OU Kosher has released “HOW TO Check for Insects,” the fifth DVD recorded at a series of kashrut seminars presented during the past few years at OU headquarters and in Lakewood, the great New Jersey Ir Ha’Torah, city of Torah, home to the world famous Beth Medrash Govoha and a variety of other yeshivos and kollelim.
After receiving outstanding results from sending OU Kashrus experts to places they have never gone before, the Orthodox Union’s Harry H. Beren ASK OUTREACH program will continue its travels to Monsey, NY, where it will present a series of shiurim. The program, located at Yeshiva Ohr Somayach, 244 Rte. 306, in the new Bais Shvidler auditorium will begin Sunday, May 10, and will continue to run Sundays until June 7.
FLORHAM PARK, NJ – Gerber Products, a part of Nestlé Nutrition, is introducing a line of purees that are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union (OU), a highly recognized and valued symbol of kosher certification.
Requests have been coming in to Orthodox Union from Israel, Mexico, Australia and around the globe for OU Kosher’s new “HOW TO” audio/video series. Based on the OU’s highly acclaimed ASK OU and ASK OUTREACH programs, the series have gone into wide distribution, with a sixth being added to the first five that were recorded. The series consist of numerous Kashrut Seminars that took place in Lakewood, NJ and OU headquarters and offer a step-by-step explanation of various topics that reflect the intricacies of the laws of kashrut. Both the seminars and audio/video series are sponsored by the Harry H. Beren Foundation of Lakewood.
By Rabbi Eli Gersten
Mechiras chametz accomplishes two functions. It prevents the owners of the chametz from violating the issurim d’oraisah of ba’al yiraeh uba’al yimatzey and it saves the chametz from becoming chametz she’avar alav hapesach (mid’rabanan). Ideally we try to arrange all sales in the most lichatchila manner so as not only to protect the kashrus of the products but also to prevent the owners from violating issurim.
Mechiras Chametz today is typically arranged by authorizing a Rabbi to act as the legal agent on behalf of the one selling the chametz. This same procedure is utilized in regards to mechiras chametz for companies. However the question arises, who may authorize the sale of chametz on behalf of a Jewish owned company?
So you thought that Passover had only four questions, the Ma Nishtanah. Well, that’s true, but those are the questions asked during the Seder. Given the complexity of the holiday and its preparation, there are countless more questions on how to prepare correctly and what may and may not be eaten.
For the past five years, Rabbi David Polsky, who handles the OU Kosher Hotline all year, responding to queries about all aspects of kosher, has been devoting his pre-Passover time to answering a wide variety of holiday-related questions. Below are ten of the most commonly asked Passover questions he receives every year.
By Rabbi Gavriel Price
A flavor, like a musical chord, is made of a set of notes. The fullness of a flavor is the result of the interplay between the numerous chemical components that constitute the flavor’s profile.
A flavorist creating a fruity flavor – let’s say, peach flavor for an ice cream --will usually need a “green” or botanical note to round out the flavor. One of the popular chemicals used by flavorists to impart “greenness” is called cis-3-hexenol. A whiff of pure cis-3-hexenol reminds one of a freshly mowed lawn.
By Rabbi Eli Gersten
The Gemara Avoda Zara 33a teaches us that one can kasher a barrel that was used to store non-kosher wine with milui v’irui. This is accomplished by filling the barrel with water, letting it sit for at least 24 hours, emptying the barrel, and then repeating this process two more times. There is no need for the 3 days to be consecutive.
There are two explanations in the Rishonim as to why milui v’irui is effective.
K’bolo kach polto – Some Rishonim1 understand that since the issur was absorbed through kevisha it can be purged with kevisha.
So why indeed is this night different from all other nights? That, of course, is the prototypical question regarding Passover, but given the complexity of the holiday and its preparations and observance, there are countless other questions that even the most sophisticated and learned Jews might have.
As part of its practice of providing a full range of services to its certified companies, OU Kosher has announced that it will recommend Organic National & International Certifiers (ON & IC) of Lincolnwood, IL to its client companies who are seeking certification that their products are not only kosher, but organic as well.
OU Kosher presented a webcast, “Kashrut in the Workplace,” featuring OU Senior Halachic Consultants Rabbi Yisroel Belsky and Rabbi Hershel Schachter. The event was moderated by Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, Senior Rabbinic Coordinator and Vice President of Communications and Marketing at OU Kosher. The webcast can be seen by visiting http://www.ou.org/index.php/ouradio/webcast.
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