By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times

There are Mitzvos that we can perform with candy, yes candy. Three of them, in fact. Truthfully, however, they can also be performed with hot dogs and grapes.

This is particularly relevant during Chanukah, because aside from chocolate Chanukah gelt, people often give children hard candy.

These Mitzvos are predicated upon the verse, “venishmartem me’od bnafshosaichem – And you shall be very careful regarding yourselves (Dvarim 4:9).”

Briefly, young children can choke to death on whole grapes, warn three doctors in Scotland. These doctors describe three choking cases — two of them fatal — that involved boys aged 5 and younger who were eating whole grapes.

“There is general awareness of the need to supervise young children when they are eating … but knowledge of the dangers posed by grapes and other similar foods is not widespread,” according to Dr. Jamie Cooper and colleague Dr. Amy Lumsden.

Food accounts for more than half of choking deaths among children younger than 5, the study authors said. The top three food causes are hot dogs, candy and whole grapes.

TWO MORE MITZVOS

The Mitzvos of being careful with candy, grapes, and hot dogs not just limited to “veNishmartem” (Dvarim 4:9). The verse later on (Dvarim 4:15), “Rak hishamer lecha” is understood by most Poskim to actually comprise a second Mitzvah (See Rav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita Shaar HaTeshuvos #25). There is also a third Mitzvah, “V’Chai Bahem – And you shall live by them” (VaYikra 18:5).

The Ben Ish Chai writes that a person should make every effort to ensure the general safety of both himself and those around him (Parshas Pinchas year cycle #2). The Turei Zahav in his commentary to Choshain Mishpat (427:10) cites a Midrash on Shir HaShirim that when one does this and protects himself from dangers and damage not only is he protected, but he receives extraordinary credit for the Mitzvah too.

“Every food poses a choking risk in young kids but the hot dog has just the right size and consistency to perfectly block the airway, it’s the perfect plug that doesn’t allow any air to get through,” said Johns Hopkins Children’s pediatrician Nisha Kapadia, M.D., during a recent presentation at the hospital.

Therefore, pediatricians should remind all parents to mince or thinly slice hot dogs before giving them to young children, Kapadia said. Other high-risk foods, like hard candy, grapes and nuts, should be withheld completely from children younger than 4.

CONCLUSIONS

So what can we do? If there are kids around, grapes should be cut in half or completely eliminated. Choking candies should be eliminated, and hot dogs should be minced when given to children below 4. In doing all this we are fulfilling three Torah Mitzvos.

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