By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

It is one of those activities recommended by the remarkable “Between Carpools” blog.  It takes time (which is good for parents), it helps develop good hand-eye coordination, creativity with colors, familiarity with the Chanukah menorah, it reinforces knowledge of halacha in that the Shamash has to be distinct from candles, and it is loads and loads of fun.

But is it halachically permissible?

THE ACTIVITY

First let’s discuss the activity.  A foam block is surrounded by aluminum foil.  This is the base.  Five wooden skewers are used for each “menorah.”  Four are broken in half and one will be retained for the Shamash.  And then comes the colorful “fruit loops” or its substitute.  This is preferable to the dull color of regular cheerios (although food coloring works too – but it can be pretty messy).  Each of the skewers are filled with the fruit loops and then the skewer is topped with Pashkez Marshmellows as the flame.

THE HALACHA

The issue is a possible hefsed ochlin – wasting food.  It is discussed in Shulchan Aruch Orech Chaim 171.

The Mogain Avrohom permits wasting food if it is done for refuah as the Gemorah in Shabbos (108a) indicates. (The Gemorah in Taanis 20a also writes about the prohibition of Bizui Ochlin – in that human food cannot be given to animals). However, the Mogain Avrohom also permits it for other purposes as well.  Not so the Biur Halacha (“Lo”), however.   He writes that it is only permitted if it is done in a manner that is generally done for these purposes.  But otherwise, the Biur Halacha concludes that it is not permitted.

BUT MAYBE NOT

There are two possible reasons that it could be permitted according to all opinions.  Firstly, It could very well be that the use of Cheerio type O cereals has become so universal that it could be a recognized use already.

The second reason is that the children will in all likelihood end up eating both the marshmellows and the fruit loop type cereals.  The first ingredient of the cereal is sugar and the first ingredient of the marshmellows is corn syrup.  What child would waste either of these?

A reader asked whether children can really eat that much.  The answer is that they do not have to eat it all at once.  The rest can be put into a ziplock bag and saved for another day.

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