There’s an old joke about a guy who walks into a kosher bakery in America and asks the Israeli owner behind the counter if the bakery is yoshon. The Israeli responds, “What are you talking about! Of course not, my food is all very fresh! Nothing here is yoshon (old).”

Since I started observing yoshon 9 years ago, when I got married, I can’t tell you how many completely confused conversations I’ve had with all kinds of people, that are nearly as far off-base as this joke!

Many lifelong, observant, and Torah-knowledgeable Jews cannot explain the basic meaning of the mitzvah of yoshon, or even that it is a mitzvah at all. There are so many myths and misconceptions about what it is and how it’s kept.

If you’d like to change that, read on!

What Is Yoshon? Understanding the Biblical Source

Most Torah-observant Jews are familiar with the commandment to count the Omer, as outlined in Vayikra 23:15, where it says, וּסְפַרְתֶּ֤ם לָכֶם֙ מִמָּֽחֳרַ֣ת הַשַּׁבָּ֔ת מִיּוֹם֙ הֲבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם אֶת־עֹ֖מֶר הַתְּנוּפָ֑ה שֶׁ֥בַע שַׁבָּת֖וֹת תְּמִימֹ֥ת תִּֽהְיֶֽינָה

“And you shall count for yourselves, from the day after the Shabbos from the day you bring the omer as a wave offering, seven complete weeks they shall be.”

Yet, the source of the mitzvah of yoshon is literally the verse immediately before the one about Sefiras Haomer!

Vayikra 23:14 states: ,וְלֶ֩חֶם֩ וְקָלִ֨י וְכַרְמֶ֜ל לֹ֣א תֹֽאכְל֗וּ עַד־עֶ֨צֶם֙ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה עַ֚ד הֲבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם אֶת־קָרְבַּ֖ן אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֑ם חֻקַּ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם בְּכֹ֖ל מֽשְׁבֹֽתֵיכֶֽם.

“You shall not eat bread or parched grain or fresh grain, until this very day, until you bring this sacrifice [the Korban Omer]. This is an eternal statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.”

Yoshon and Chodosh: Defining the Terms

To clarify, “yoshon” means “old,” referring to grains that have taken root before the Omer offering and are thus allowed to be eaten.

“Chodosh” means “new,” referring to grains that sprout after the Omer offering and are not allowed to be eaten until the following year’s offering.

The Rosh, the Tur, and the Shulchan Aruch all rule that yoshon applies to this day, both in Israel and outside of it.

Contrary to common belief, yoshon is not a chumra (stringency); rather, not keeping yoshon is a leniency, based on a minority opinion.

How Yoshon Applies Today: A Practical Guide

Yoshon applies to the same grains that are familiar from the laws of Pesach (Passover). It’s easy to remember the names of these grains with the mnemonic device BROWS—barley, rye, oats, wheat, and spelt.

Even though we do not have the Beis Hamikdash and korbanos (sacrifices) nowadays, any grains that were “in existence” on the day the Omer offering would have been brought (the 16th of Nissan, the second day of Pesach) are permitted. 

Any grain that sprouts or takes root after that date is not allowed to be eaten until the following year on the same date.

Practically speaking, after Pesach, all grain products are permissible without concern for yoshon.

However, as the new crops planted after Pesach grow, are harvested, milled, processed, and sent to stores, these products become chodosh and are not allowed until the following Pesach. 

The cutoff date for yoshon can vary, usually hitting in mid to late summer, depending on various factors such as weather, crop growth, and geopolitical events.

How Can You Figure Out if a Specific Product Is Yoshon or Chodosh?

To ensure you are fulfilling this mitzvah, you can sign up at yoshon.com to get email alerts about when the chodosh harvest is expected to arrive in your local stores.

This year, 2024, barley and oats are yoshon until September 15; after that, check for updates. Wheat-based packaged flour and fresh baked goods should be checked as of September 1, and pasta and other processed wheat products after September 15.

How do you check if a specific item is yoshon? There are a lot of options!

Yoshon.com is a fantastic resource where you can search their product database and see what dates are listed for the product you want to purchase.

There is an app (created by yoshon.com) that can scan barcodes and a downloadable, searchable PDF guide. There is also a print guide that becomes available later in the season.

You can email Info@yoshonnetwork.org and ask to be added to the email list.

