Q&A: He Ate Matzah Without Reclining
He Ate Matzah Without Reclining
Question
A person ate matzah without reclining, and when he remembered, his rabbi entered the room, at which point he is exempt from reclining. Must he go back and eat matzah again? And if so, must he recline?
Answer
There is a dispute among the medieval authorities (Rishonim) whether someone who ate without reclining must go back and eat again while reclining, and whether that is effective at all. And logically, it seems that when his rabbi is there, he is not only exempt from reclining but actually forbidden to recline (out of respect for his rabbi). Therefore it is clear that he should not go back and recline.
Discussion on Answer
Someone who made a mistake at the Sabbath afternoon prayer (or on Rosh Chodesh) and prayed the weekday Amidah, and then the Sabbath ended—there is a dispute among the medieval authorities (Rishonim) whether he prays the weekday evening prayer twice because his afternoon prayer did not count, or not, because he cannot make up for the missing mention of the Sabbath. In practice, the ruling is that he repeats it as a voluntary prayer. (One could analyze the relationship between eating matzah and reclining, etc., but on the face of it this seems similar to the Sabbath afternoon prayer case.)
With God's help, the 22nd of the Omer, 5781
As I recall, there is discussion about this among the medieval authorities (Rishonim): if one ate matzah without reclining, whether he did not fulfill the obligation of matzah, or whether he only failed to fulfill the requirement of eating it in a manner of freedom.
Practically speaking, I think it makes no difference, since even with one's primary rabbi, obtaining permission helps, and he can ask his rabbi for permission to recline in front of him, or step out into the hallway and eat there while reclining.
Best regards,
Yaron Fishel Ordner
And regarding the people of this locale, I think they regard the Rema as their primary rabbi, and presumably he will not suddenly come to them in the middle of the Seder, since he presumably follows the authority of Lod, Rabbi Eliezer, who said: 'I praise the lazy people who do not leave their homes on the festival' 🙂
Indeed, as I wrote, the medieval authorities (Rishonim) already disputed this. Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik greatly elaborated on this in the laws of leavened food and matzah.
I heard the claim that failure to recline prevents one from fulfilling his obligation of matzah, so he would have to go back and eat matzah in front of his rabbi, but without reclining. In other words, to repeat the same action.
There is also the possibility that he should look for another place (not in front of his rabbi) and eat there while reclining.
Of course, no one would even entertain the possibility that he should eat while reclining in front of his rabbi.
What do you think?