אות - רסד

He strongly warned against eating raw onions at all[451] — even with oil or fat, even through mixtures such as with eggs and the like — even on Shabbos.[452] And he ridiculed those who say that on Shabbos it is a mitzvah to eat something harmful, such as raw onions. And he said they are very harmful in many respects, and he then enumerated various matters of illness and pain and weakness that they cause — but I forgot them in their particulars. But the general rule is that he was very stringent and warned very greatly against eating them raw at all — even through mixtures, even on Shabbos. Only cooked is it permitted to eat them. And at first we asked him about this because we had heard in the name of the Baal Shem Tov that he had strongly warned against eating raw onions. He said it is certainly so, and began to enumerate how many things they are harmful to, etc., as mentioned above. And it was then that we heard all the abovementioned. 451. RAK: See Eruvin 29b; Tosafos there 29b, s.v. "mipnei"; Taanis 30a, s.v. "Erev." 452. RAK: See Ta'amei HaMinhagim, section 368.