Ask the Rabbi - General
Is it permissible to eat an onion that has been peeled and left overnight?
Question
Dear Rabbi, I have understood that one cannot leave an onion overnight in the refrigerator due to concerns about harmful spirits. Is it permissible to freeze it or preserve it in a special container? Thank you
Answer
Greetings,
Even if the garlic, onion, or peeled egg were frozen or placed in a special container and were left overnight, they are prohibited for consumption.
To ensure they do not become prohibited, the advice is to leave some of the peel or root on them or mix them in with other foods (before they are left overnight) such as salads and the like.
Sources: This is indeed found in Tractate Niddah (17a), where the prohibition applies even when they are sealed and wrapped. It is codified in the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (Laws of Preserving Body and Soul, section 7). It is also mentioned in the book *Shmiras HaGuf VeHaNefesh*, part 1 (section 3:60) and in *Responsa Berachah Yehudah*, part 2 (Yoreh Deah section 7, paragraph 8) regarding the refrigerator. Additionally, see *Responsa Yabi'a Omer*, part 10 (Yoreh Deah section 9) and in *Shmiras HaGuf VeHaNefesh*, part 2 (page 609).
The advice to leave some of the peel or root is based on Tractate Niddah there and is codified in Shulchan Aruch HaRav there.
The suggestion to mix them in with other foods originates from the *Semak* (section 181). It is likewise reinforced by *Ben Ish Chai* (second year, Parashat Pinchas, section 14) and by *Kaf HaChaim*, Yoreh Deah (section 216, paragraph 92) and in *Responsa Yabi'a Omer*, part 2 (Yoreh Deah section 7, paragraph 9) and in *Responsa Even Yisrael*, part 9 (section 126, paragraph 3). It is also noted by the Chazon Ish, of blessed memory, in *Shmiras HaGuf VeHaNefesh*, part 1 (in the margins of page 25). Further, see in the book *Shulchan Yosef* (page 308, section 33), which cites Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, of blessed memory, that if one mixed onion into a salad and it was left overnight, it is permissible to eat.
Blessings,
Hillel Meirs
