In Judaism, the five species of grain () refer to five varieties of grain which have special status for a number of rituals. These species are commonly considered to be wheat, barley, oats, rye and spelt. However, some of these identifications are disputed.
Identity The five species, with their Mishnaic Hebrew names, are as follows:Mishnah Challah 1:1–2; Pesachim 2:5; Menachot 10:7 ( ) – wheat ( ) – emmer wheat, but historically taken to refer to spelt ( ) – barley ( ) – oats or two-rowed barley.Oat Matzah The name literally means "fox ear". Rashi holds this to be oats, and Maimonides holds it to be a type of "wild barley," while Rabbi Nathan ben Abraham called it by its Arabic name (Fox's spike).Zohar Amar and El'ad Kapah, The Yemenite Commentary of Rabbi Nathan, President of the Academy, on the Identification of Flora in the Mishnah, pub. in: Mittuv Yosef – Yosef Tobi Jubilee Volume, The Jews of Yemen: History and Culture (vol. 2), Haifa 2011, p. 13 (note 24) ( ) – rye, oats, or spelt. Its Arabic cognate, () refers to oats. Rabbi Nathan ben Abraham I translated into Judeo-Arabic as (),Commentary of Rabbi Nathan to Mishnah Menahot 10:7 which Zohar Amar claimed is synonymous with an archaic Arabic word for oat, (). Rashi translated as (),Rashi, commentary to Babylonian Talmud, Pesahim 35a indicating rye (Secale cereale), which is not endemic to Israel, but was grown nearby. According to Dr Yehudah Felix, is spelt.
The Talmud groups them into two varieties of wheat (, ) and three varieties of barley (, , ).Pesachim 35a
Since European medieval times, Ashkenazi Orthodox Jewry accepts the five grains as wheat, barley, oats, rye and spelt.
Other than the traditional translation, some researchers today propose that only the grain species native to the Land of Israel can become chametz. This would rule out not only oats, but also rye (Secale) which grows in colder, wetter climates. They offer other translations to the 5 grains.How To Prepare For Passover / Pesach
Laws A number of laws apply only to these five grains: Only bread made with these grains requires the blessing of hamotzi before eating, and birkat hamazon after eating.Brachot 37a Only bread made from these grains is obligated in challah.Mishnah Challah 1:1-2 Matzah can only be made from these grains, and conversely only these grains can become chametz and seor (sourdough).Mishnah Pesachim 2:5; Talmud Pesachim 35a The prohibitions of eating and harvesting chadash only apply to these grains.Mishnah Menachot 10:7
Oat matza
Oats are generally accepted in Ashkenazi Jewish tradition as one of the five species, but modern research suggests that what has been traditionally translated as "oats" is in fact a wild species of barley or other grains. This debate is practically significant because of the candidates for the five species, oats are the only one which is gluten-free. Although there have been no changes to normative Jewish law to reflect the debate, some rabbis take a stringent view and discourage the use of oat matzo to fulfill the biblical obligation of eating matzo at the Passover Seder. However, this discouragement does not apply for those with celiac disease or other medical conditions which preclude using one of the other grains; those who cannot, for whatever medical reason, eat any of the other 4 grains should use oat matzo at the seder, and eating oat matzo for those individuals fulfills the mitzvah. If, however, one cannot even eat oat matzo, he is exempt from the obligation.
Additional species According to Rabbi Johanan ben Nuri, rice and millet are also included among the "species of grain", and thus can become chametz and matza and are obligated in challah. This opinion was not accepted as halacha.Pesachim 114b
See also Four species Seven species
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