Can One Fulfill the

Mitzvah of Mishloach
Manos via Email?
By Rabbi Joshua Flug

For technical information regarding use of

this document, press ctrl and click here.
I. Intro- In these difficult economic times, many people are looking for ways to cut
back on expenses. One area that can certainly use trimming is mishloach manos.
In this shiur, we will present the possibility of fulfilling the mitzvah of mishloach
manos via email. It's possible that you can only get away with giving such a shiur
because of the relaxed nature of Purim. However, the question certainly does
provide an opportunity to teach about mishloach manos in an interesting way.
II. The basic requirements of mishloach manos
a. The verse in the Megillah states "mishloach manos ish l'rei'ehu." {}
b. The Gemara derives from the way the verse is phrased that one fulfills the
mitzvah by sending two manos to one person (l'rei'ehu, as opposed to
matanaos l'evyonim which requires giving to two evyonim). {}
c. Rambam states that although one fulfills the mitzvah by sending to one
person, the more one sends, the more praiseworthy it is. {}
i. Rambam also states that it is better to spend money on matanos
l'evyonim rather than mishloach manos and the seudah. {}
ii. This gives a further motive to find an inexpensive, or free way of
sending mishloach manos to many people.
III. What is the purpose of Mishloach Manos?
a. R. Moshe Sofer (1762-1839) presents two different approaches to mishloach
manos.
i. R. Yisrael Isserlin (1390-1460) in Terumas HaDeshen, discusses the
question of whether you can send non-food items for mishloach
manos. He concludes that you can only use food items because he
posits that the reason for the mitzvah of mishloach manos is to provide
food for the seudah. {}
ii. R. Shlomo Alkabetz (c. 1500-1580) in Manos HaLevi, explaining the
mitzvah of Mishloach Manos, writes that the purpose of the mitzvah is
to promote friendship and unity among Jews to counteract what
Haman said that the Jewish people are dispersed throughout the
nations. {}
iii. Chasam Sofer understands that there is a practical difference between
these two reasons regarding someone who presents mishloach manos
to his friend and his friend says that he doesn't need the manos: {}
 1. According to Terumas HaDeshen, the purpose of the mitzvah is
to provide for the seudah and therefore, if the friend does not
accept the manos, he must find someone else to accept it.
2. According to Manos HaLevi, by offering the gifts to the friend,
he has already displayed friendship and as such, has fulfilled
the mitzvah.
3. Rama rules that in such a situation, one does fulfill the
mitzvah. {} Chasam Sofer concludes that Rama follows the
opinion of Manos HaLevi.
iv. Perhaps what motivated Chasam Sofer to conclude that Manos
HaLevi's comments were halachic in nature was the fact that Manos
HaLevi writes in his introduction that he is calling the book Manos
HaLevi because he is giving the book to his father as mishloach
manos. {} Apparently, he disagrees with Terumas HaDeshen's
approach that one must use food. Therefore, Chasam Sofer concluded
that Manos HaLevi's explanation of the mitzvah has actual halachic
ramificiations and according to him, there is no halachic requirement
to use food.
1. It is interesting to note that Rama, who according to Chasam
Sofer also follows this approach, wrote a commentary on
Megillas Esther, and in the introduction wrote that he is giving
the book as a gift to his father. {}
IV. Cases that the Poskim relate to this discussion
a. R. Avraham Gombiner (Magen Avraham 1633-1683) discusses the case of
someone who is living in someone else's house and is dependent on him. This
normally refers to the wife and children, but it can include others as well. {}
i. Chasam Sofer posits that this question depends on the two approaches
to the mitzvah. {}
1. According to Terumas HaDeshen, the purpose is to provide
someone else with a meal. As such, it is arguable that those
who are dependent on others and not responsible for their own
seudah are exempt from the mitzvah.
2. According to Manos HaLevi, each person has a responsibility
to promote friendship regardless of whether he is dependent on
others.
b. R. Ya'akov Etlinger (1798-1871) discusses whether the word "mishloach"
implies that the manos must be sent through a messenger. He notes that based
on either reason, one should be able to fulfill the mitzvah by delivering the
manos directly: {}
 i. According to Terumas HaDeshen, as long as the food gets there for the
seudah, there should be a fulfillment.
ii. According to Manos HaLevi, one can promote friendship by direct
delivery.
1. Nevertheless, R. Yehuda Assad (1794-1866) writes that the
term mishloach is used because sending a shaliach will cause a
greater increase in shaliach (the recipient feels gratitude toward
the sender and the messenger). {}
2. R. Yosef C. Zonnenfeld (1849-1932) writes that the reason
why the verse states "mishloach" is that one would have
thought that it should be done personally because of the
"mitzvah bo yosef mibeshlucho" princple. Mishloach gives
you the license to appoint a shaliach, which was done so that
people can dedicate more time to the Purim celebration.
Nevertheless, it is meritorious deliver personally if that will
increase friendship. {}
c. R. Ovadia Yosef (b. 1920) discusses whether one can fulfill the mitzvah by
giving someone money:
i. According to Terumas HaDeshen, the purpose of mishloach manos is
to provide food for the seudah. As such, one should be able to fulfill
the mitzvah by giving someone else money for the seudah.
1. Magen Avraham rules that the food for the seudah must be