Many local Jewish communities have their own systems like Whatsapp groups or “yoshon gemachs” helping people find the products they need.

Rabbi Yoseph Herman zt”l pioneered yoshon tracking with his yoshon guide, helping raise awareness of this important mitzvah.

Common Misconceptions: Why Do Some Jews Not Keep Yoshon?

You may be wondering, if yoshon is no more complicated than any other area of halacha we keep without thinking twice, why do so many Jews not follow this halacha?

The answer is historical. Ashkenazi Jews in Europe, especially in Northern Europe (Russia, Lithuania, Poland, etc.), were often extremely poor, and the region had a very short growing season. Prohibiting Jews from eating whatever grains they could manage to get would have led to severe suffering and even literal starvation.

Therefore, rabbis in these locations found leniencies to permit chodosh grains, such as the Aruch Hashulchan, who said the laws of yoshon did not apply outside the land of Israel, or the Bach, who said it did not apply to fields owned by non-Jews. However, some rabbis argue that these leniencies were only acceptable due to a “shaas hadchak” (a time of pressure, like the risk of famine), and thankfully these harsh conditions no longer apply today.

For those who want to follow the laws of kosher in their optimal form, keeping yoshon is something to seriously consider. Especially for those who already keep other stringencies like Pas Yisroel and Cholov Yisroel, it would be logical to keep yoshon as well, as it may be perhaps a higher priority.

Tips for Keeping Yoshon: How to Manage Your Pantry

Keeping yoshon can involve some extra planning. I usually stock up on grain products in August. I like whole wheat pasta, which is almost impossible to find later in the season, so I look around for the best price and then buy enough to last me till the following spring. I buy oatmeal, some of my family’s favorite cereals, and some types of granola bars.

But that’s about it, because almost everything else is available year-round in my area with yoshon certification. As for regular pasta, there’s no need to stock up; Tuscanini has a great line of pasta that’s yoshon. If your family isn’t set on a specific cereal brand, there are Jewish brands that sell a variety of cereals with Yoshon certification.

If you live in a major Jewish population center (Brooklyn, Lakewood, etc.) you won’t have much of an issue keeping yoshon. You can buy yoshon-certified products anywhere, anytime. Be aware of what you’re buying and check the label, and you’ll soon see, you won’t miss out on much. There is no great sacrifice you’ll have to make; you can eat out in restaurants, buy challah in bakeries, and find the ingredients you need for that exciting new recipe you found on Kosher.com, even late in the year. Please note that not all restaurants, bakeries, and caterers are yoshon. You can find a list of yoshon establishments in the PDFs on this page.

For those living out of town it can be harder to find things, and you need to plan ahead before the cutoff date about what you want to buy. After the cutoff, you can still check product date codes and find more yoshon products, but you might have a harder time finding some items or have to make more of your own baked goods from scratch.

You also need to be careful about how you store the products to make sure you don’t develop a problem with insect infestation.

Gluten-Free and Yoshon: What You Need to Know

A lot of gluten-free items are yoshon-friendly, but it’s essential to check labels carefully, because yoshon applies to oats. If a gluten-free product doesn’t contain oats, you can eat it without concerns.

So check out the gluten-free aisle to expand your menu options!

Also, spelt grown in the US and Canada is always yoshon due to its growing season. Just make sure that no other grains besides spelt are mixed in on the ingredient list.

Navigating Social Situations: When You’re Unsure if Food Is Yoshon

Sometimes, at events, it’s hard to find out if food is yoshon. If the waitstaff isn’t knowledgeable and I can’t figure out how to reach the caterer or mashgiach (kashrut supervisor), I stick to salads and proteins and skip cakes and cookies. Although keeping yoshon obviously isn’t a diet plan, it occasionally leads to healthier choices!

Conclusion: Clearing Up Myths About Yoshon

For those who have heard that yoshon only applies after Rosh Hashanah, or that it’s too hard and confusing to keep yoshon, I hope this clears things up!

Yoshon is a straightforward halacha, and with some awareness and planning, it can be incorporated into your kosher lifestyle without much difficulty. If you choose to incorporate yoshon into your life, you are not just embracing a stringency, but fulfilling a mitzvah that is often overlooked.

Note: For a more in-depth discussion of the halachic sources, this is a great article from Ohr Somayach.