Off the Beaten Track: In a Visit to Armenia, an OU RFR Finds Pleasant People and Excellent Products
Bordered by Georgia (the one Stalin came from, not the one Scarlett O’Hara came from), Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran, and located between the Black and Caspian Seas, the former Soviet republic of Armenia, independent since 1991, has become the latest country to produce kosher products certified by the Orthodox Union.
Gatorade Announces OU Kosher Certified Products
Gatorade partners with Orthodox Union to kosher certify Gatorade Thirst Quencher® and G2®
Lo Basi Ella L’orer: Chumra d’Pischa
The term Chumra d’Pesach usually brings to mind Pesach minhagim that go beyond the letter of the law such as whitewashing walls or kashering leichter. However, there are also various halachos brought in Shulchan Aruch that are attributed to chumra d’Pesach as well.
OU KOSHER PRESENTS “How To Kasher” DVD of Collected Seminars on the Kosherization Process
OU Kosher, has long shared educational and informative DVDs on kashrut-related issues with the community, and now presents “HOW TO Kasher,” a DVD of collected ASK OU and ASK OU OUTREACH kashrut seminars related to the process of kosherizing that have occurred over the past several years.
ASK OU Outreach Brings Its Kashrus Experts to Brooklyn, April 18, 25 During Sefirah, for Shiurim
Rav Belsky, Rabbi Elefant to Answer Halacha and Policy Questions:
The Orthodox Union will present its popular OU Kosher program, ASK OU OUTREACH, in Brooklyn by holding a series of kashrus shiurim on two Sundays in April – April 18 and April 25. Both days fall during the period of sefirah, a perfect time for introspection and Jewish education.
What’s Going on with the “Bugs” in the Fish?
By the time you see this article, you may have heard that there is serious discussion currently going on in the Torah world regarding “bugs” in many of your favorite fish. You may have heard snippets of the back and forth, seen a list of which rabbis permit and which rabbis forbid. I hope this […]
OU Kitniyot Kosher for Passover Supervision
Previously the OU has not issued Hashgacha for retail Kitniyos products for Pesach, despite requests to do so. This was avoided over the concern that different Pesach symbols might confuse consumers.
The OU has this year, on a limited basis, authorized the attached certification to appear on Kitniyos products:
OU Kitniyot
With an explanatory message:
“Acceptable for those who consume kitniyot on Passover.”
The symbol is presented in such manner so as to avoid any confusion and the packages will not indicate Kosher for Passover except as indicated.
This decision was taken at the urging of our Poskim, to benefit many Kitniyos consumers who relied on various assumptions (rather than actual Hashgacha) for Kitniyos Pesach products.
The Tempering of Grains and its Chametz and Hafrashas Challah Implications
The milling of grains has been going on for millennia, and in all that time, the process has not changed dramatically. Milling is still done by simply grinding kernels, albeit with rollers instead of stones. Sifting is still done with sifters, although by automated machines instead of by hand. There is another part of milling known as tempering. Tempering refers to spraying grain kernels with water before they are milled. This makes the bran tougher and less brittle. If the wheat kernel has not been tempered, the bran may shatter and leave brown flecks (“ash”) in the flour when the kernel is milled. This is undesirable in regular white flour. Tempering strengthens the bran so that it is removed from the endosperm easily and does not cause brown flecks in the flour.
Kli Rishon and Kli Sheni
Both a kli sheini and a kli rishon shelo al ha’aish are pots of hot water that will gradually cool down. Since it is difficult to distinguish between them, we require Tosafos’s help to properly understand the distinction. Although they look almost identical, a kli sheini has difanos mikareros (walls that cool down the product) while a kli rishon shelo al ha’aish has difanos michamemos (walls that maintain the heat of the product). An extended irui is none of the above, for the simple reason that the walls of this pot will not cool down. So long as the irui continues, there is a heat source that is preventing the kli from cooling. For this reason it is most similar to a kli rishon al ha’aish.
Shaking up Your Passover Menu, or Have Some Fun in the Pesach Kitchen: It’s not Just Matzah
On Passover, we’re all looking for those new and different appetizers and entrees that aren’t the same old same old recycled boring ones. This year, shake up your Pesach menus with the following extra special and fun recipes by Eileen Goltz.
