value Torah, those who help you by answering your shaylos, those who teach you torah, and those dedicated to torah. If your Rov isn’t up there on your list – the negative message is that Rabbonim don’t matter – they don’t play an important role in your life.
Next on your list must be your in-laws. Firstly as Kibud Av v’Em, and as appreciation, but again, even if you don’t feel close to them, your kids will one day become you. They will act as you do. Wouldn’t you want SM from your married son/daughter or would you want to be “cut’ from their list, just as you cut your in-laws?
Next should be relatives – if you get along, great, now is the time to express closeness. And if you don’t get along – here’s a chance to show some closeness.
Very close friends – that’s a no-brainer. What else does “rayayhu” mean??
Mashpia, chavrusa – see above by rov, it applies to them too.
The older single person, widow/widower, nebech/chesed person – they could use an expression of love, that someone thought of them, cares about them, and didn’t “cut” them from a list. They have been cut enough, sometimes even bleeding. You don’t need to, no, you must not cut them.
Your children’s friends – well, they have a chiyuv of SM too. They need to do the mitzva. It doesn’t mean to all the kids in their class, but at least to a few good friends. Mind you, if they send to most of their class, imagine the pain of those left out. Imagine if your kid was the only one who didn’t get SM from his classmates!!
And there are other ‘”chiyuvim”. Yes, CHIYUVIM, because now is the one time a year to show appreciation. Like, your doctor, who takes your frantic call and cares for your family. Doesn’t he belong on your list?? Hakoras Hatov!!
And EACH of these chiyuvim should get SM “LEFI KVODO” – appropriate to the receiver. Since they are choshuv to you, they must receive a choshuv SM. (Even though the Rebbe N”D sent SM in a paper bag, if you received such SM from him, I doubt you would send back your SM in a paper bag!!!).
This list of chiyuvim is not exhaustive, each person has more, and it is only a beginning. Now what about the costs? As suggested, cut the cost of other spendings first (like a designer Italian Bors. hat to wear on shabbos). I dare say, even consider cutting the cost spent on an essrog, or some tastey treats on shabbos, but don’t miss the opportunity to recognize your chiyuvim – the people who make a difference in your life.
I’m not telling anyone “chidushim”, but sometimes we forget the basics.
So in short, yes you can be yotzeh “the mitzva” with 2 foods to one person, but that’s not being yotzeh “your chiyuvim” of expressing hakoros hatov and ray’us.
Don’t cut on “yenem”!
Consider “quality” shlach monos, rather than carpet bombing the neighbourhood with mini-grape juices and candy. Two or three choshuv / useful foods are better than a basket full of useless junk food.