The annual discussion surrounding matzah ashirah continues to generate significant halachic debate, particularly regarding how such products can be produced without any contact with water, which would render the dough chometz. Rav Avraham Yosef addressed the issue at length, explaining both the underlying halachic principles and the practical safeguards involved.

Among Sefardim, there is a longstanding practice to permit matzah ashirah, which is made by kneading dough with fruit juices instead of water. Still, many question how industrial production lines can ensure that not even a trace of water enters the process.

Speaking on the radio program Shamor V’Zachor, Rav Yosef responded to a listener who sought to understand the manufacturing process and the associated halachic concerns.

Rav Yosef described the rigorous standards he personally enforces at the factory: “I personally do not rely on anyone. I am present when the wine arrives and make sure it is pure, without any mixture of water.” He explained that he closely supervises the cleaning of the pipes and ensures that large volumes of wine are run through the system to flush out any possible moisture before actual production begins.

“If necessary, I climb up a dangerous rope ladder to the top to see with my own eyes that everything is clean,” the rav said. “There is not a week that goes by that I don’t visit there. The two mashgichim in the factories are talmidei chachamim and yirei Shamayim, and no worker would dare bring even a drop of liquid into the facility—anyone who is thirsty goes outside to drink.”

During the discussion, Rav Yosef shared a personal exchange with his father, Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l: “I asked my father—why do I need this headache? I gain nothing from it, and I’ve only ‘taken hits’ over this kashrus. My father rebuked me and said: ‘You were born to toil—continue, there is great merit in benefiting the public.’ I continue on this path in order to uphold his sacred legacy.”

The listener also raised a concern about yayin nesech, wine that may have been handled by someone not observing mitzvos. Rav Yosef addressed this by explaining the safeguards in place: exclusive control is maintained by the mashgiach, who alone holds the keys and access to the wine barrels and tanks. In addition, the wine is immediately sweetened with large amounts of sugar upon being transferred, which alters its status and removes the halachic concern of yayin nesech.

Rav Yosef concluded by noting that the same level of supervision extends to all other ingredients, including eggs, which undergo thorough analysis and filtering to ensure that no water comes into contact with the flour, thereby preventing any possibility of chometz during Pesach.

{Matzav.com}