Question:
Can I give tea and oatmeal as a mishloach manot gift? it requires the receiever to have hot water to add to it or even cold water or milk. If I gave it in years past did I fulfill my obligation bedeievad?
Answer:
The oatmeal and the tea have a problem with using them for mishloach manos. The reason is because according to many poskim, we have to give two items that are edible the way they are without the need to cook it etc. The tea has an additional issue to the fact that it isn’t really a food, but is considered a condiment, and something that will flavor the hot water. It could be that if it was already given, that there were poskim that you could have relied on ( regarding the oatmeal).
Sources:
Magen Avrohom 695-11, M:B ibid 20, Chayei Adam 155-31, Piskei Halachos (Purim) 15-10 &13.
