The Battle Over Cholent: The Historical Story Behind This Beloved Shabbat Dish

Cholent, known by many names, appears in different forms and versions across Jewish communities. Among Ashkenazim it's "cholent," for Moroccans—"s'hina," and for Iraqis—"t'beet." The common factor? Cholent is prepared before Shabbat and left simmering on a low flame until Shabbat morning. Many enjoy this warm dish on chilly Shabbatot, and some even relish it in the summer. Every family has its own style and flavor, making these Shabbat dishes both nostalgic and comforting.

However, cholent isn't merely about nostalgia; it's also a halachic practice. Rabbi Zerachiah HaLevi, who lived in Spain nearly a thousand years ago, wrote: "Anyone who doesn't eat cholent—one should investigate after him, perhaps he is a sectarian." His words are cited by the Rama in halachic literature. The tradition is to eat hot food on Shabbat.

Why is this?

The reason lies in the struggle against the Karaites. The Karaites, who began as a political maneuver, became a stubborn and propagandist group, primarily residing in Babylonia. A central part of their propaganda against the Rabbinic Jews was their claim: the rabbis desecrate Shabbat. The Torah states "You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwelling places on the Sabbath day," yet if you enter the home of a Rabbinic Jew, you'll find the fire burning all Shabbat, seemingly contrary to the text! Pots sit on the flames, and Jews delight in their fruits. Worse yet: they light two candles before Shabbat, thus igniting another fire in their homes!

The Karaites would sit in darkness on Friday night, eating cold food, twisting the interpretation of "do not kindle a fire" to mean leaving any fire burning, whereas the Torah forbids the act of igniting a fire, not leaving it burning for the sake of honoring and enjoying Shabbat.

The situation escalated to the point where, in areas with Karaite dominance, they tried to impose their views on the community. In the city of Carrion, Spain, in 1178, where Karaites were the majority, they would imprison a simple Jew for the "sin" of lighting Shabbat candles or leaving, "heaven forbid," cholent on a covered flame. A letter from Rabbi Moses De Leon from that year survives, describing this absurd incident. The Jewish man's imprisonment reached King Alfonso VIII, who asked his personal doctor, Rabbi Yosef Alpakhar: is leaving a fire on Shabbat indeed a desecration of religion? Rabbi Yosef replied that it was a distorted interpretation held by a small sect, and the truth is the opposite: not lighting candles and sitting in darkness or eating cold food disrespects Shabbat. The Jew was freed, and King Alfonso decreed that Karaite laws could not be imposed on Jews anywhere in Spain.

Yet the primary battle was not in municipal laws, but within the study halls. There, our greatest sages composed responses to all the Karaites' claims. We've seen examples of these debates, and here we'll add on Rabbi Saadia Gaon's wisdom. When pestered with questions by the Karaites, he announced that questions could be asked of the Gaon only on Friday night, then took his seat by the candle waiting for questions. Many good Jews came seeking wisdom, yet the Karaites didn't enter, unwilling to appear as benefiting from the light on Shabbat...

Hundreds of years later, Karaites still existed in Egypt and Israel, and the Maggid of the saintly Rabbi Yosef Karo told him: "Be cautious in candle lighting; leaving the fire burning on Shabbat is allowed. As for the Karaites, it is said, 'Sinners shall remain silent in darkness.'"

Eventually, the Enlightenment movements joined the cholent battle, as discussed elsewhere, but today's Karaites are weary of strictness. They "ruled" that electricity is permitted on Shabbat; therefore, they switch it on at will, cook on hotplates, and perhaps, when no one is watching, sample the cholent. We take pride in our tradition, ensuring to eat hot food at both the Friday night and Shabbat morning meals, as our sages have interpreted the Torah's verses, from its giving until our times.