readily edible and one cannot even send raw food. As such,
money would not be usable.
2. R. Naftali Z.Y. Berlin (1817-1893) disagrees and maintains
that one may send raw meat. This implies that the food does
not have to be readily edible. {}
3. R. Ya'akov Chagiz (1620-1674) writes that one can fulfill the
mitzvah by sending clothing or other items if one can easily
sell them and use them to purchase food. Although he doesn't
address money directly, he implies that money would be valid.
{}
ii. According to Manos HaLevi, one cannot fulfill the mitzvah with
money because money is not the type of gift one uses to promote
friendship.
iii. R Ovadia concludes that even according to Terumas HaDeshen, one
cannot use money because Terumas HaDeshen himself requires using
a food item. {}
 d. R. Yosef Chaim of Baghdad (1834-1909) wrote Torah Lishmah while he was
in prison under the pseudonym "Yechezkel Kachli" (which is the same
Gematria as Yosef Chaim). One of the responsa deals with whether one can
send mishloach manos before Purim that will arrive on Purim. R. Yosef
Chaim suggests: {}
i. According to Terumas HaDeshen, as long as the food arrives on
Purim, one fulfills the mitzvah.
ii. According to Manos HaLevi, the exchange between the sender and the
recipient must take place on Purim because it is the sender's
responsibility to promote friendship on the day of Purim and not
before.
e. R. Ya'akov Breisch (b. 1896) discusses whether one can fulfill the mitzvah if
the messenger shows up and realizes that he lost the package: {}
i. According to Terumas HaDeshen, one can only fulfill the mitzvah if
the shaliach actually provides food for the se'udah.
ii. According to Manos HaLevi, it is arguable that one can fulfill the
mitzvah even if the package is lost as long as the recipient knows that
there was an attempt to deliver the package because this itself
promotes friendship.
iii. R. Breisch concludes that it is difficult to make halachic conclusions
based on Manos HaLevi's interpretation for the reason of the mitzvah.
f. R. Avraham Binyamin S. Sofer (1815-1871) discusses whether one can fulfill
the mitzvah by sending anonymous mishloach manos: {}
i. According to Terumas HaDeshen, the sender provides food for the
recipient's Purim seudah and therefore fulfills the mitzvah.
ii. According to Manos HaLevi, there is no friendship promoted, so one
would not fulfill the mitzvah.
V. Other Practical Differences Not Necessarily Mentioned in Halachic Literature
a. Giving meat to an animal rights activist
i. According to Terumas HaDeshen, one can fulfill the mitzvah because
he provided food to someone for the seudah.
ii. According to Manos HaLevi, this is not the type of act that promotes
friendship and perhaps he would not fulfill the mitzvah.
b. When I was in Israel in 1994, one of the popular items for mishloach manos
was discovered on Purim to be contaminated with salmonella:
 i. According to Terumas HaDeshen, if someone gave that item as his
only mishloach manos, he would have to give another one because he
gave food to someone that was not edible and therefore not suitable for
the Purim seudah.
ii. According to Manos HaLevi, as long as the recipient receives a gift, it
promotes friendship. If it is discovered later that the food is not edible,
it does not affect the original gesture.
c. Communal Mishloach Manos- Many communities set up a community-wide
system where each member of the community receives one package from all
of the people that paid to contribute to that person's package:
i. According to Terumas HaDeshen it's arguable that one can fulfill the
mitzvah in this manner because each person has a partial share in
providing many individuals with food for the se'udah.
ii. According to Manos HaLevi, when the recipient sees the list of people
who contributed to his mishloach manos, it will certainly promote
friendship. However, there are two reason why this might not be true:
1. In many communities there is a reciprocity option which means
that when the recipient sees the names of the people on the list,
it will only promote friendship with the people that the
recipient didn't sponsor.
2. In many communities there is the option to pay a flat fee to
cover the entire list. If that's the case, the recipient does not
know if he was singled out as a friend or whether he was
included on the list because the sponsor paid the flat fee to
cover everyone.
VI. Electronic Mishloach Manos
a. Emailing a gift certificate or online coupon
i. According to Terumas HaDeshen ostensibly, one cannot fulfill the
mitzvah without giving an actual food item.
1. If one follows R. Chagiz's opinion, it would be a valid form of
mishloach manos provided that the gift certificate or coupon is
for a vendor that sells food items.
ii. According to Manos HaLevi, the e-coupon is just as much a display of
friendship as sending mishloach manos through a messenger.
b. Emailing a greeting
 i. According to Terumas HaDeshen, there is nothing of value that the
recipient can use to buy food for his se'udah, so there would clearly be
no fulfillment.
ii. According to Manos HaLevi, there is a display of friendship.
However, it is arguable that Manos HaLevi agrees that there must be a
display of friendship through a gift and a simple greeting or even a
greeting card will not do.
c. Emailing something of value (an e-book, software etc.)
i. According to Terumas HaDeshen, since these things are not easily
converted to cash, one cannot fulfill the mitzvah.
ii. According to Manos HaLevi, it is similar to the sefer that he sent as
mishloach manos which constitutes a significant display of friendship.
‫חתם סופר או"ח ס' קצו‬ ‫‪ .1‬מגילת אסתר ט‪:‬כב‬

