What's the deal with washing or not washing for pizza?
Thanks,
Jordana Wietschner
Great question! This topic is dealt with in an article by Rabbi Jachter, found here and in another article by Rabbi Daniel Wolf found here.
To summarize some of Rabbi Jachter's main points, the debate over washing for pizza depends on whether you consider one slice of pizza a meal or a snack. If it's just a snack - then Rav Moshe Feinstein z"l (Igrot Moshe OC 3:32) states that you do not have to wash and the appropriate brakha would be Mezonot (based on the fact that pizza would be considered what the Gemara Brakhot 42a calls "pat haba'ah b'kisnin", for which one recites Mezonot). However, if you consider one slice of pizza a meal, then you should wash and recite Hamotzi. This latter view is the opinion of many contemporary poskim, among them Rav Ovadia Yosef as well as Rav Willig and Rav Schachter from YU. However, as I recall from the musical Halakha skits on this topic performed at Camp Stone, two slices of pizza would definitely be considered a meal and then one would be required to wash and say Hamotzi.
Additionally, even if you would usually consider one slice of pizza a snack, if you are being "kove'a seuda" on it and eating it as your lunch (and not just snacking on left over pizza swiped from the teacher's room during the afternoon), then I would think that also here you should wash and recite Hamotzi. Finally, it's interesting to note that the idea of how much pizza constitutes a snack or a meal can be very subjective; since one or two slices may be a meal for a regular person, but only be considered a snack for a hungry 15 year old boy. Happy eating!
Great question! This topic is dealt with in an article by Rabbi Jachter, found here and in another article by Rabbi Daniel Wolf found here.
To summarize some of Rabbi Jachter's main points, the debate over washing for pizza depends on whether you consider one slice of pizza a meal or a snack. If it's just a snack - then Rav Moshe Feinstein z"l (Igrot Moshe OC 3:32) states that you do not have to wash and the appropriate brakha would be Mezonot (based on the fact that pizza would be considered what the Gemara Brakhot 42a calls "pat haba'ah b'kisnin", for which one recites Mezonot). However, if you consider one slice of pizza a meal, then you should wash and recite Hamotzi. This latter view is the opinion of many contemporary poskim, among them Rav Ovadia Yosef as well as Rav Willig and Rav Schachter from YU. However, as I recall from the musical Halakha skits on this topic performed at Camp Stone, two slices of pizza would definitely be considered a meal and then one would be required to wash and say Hamotzi.
Additionally, even if you would usually consider one slice of pizza a snack, if you are being "kove'a seuda" on it and eating it as your lunch (and not just snacking on left over pizza swiped from the teacher's room during the afternoon), then I would think that also here you should wash and recite Hamotzi. Finally, it's interesting to note that the idea of how much pizza constitutes a snack or a meal can be very subjective; since one or two slices may be a meal for a regular person, but only be considered a snack for a hungry 15 year old boy. Happy eating!
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