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The custom in my community is not to eat or cook with whole nuts during Elul. But I don't know whether pulverized or otherwise disembodied nuts --for example, nuts as an ingredient in a processed food such as almond milk -- are, in general, acceptable.

This article seems to suggest that--according to a strict/mehadur opinion--while obvious nuts are prohibited from the beginning of selichos through Hoshana Raba, one may eat blended-up nuts after Rosh Hashana.

Is this correct? (Have I understood it correctly?)

What are different communities' positions on this inyan?

Related: What type of nuts may not be eaten during Elul?

SAH
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    It should be noted that almond milk contains about 2% or less than 2% of almonds vs. water, fillers and sugar etc. This is certainly true of most brands. Homemade almond milk of course depends on how that person made it, but the almond pulp (the nuts themselves) are supposed to be strained out. It should be noted that "batel b'shishim" is 1.66%. This is the Halachic definition of when you should not be able to significantly taste a substance anymore. Almond milk therefore would be fine to drink on R"H. – David Kenner Nov 04 '18 at 19:44
  • @David did you say almond milk is fine to drink bc you can't taste the effects of the almond in it? Then why do they call it almond milk and bother getting almonds? – Double AA Nov 04 '18 at 22:03
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    no, i am just saying that it is approaching a much less significant level than eating an actual almond. Such an extreme change and "watered down" processed version would not rate including in a minhag prohibiting "nuts" IMHO. Interesting article: https://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/diet-tips/how-many-almonds-are-actually-your-almond-milk – David Kenner Nov 05 '18 at 01:26
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    @DavidKenner but as you know something which is put in lechathila is not mevatel. In any case, it is hard to reason halachically about minhagim. I would ask if the minhag includes almond milk, if it does not then that is the answer (and SAH I understand better your comment on "one does not make new customs" here – mbloch Nov 05 '18 at 04:38
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    @mbloch If a custom definitely says a yes or no in a source, well then that's the custom. I agree with you. My comment is only thoughts on where we don't have any source left or right. In general, i learned in Yeshivah, that once something deviates enough from the thing mentioned in a minhag, then we have the authority to conclude its just not the same thing. I hope i wasn't being confusing. I did not mean that the almonds are batel Halachically. I meant that such a weak almond extract is similar to the idea of bitul (at least close to the %). That is a guidepost. IMHO – David Kenner Nov 05 '18 at 05:44
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    @DavidKenner I understand and agree. I was coming from a different angle. If the minhag wasn't covering a certain situation, one shouldn't invent new minhagim – mbloch Nov 05 '18 at 21:07
  • @mbloch ah ok :) – David Kenner Nov 06 '18 at 00:52

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Given that that this is your community's minhag, it might be more relevant to ask your community's Rav about Almond Milk.

If you read the Chashukei Chemed on Nedarim 11a, he spends a long time giving different answers why nuts are not eaten on Rosh Hashana.

חשוקי חמד נדרים דף יא עמוד א

However Rabbi YD Harfenes (in an essay in the journal ‘Ohr Yisroel’, 5756 pgs. 90-108) explains that since almonds are specifically mentioned in the Torah as שקדים and not as אגוזים there should be no reason not to eat almonds during this time.

He also says that they're not included in the general category of אגוזים.
In the same piece he talks about nuts that have been broken up and says there should be no reason to make a distinction here - they're all nuts.

I would suggest though, that based on the logic above, since milk derived from nuts is no longer the same min - i.e. it is no longer a nut, but a mashke - a drink which has a certain percentage of water and thus has a different name entirely - milk and not nut; I would venture that this should also not be included in Egozim. However, since this is dependent upon one's community's minhag, you should be asking your community's Rav about whether nut-derived milk is included.

Oliver
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