Brachos on Non-Kosher Food and Selling Sefer Torah Ornaments
Making a Brocha on Non-Kosher Food
Question
I work in a company where I share an office with a non-religious Jew and a non-Jew. I am assuming that it goes without saying that if we all eat together, we would not make a zimun with someone non-Jewish as the third party. Should I teach my non-religious partner to make brachos, even though he eats non-kosher food?
Thank you.
Tzvi Kahn
Lawrence, NY
Rav Auerbach
Exclusion of Non-Jews in Zimun
As far as your first question is concerned, you are correct that one definitely does not make a zimun with non-Jews. Seemingly, the simple reading of the Gemara (Brachos 47b) is like you mentioned, that it goes without saying that a non-Jew cannot be included in zimun and the only individual you might think can be included in a zimun is a non-Jew who is in the middle of the conversion process, i.e., he had milah without tevilah.
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 199:4) states that a non-Jew who has no thoughts of conversion cannot be included in a zimun. The Mishnah Berurah (Shaar Hatzion 199:1) is troubled as to why we need to be taught that a non-Jew cannot be included in a zimun.
It seems that what you said that it “goes without saying” that we do not include a non-Jew in zimun is only if the non-Jew does not say that he is blessing Hashem. The Gemara understood that we need a special limud to teach us that non-Jews who have the intention to bless Hashem cannot be included in a zimun. The Shulchan Aruch is teaching us that in the conclusion of the Gemara and halacha lemaaseh, even if the non-Jew has intention to bless Hashem, we cannot include him in the zimun (see Gra”z 196:4).
Brachos on Non-Kosher Food
The Shulchan Aruch (196:1) rules like the Rambam (Brachos 1:19) that one does not recite a brocha on non-kosher food. Based on that, it would seem that the question you are asking is straightforward and that you should not be able to recite a brocha.
There is, however, a dispute regarding the halacha when the person ate the non-kosher food beshogeig (see Taz 196:1 and Mishnah Berurah 196:4). I am aware that there are poskim who argue that somebody who is on the path of becoming religious and has not yet taken on the halachos of kashrus may be considered a shogeig in regards to this halacha. However, my personal ruling is that since the person eating the food knows that he is eating non-kosher food, we can consider this case to be beshogeig.
Therefore, at the current time, you should not encourage your partner to make brachos on non-kosher food. Rather, you should put all your effort into encouraging him to eat only kosher food. You should tell him that eating non-kosher food is metamteim es halev, it causes the heart to become impure, and once you have timtum halev, it is difficult to perform any mitzvos, to study Torah or to pray to Hashem. All the things that you are teaching him will have very little, if any, impact on him. This being the case, if he does not alter his dietary habits, it will be very difficult for him to be chozer b’teshuvah.
A few years ago, I was sent a shaalah from a young woman starting university. She said that as she was just starting to become religious and she was in a very anti-religious atmosphere, she felt that she could only observe one halacha and she asked me which one she should choose. I ruled that she should eat kosher food, for this step is critical for all other developments in Judaism and complete Torah observance.
Therefore, if you think you can have an impact on your co-worker, you should try and influence him to eat kosher food. After he starts this, you can speak to him about making brachos.
Selling Rimonim Ornaments for the Sake of Torah Learning
Question
Because of the coronavirus, there are serious shortages of funds for many individuals who are studying Torah full-time. I thought of the following idea to help two yungeleit who live in my neighborhood and are having a particularly difficult time financially. I own two antique rimonim, silver pomegranate ornaments, which are used to decorate a Sefer Torah. May I try and sell these ornaments and use the funds to support these yungeleit in their limud haTorah?
Rav Auerbach
The halacha is that one is allowed to sell a Sefer Torah in order to take care of the needs of lomdei Torah. If this is true for a Sefer Torah, it is certainly true of the ornaments of a Sefer Torah. Therefore, you may certainly sell these ornaments in order to help the yungeleit learn Torah.
