Ask the Rabbi
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Yom Tov
- Second Day of Yom Tov
Question
I’m a US citizen traveling with my Israeli wife to Israel for Pesach to spend the holiday with her family.
A few questions:
1. Does my wife keep 1 or 2 days (we are planning to move back to Israel in a few years, but will be in the US before that time)?
2. SInce I am Ashkenazi and she is Temania, can she eat Kitniyot at her parent’s home (I have heard that some people do this) or does she hold by my Ashkenazi Minhag?
Answer
Unfortunately, you are still not residents of Israel (citizenship is not the deciding factor here) and therefore your wife should keep a second day of Pesach. A wife follows the customs of her husband (Shu”t Iggrot Moshe Orach Chayyim I 158) and therefore your wife is not permitted to eat Kitniyot on Pesach even in her parents’ home. It is permitted however to eat non-Kitniyot products that are cooked in pots and pans and served on plates that were used for Kitniyot.

Cooking on Yom Tov
Rabbi Elchanan Lewis | 8 Tishrei 5765

Second Day Yom Tov Israeli Minyan
Rabbi David Sperling | Iyyar 3, 5775

Yom Tov Sheni with Israeli hosts
Various Rabbis | 4 Nisan 5763





