CANOLA OIL,KITNIYOT AND PESACH

On page 107 of the OU Passover guide for this year, they write:

“Canola oil, which is a form of rapeseed oil, should be considered kitniyot.”

Their stance is hardly unique. However, we believe it to be a misinformed stance.

1) Oils derived from kitniyot are called mei kitniyot. Mei kitniyot are never forbidden according to halacha (although no one seems to remember that halacha anymore). Kitniyot is a chumra- a stricture. Jewish law prohibits a chumra on a chumra.

2) The source whence canola oil is derived is NON EDIBLE. If it ain’t food, how can it be kitniyot?

3) Canola oil is produced without using any water.

Hey guys, three strikes and you are out! It is time for the OU, the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, and others, to back off on the whole mei kitniyot issue, and certainly to leave canola oil out of the loop.

We received a phone call the other day from a gentleman who said that his local paper wrote that on Passover, Jews do not eat, among other foods, prunes (dried plums). We don”t eat prunes on Pesach? Says who?

Our point? Not eating prunes on Pesach makes about as much sense as calling canola oil kitniyot.c