To be Yotze the Mitzva of Mishloach Monos you need to send at least two types of food to one person. Both men and women are obligated to give Mishloach Monos.
Question:
What is considered two foods?
Answer:
· A food and a drink are considered two foods.
· You can give two different foods or two different drinks.
· Water is not considered a food, soda is.
· Two types of meat or one cooked and one roasted are considered two foods.
· Dark and white chicken are considered as one food.
· A salad of different vegetables is considered one food.
· However, if you put vegetables separately on a platter for the receiver to make a salad each vegetable is considered a different food.
· A sandwich, a wrap or a pitta filled with falafel is one food.
· An ice cream cone is one food.
· It is questionable if you can give raw food (raw piece of meat) so therefore you should give food that is already cooked. You may give cold cooked food that you usually heat up to eat.
The Mitzva is to give two respectable portions.
It needs to be respectable in the eyes of the giver and receiver. It is questionable how big each Monah (portion) needs to be. It is advisable to give one nice Mishloach Monos to be Yotze the Mitzva and the rest you can give less.
Question:
May you send Mishloach Monos to a Ovel?
May you send to Rebbe or Morah that are Aveilim?
Answer:
You should not send Mishloach Monos to an Ovel unless they are a close relative.
If someone sent Mishloach Monos to an Ovel they may accept it and they don’t need to say I’m an Ovel and you can’t accept it.
You may send to the spouse of an Ovel.
You may send Mishloach Monos to a Rebbe or Morah that are Aveilim as you usually do.
It is preferable for a married woman to send her own Mishloach Manos to one of her friends/family.
A Kallah may send to her Choson (and a Choson may send his Kallah), Mishloach Monos.
—
During Shiva
An Ovel even during Shiva is obligated to do the Mitzva of Mishloach Monos. During Shiva they should give just to one person.
After Shiva
After Shiva they may give as they do every year. However, they should refrain from sending food or drinks that make someone happy (meat or wine).
The spouse of an Ovel may give Mishloach Monos as usual. Therefore, if one is an Ovel it is best to send the Mishloach Monos from the family.
Diet/Allergies
You may give to someone who is on a diet or is a diabetic, cake/chocolate/candies (or to someone who is lactose intolerant and cannot drink milk, milk) even though they will not be able to eat what you sent them.
Help support Kollel Toronto by clicking HERE