‫‪ .2‬מגילה ז‪.‬‬
‫תני רב יוסף ומשלוח מנות איש לרעהו שתי מנות‬
‫רמ"א או"ח תרצה‪:‬ד‬ ‫לאיש אחד ומתנות לאביונים שתי מנות לשני בני אדם‪.‬‬
‫רמב"ם הל' מגילה ב‪:‬טו‬
‫וכן חייב אדם לשלוח שתי מנות בשר או שני מיני‬
‫הקדמה לס' מנות הלוי‬ ‫תבשיל או שני מיני אוכלין לחבירו שנאמר ומשלוח‬
‫מנות איש לרעהו שתי מנות לאיש אחד וכל המרבה‬
‫לשלוח לריעים משובח‪.‬‬
‫רמב"ם הל' מגילה ב‪:‬יז‬
‫מוטב לאדם להרבות במתנות אביונים מלהרבות‬
‫בסעודתו ובשלוח מנות לרעיו שאין שם שמחה גדולה‬
‫מחיר יין סוף הספר‬ ‫ומפוארה אלא לשמח לב עניים ויתומים ואלמנות וגרים‬
‫שהמשמח לב האמללים האלו דומה לשכינה שנאמר‬
‫להחיות רוח שפלים ולהחיות לב נדכאים‪.‬‬
‫תרומת הדשן א‪:‬קיא‬
‫מגן אברהם תרצה‪:‬יב‬

‫חתם סופר או"ח ס' קצו‬

‫מנות הלוי ט‪:‬יט‬

 ‫העמק שאלה סז‪:‬ט‬ ‫שו"ת בנין ציון ס' מד‬

‫שו"ת יהודה יעלה או"ח ס' רז‬

‫הלכות קטנות ב‪:‬קסג‬

‫יחוה דעת ו‪:‬מה‬

‫שו"ת שלמת חיים או"ח ס' קה‬

‫חלקת יעקב או"ח ס' רלה‬ ‫תורה לשמה ס' קפח‬

‫כתב סופר או"ח ס' קמא‬