By By Rabbi Menachem Adler
The accompanying sidebar from Martek explains the nutritional importance and benefits of DHA and ARA oils in infant development and growth and actually its nutritional value for all age groups. DHA is a long chain omega-3 fatty acid and ARA is an omega 6 fatty acid. As discussed in the accompanying sidebar, many people mistakenly think that these fatty acids can only be derived from fish. In fact, what prompted this little piece is a prior article in this magazine, which may have given the impression that all DHA and ARA fatty acids are seafood-derived. Fish is of course a category of food which is kosher sensitive, as only fish which have fins and scales are kosher. Thus, in order for fish-derived DHA and ARA oil to be accepted as kosher, we need to know that they were derived from a kosher fish source.
By Rabbi Eli Gersten
The Gemara Pesachim (76b) teaches that one may not cook fish and meat together since this combination is considered a sakana. Shulchan Aruch (Y.D. 116:2-3) adds that one may not even eat meat after fish or fish after meat unless one eats and drinks in between1. Rama adds that one should not cook open meat and fish in the same oven because of raicha (aroma), though bidieved we say that raicha lav milsa. Magen Avrohom (O.C. 173:1) questions whether this sakana still exists today, however the minhag is still to be machmir.
On Sunday February 19th, the Orthodox Union presented a conference on awide variety of subjects pertaining to Mesorah of various “pareve” subjects. The following is a look at the topic I presented, “An Analysis of Kaskeses – Part and Present”.
By Rabbi Chaim Goldberg
To summarize, fish that have a kaskeses are kosher. The definition of kaskeses is unique to kashrus, and scientific classifications of scales are not halachikly determinative.
Dr. Peter Praeger of Dr. Praeger’s, the famous fish company, is a real person and
a real doctor, a cardiologist. In a strange but true story, that’s how he became
involved with the firm.