Bizarre Rules | Imamother

Hatemywig

Thu, Jan 19 2017, 1:29 pm

amother wrote:

Many bizarre rules that I'm sure are based on some kind of obscure mekor but who knows what's valid and what not:

~ Olives can only be eaten in olive oil (there was a thread on this already because of kashe l'shikcha)

~ At shabbas meal, only grape juice until after the fish. Then you gotta eat something and drink grape juice (Kinu'ach v'hadacha) and then you can continue with chicken soup. Whenever I asked about the no water during fish rule I was told cuz the fish will swim in your stomach. Later on I heard but haven't seen a source that it's one of the things the rambam says is a sakana.

Rambam Chapter 4: "One should not not drink water during his meal, but only a little mixed with wine. And when his food begins to be digested in his innards he should drink that which he needs".

~ We can only drink orange juice once a day. [color=Font Color]I have a similar rule in my home. Half a cup a day, this is mainly due to the sugar content in OJ. Another reason could be that it's expensive. [/color]

~ No dips at the shabbas table. Later on this became only home-made dips at the shabbas table.

~ No lunch on friday. if you're hungry you eat potato kugel and ferfel.

This could be a result of Mom of the house being overwhelmed by Shabbos Cooking. Potato Kugel was being prepared anyway and farfel is really easy to prepare. Not to mention, the thought of having to clean up after everyone.

~ No cutting nails on thursday because they start growing on the third day and by cutting on thursday you're causing them to start growing on shabbas.

This is stated in the Shulchan Aruch.

~ After cutting fingernails (and not toenails) into a tissue, my mother would rip off two ends of the tissue and roll it up together with the nails. She did this because her grandmother did it so that the two pieces of tissues should serve as eidim (witnesses) that the hands of these nails never stole anything.

This is really interesting, the first time I've heard of it.

~ The white shabbas tablecloth stays on the table until sunday morning because it's a segula for parnassa.

~ Another segula for parnassah: my father would scoop up all the challah crumbs from the table (after cuttting the challa) with a spoon and eat it.

~ after washing negel vasser we had to dip our fingers into the washing cup and use that water to wipe our eyes.

I'm sure I'll think of many more as the thread continues.

[color=Font Color] [/color][color=Font Color] [/color]

Hatemywig

Thu, Jan 19 2017, 1:31 pm

amother wrote:

same. I also keep two bottles of ketchup clearly marked. dH came up with it. not my parents or his do this. it's not bizzare, imo.
I don't remember growing up with any specific rules but if this thread keeps going, I'll for sure remember some.

I also grew up with separate condiments for milchig and fleishig. It makes sense. Definitely the Ketchup and mustard bottles scenarios with little children.

We also had separate mayo jars as my Father was concerned about the ingredients in the Mayo containing a Davar Charif.

amother

Silver

Thu, Jan 19 2017, 1:35 pm

[quote="amother"]

amother wrote:

OMG you're my sister in law shock

[/quote
Is she really your SIL?

I don't know but it sure sounds like it!!!!!

Hatemywig

Thu, Jan 19 2017, 1:39 pm

bsy wrote:

When I was a kid I asked my father about cutting nais on Thursday. I compared it to timers. He said it's not because it will make them grow but rather that it wont look freshly cut by the time shabbos comes. That made much more sense to me..... Smile

קיצור שולחן ערוך סימן ע"ב סעיף י"ד:

גם יש מקפידין שלא ליטול הצפרנים ביום ה', כי מתחילין לגדל ביום שבת שהוא יום השלישי.

There are those that are careful about not cutting nails on Thursday as they start growing on Shabbos which is the third day.

Hatemywig

Thu, Jan 19 2017, 1:41 pm

amother wrote:

My zayde used to cut my nails starting with the pinky and skipping fingers and coming back to them after.... In a pattern.... Has anyone heard of this? I've always been interested to know what it was from....

yes, this is also stated in Shulchan Aruch, I believe the reason is due to the fact that upon preparing a dead person for Tahara, the nails are cut in order and we don't want to "prepare ourselves for death" or similar understanding.

tag

Thu, Jan 19 2017, 4:02 pm

Fish used to be foll of bones (no gefilte loaves or fillets at the fish store). If someone swallowed a bone and drank water, the bone can get stuck and that is very dangerous. Thats why we eat a piece of challah after fish, before we drink.

Iymnok

Thu, Jan 19 2017, 4:19 pm

tag wrote:

It's still full of bones!
They are big in salmon. They are mostly removed or ground up in gefilte fish. A fillet is cut off the bones.
Small fishes are delicious served whole. There are small bone that can get stuck. And you can't remove them normally due to the melacha of borer.

amother

White

Thu, Jan 19 2017, 5:58 pm

Quote:

Small fishes are delicious served whole. There are small bone that can get stuck. And you can't remove them normally due to the melacha of borer.

Which is why some people eat fish with their hands on shabbos. Something to do with borer, like its worse to do borer with a kli/fork, I think.

amother

Hotpink

Thu, Jan 19 2017, 7:25 pm

Thats how/why gefilte fish was invented....

Amelia Bedelia

Thu, Jan 19 2017, 7:44 pm

Hatemywig, many chassidim have a minhag to eat farfel on Friday night. So in those homes, farfel is prepared anyway, just like the potato kugel.

pizza4

Thu, Jan 19 2017, 8:30 pm

essie14 wrote:

We ALWAYS forget something and have to go back inside. I never heard of this.

I have no idea of any reason for this, but we do this... we try not to go back home right after leaving. For this reason, dh will usually first stop somewhere, like the gas station, because we usually forget one or two important items... so it's as if the destination was the gas station. I wonder where this comes from.

amother

Sienna

Thu, Jan 19 2017, 9:12 pm

"You're not allowed to speak on the phone after ten pm!" (When I was in twelfth grade, for only one night when it bothered my volatile mother)

All the unspoken rules, like not leaving my mother out of ANYTHING, unless you wanted a full scale adult temper tantrum.

amother

Aqua

Thu, Jan 19 2017, 9:58 pm

pizza4 wrote:

http://revach.net/ask/article.php?id=264

I think most of these are (admittedly obscure) halachos.

Not looking in the mirror before you grow teeth (I.e. not having baby look in the mirror) - bubbe maaseh or kabbalistic? Anyone?