By Rabbi Eli Gersten
Questions of bishul akum surface all the time, and it is important when reviewing products and ingredients to be mindful of the issues of bishul akum. The following are some recent issues that have been discussed in the office relating to bishul akum.
Given the enormous success of the Harry H. Beren ASKOU OUTREACH program and its visits to yeshivot, kollelim and semicha programs, ASKOU Outreachis now expanding to major Jewish communities with its first post-Shabbat visits to the Passaic-Clifton community. According to Rabbi Yosef Grossman, OU Director of Kosher Education, the motto of the program is “Understand Kashrut as You’ve Never Understood it Before!”
Ellen Libfeld, Vice President of “The Original” WrapOle’ Premium Quality Tortillas®, announced the Orthodox Union will be the certification agency for product made in Florida. All products will continue to be Pas Yisroel and made with the same ingredients customers have enjoyed since 1996.
On the heels of the success of and feedback from previous OU Kosher webcasts to which thousands of listeners have tuned in, OU Kosher will present "Cooking on Shabbat -- A Hot Topic -- News & Views about Stews & Brews" featuring OU Kosher authorities and senior halachic consultants Rabbi Yisroel Belsky and Rabbi Hershel Schachter. The webcast will take place Tuesday, November 17, 3:30 PM EST. To watch the webcast live, visit http://www.ou.org/ouradio/kosher_webcast/.
By By Rabbi Dovid Rosen RFR Maine, Maritimes and Quebec
When this plant was first set up as a kosher facility, it was known that they had a non-kosher plant that produces assorted products on the same campus. Of course, the issue of steam return condensate was brought up. It turned out that condensation from the non-kosher factory was not being returned to the boiler so there was no problem to certify the kosher division.
By Rabbi Gavriel Price, RC Ingredient Approval Registry
A basic phenomenon in chemistry plays a crucial role in industrial kashrus. When two chemicals react with one another, one will be used up before the other. The chemical used up first is called a “limiting reactant” and the chemical which is not used up is an “excess reactant”. Often the excess reactant is recovered, purified, and used again in another production.
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.
By Tovah Ross
As millions of students of all ages were enjoying their last days of summer freedom before heading back to school, the Orthodox Union got a jump on the academic year by kicking off its weeklong Advanced Kashrut Seminar for Women, the OU’s first-ever course for women. Twenty-five women participated in the program.
A recent article raised questions about the standards of Israeli food establishments under OU supervision. The article did not claim that kashrus was compromised. Rabbi Yosef Minsky, the OU representative in Israel, has informed us, and our initial review and consultation with other agencies in Israel indicate, that the standards in place are essentially comparable with other reliable mehadrin agencies and Badatzim in Israel.
Rabbi Yaakov Luban, Senior OU Rabbinic Coordinator, who has extensive knowledge of food service establishments, is being dispatched to Israel this week, and will perform a thorough review of the OU operation. For the past 25 years, Rabbi Luban has been involved with food service establishments in various capacities; as a Rabbi in Edison, NJ, OU Rabbinic Coordinator, and auditor of local Vaadim around the country.
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