Vaping On Pesach

Rabbi Shay Tahan

The liquid raises several potential kashrut concerns. These issues were discussed in detail in the journal Omek HaPshat (Issue No. 206). What follows is a summary of the relevant facts together with a clarification of the halachic considerations.
The journal writes: “In electronic cigarettes there are dozens, sometimes hundreds, of raw materials that originate from many countries around the world, and only a small number of people truly know the full composition. Among the substances commonly found are nicotine, propylene glycol, glycol derivatives, and polyethylene glycol. These materials themselves do not present a kashrut concern.”
• Glycerin
Glycerin (VG) is one of the primary components responsible for producing the vapor. In most electronic cigarettes the glycerin used is plant-derived. However, glycerin can also be produced from animal sources, which would raise possible concerns of non-kosher animal derivatives.
In addition, there is a theoretical concern that vegetable glycerin might be produced in the same facility that also manufactures animal-derived glycerin, possibly using the same steam systems or equipment.
Another possible concern is that alcohol may be mixed into the flavoring agents, and that this alcohol could theoretically originate from non-Jewish wine. Yet this too is considered a minority possibility and not a common occurrence.
The publication also cites the opinion of the kashrut expert Rabbi Yosef Zaritsky, who maintains that electronic cigarettes present no kashrut concern at all and may be used lechatchilah on Passover, since they contain only natural substances alongside chemical compounds that are themselves toxic and not edible.

The Vapor of the Liquid
We must now examine the vapor that emerges from the vape device at the time of inhalation. In the terminology of the Sages, vapor is referred to as zeiah (steam). The Rosh (Responsa, 20:26) was asked whether it is permitted to place a pan containing milk on a stove beneath a pot of meat. He ruled that the pot becomes prohibited, because the steam rising from the pan has the same halachic status as the milk itself. His ruling was codified in the Shulchan Aruch (Y. D. 92:8).
Accordingly, the vapor produced from the liquid in an electronic cigarette should likewise be prohibited. Although the halachic authorities debate whether the vapor of solid food is considered like the food itself—as discussed in Pitchei Teshuvah (ibid., §6)—with respect to the vapor of liquids, there is broad agreement that it retains the status of the liquid itself.
The distinction between conventional cigarettes and electronic cigarettes is significant. With conventional cigarettes, the user inhales smoke, which is generally regarded as merely deriving benefit from the substance. By contrast, with an electronic cigarette the user inhales vapor produced from heated liquid, and this may have the halachic status of eating, or at the very least tasting, a prohibited substance.
The reason is that the device operates by heating the liquid until it evaporates, after which the user inhales the resulting vapor. Since this vapor is generated directly from the heated liquid and carries its substance, it is considered halachically equivalent to the liquid itself.
Although the liquid in the reservoir may be unpleasant as it exists there, once it emerges in the form of vapor its flavor improves and becomes more palatable. This situation is no different from a spoiled prohibited substance that later regains a pleasant taste, which remains forbidden (ibid. 103:2).



Rulings of the Halachic Authorities
Most halachic authorities have ruled that electronic cigarettes should not be used on Passover. Among those who have prohibited them are R. Moshe Shaul Klein, R. Mordechai Gross, R. Menachem Lubin, and R. Azriel Auerbach, as cited in the pamphlet Mitzot HaPesach.
Similarly, the major kashrut organization Chicago Rabbinical Council has advised that one should purchase only vape products that carry reliable kosher certification, since the liquid may contain problematic ingredients such as glycerin and flavoring compounds.
R. Moshe Sternbuch likewise addressed the issue in a letter (published in Assia 113, p. 102):
“Regarding electronic cigarettes: I agree with his reasoning that since they contain flavoring extracts with pleasant taste which are heated and transformed into vapor that enters the mouth, and the user senses the taste of the vapor, and since vapor (zeiah) is halachically considered like the substance itself, this is comparable to tasting the actual material. Therefore one should use only an electronic cigarette that bears proper kosher certification, ensuring that there is no concern of prohibited ingredients in its components.”
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