Mishloach Manos

The Reason Behind the Mitzvah
There are two basic explanations given as to why the mitzvah of Mishloach Manos was enacted:

1. Enhancing friendships - The sefer Manos Ha’Levi3 explains that the reason we send gifts to a friend on Purim is in order to increase and improve our friendships. In the story of the Megillah it states that Haman argued to King Achasveirosh that the Jewish people, “[although] they are one nation, they are separated and spread out [without peace and friendship].” In order to disprove this argument, we send Mishlach Manos on Purim to promote peace and enhance friendships.
2. Food for the Purim Seuda - the Terumas Ha’deshen4 writes that the purpose of sending Mishloach Manos is to ensure that everyone has enough food for their Purim meal. By sending Mishloach Manos from one to another we can ensure that all Jewish people will have enough food for their Purim meal.

Who Is Obligated in the Mitzvah?
The Rema writes that both men and women are obligated in the mitzvah of Mishloach Manos. Although the Megillah states that one must send “Mishloach Manos Ish l’reya’hu, man to his friend,” which would seem to indicate that only men are obligated to send Mishloach Manos, women are nevertheless obligated in this mitzvah as well. The Mishna Berura explains that since women were also saved through the miracle of Purim, they too are obligated in the mitzvah of Mishloach Manos (as well as all of the other mitzvos of Purim). Children wo reach the age of bar/bas mitzva are also obligated in the mitzvah of Mishloach Manos.

The Magen Avraham wonders why the prevailing custom is that women do not send their own Mishloach Manos, as he writes, “In all my days I have never seen women sending their own Mishloach Manos?” The Magen Avraham suggests that “perhaps only unmarried women must send their own Mishloach Manos, but married women may rely on the Mishloach Manos sent by their husbands, because one’s husband certainly has intention to fulfill the obligation of Mishloach Manos for all members of his family.”

Still, the Magen Avraham concludes that although there may room to for a married woman to be lenient and rely on the Mishloach Manos sent by their husband, it is preferable not to rely on this leniency. Rather, all unmarried women and children should ensure that their mitzvah of Mishloach Manos is fulfilled. This can be done in several ways:

1: A woman should send her own Mishloach Manos: It is preferable that a woman prepare her own Mishloach Manos and send it to a friend. The Rema warns however “that a woman should only send Mishloach Manos to another woman, and a man should only send Mishloach Manos to another man.” The Aruch Ha’Shulchan explains that since the purpose of Mishloach Manos is to enhance friendships, “it is inappropriate for there to be a closeness of relationship between men and women.”

2: Sending Mishloach Manos from the entire family: Some poskim rule that one may send a joint Mishloach Manos from the entire family which will fulfill the obligation of Mishloach Manos for the entire family. from the entire family it is sent from the wife and children well. However, when sending the Mishloach Manos the husband should tell the people recipient that it is being sent from his entire family. He should also let his family know that he is sending Mishloach Manos on their behalf.

The Two Basic Requirements of Mishloach Manos
The Megillah states that on Purim one must “send gifts to a friend”. The Shulchan Aruch writes that from this verse we derive two important requirements about this mitzvah:
1. Gifts – The verse writes that that one must give “gifts” (plural), indicating that Mishloach Manos must consist of two gifts.
2. To a friend – The verse writes that that one must give the gifts to a friend (singular), indicating that there one must send the Mishloach Manos to only one friend.

Does Your Mishloach Manos Theme Fit with Halacha?
Although fulfilling the mitzvah of Mishloach Manos seems rather simple and straightforward there are numerous subtle halachos that one should be aware of in order to fulfill this mitzvah properly. In the following paragraphs we will discuss the following halachos of Mishloach Manos:
1) What is considered a “gift”?
2) Understanding the requirement to have two foods
3) Sending Mishloach Manos to at least one person
4) When to send Mishloach Manos
5) Using a shliach (messenger) to send the Mishloach Manos

1) What is considered a “Gift”?

Only Food Items

We mentioned earlier, one of the reasons that we send Mishloach Manos is ensure that all Jewish people have enough food for their Purim meal. Accordingly, the Mishna Berura writes that one may not send clothing or other non-food items for Mishloach Manos, because they do not enhance the other person’s meal.

Drinks.

The Mishna Berura writes that one may send two drinks to fulfill the mitzvah Mishloach Manos, because drinks are considered food items. For example, one may send a bottle of wine and a can of soda for Mishloach Manos. Similarly, the Mishna Berura writes that one may also send one food item and one drink for Mishloach Manos.

Dairy foods.

The poskim discuss whether it is permissible to send dairy foods for Mishloach Manos. Since one of the reasons for sending Mishloach Manos is to ensure that everyone has enough food for their Purim meal, and one must serve meat at the Purim meal, perhaps one may not fulfil the mitzvah of Mishloach Manos by sending dairy foods. Nevertheless, many poskim rule that it is permissible to send dairy foods for Mishloach Manos, because one may fulfill the mitzvah of Mishloach Manos even with foods that one will not be able to use at the Purim meal.

The food must be ready to eat
The Aruch Ha’Shulchan writes, “It is obvious that one may not send food that is raw for Mishloach Manos”. Since the food cannot be eaten immediately at the time that it is received it cannot be considered an appropriate gift for Mishloach Manos.

Instant coffee and tea bags.

The poskim discuss whether one can fulfill the mitzvah of Mishloach Manos by sending instant coffee or tea bags. Since the coffee and tea cannot be eaten by themselves, but must be added to hot water, perhaps one may not use them to fulfill his obligation of Mishloach Manos. Some poskim rule that since most people have hot water readily available and making coffee or tea is a simple task, we can consider the coffee or teabag ready to be used.

The gift must be something significant
The Aruch Ha’Shulchan writes that the gifts that one sends for Mishloach Manos must be significant enough to honor the one receiving them. Meaning, that it must be important enough that one would serve it to a guest who is visiting his home. For example:

• A substantial piece of cake.
• An apple or an orange

On the other hand, if one sends foods that are insignificant, he does not fulfill his obligation of Mishloach Manos. For example:

• One may not send a lollipop attached to a bottle of wine in order to fulfill the mitzvah of Mishloach Manos, since the lollipop cannot be considered a gift that honors the one who receives it.
• Many poskim write that one does not fulfill Mishloach Manos by sending a bottle of water, since it is not considered an honorable drink. Similarly, one does not fulfill Mishloach Manos by sending a bottle of seltzer or mineral water.
• One does not fulfill Mishloach Manos by sending one or two jellybeans or small pieces of chocolate.However, if one sends a box of jellybeans or small chocolates it would be considered a significant gift (that can be used for one of the items in the Mishloach Manos) even though each jelly bean or small chocolate by itself is not considered something significant.