Consumer Kosher Articles
What could be wrong with… ? – Part I
When I was a child, shopping for a kosher candy bar was a simple matter. In those days, a candy bar was only a nickel. We would carefully review the ingredients printed on the back label. If there was no gelatin in the candy, we wisely concluded that the product was unquestionably kosher. No matter […]
OU Kosher Presents FAQ’s on Cheese in honor of Shavuos…
How is cheese made kosher? As with any food, all of the ingredients in the cheese as well as the equipment used during the manufacturing process must be kosher. However, a special prohibition makes kosher certification of cheese a bit more challenging: the ban on gevinat Akum, which means that cheese not made under special rabbinical […]
The Halachot of Waiting Between Meals
A overview and discussion of the laws of waiting between meat and milk
Rabbi Eli Eleff Joins in Administering Kashrus Education
Rabbi Yosef Grossman, OU Kosher Senior Educational Rabbinic Coordinator In the beginning, going back to 1996, there were the Advanced Seminars on Kashrus, OU Kosher’s ASK OU mashgiach training programs, held every other summer for three and one-week sessions. A decade later, the seminars became the Harry H. Beren […]
Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher
Rabbi Hershel Schachter once told me that if there’s a disagreement in matters of halacha at the OU between him and Rabbi Yisroel Belsky, you are the deciding vote. The halachic decisors at the OU are the three of us. So if there’s a dispute the majority rules. You’re also involved in running the office? […]
Meet the Woman Who Keeps Tootsie Rolls Kosher
If you keep kosher, and enjoy eating a handful of Tootsie Rolls or drinking a tall glass of Gatorade, you have Phyllis Koegel to thank. As marketing director of the Orthodox Union’s Kosher Division, Koegel is charged with convincing companies of the financial and commercial benefits of going kosher—and getting the OU symbol, the most widely […]
Everything You Need To Know About Shemittah
Photos courtesy of Keren Hashviis By Y. Dov Krakowski While shemittah (the Sabbatical year of the land) has unfortunately become a hot political topic in modern-day Israel, it is important to remember that shemittah is actually a mitzvah with its own set of halachot. It is especially vital for the American tourist or student who […]
Sukkos
The connection between kashrus and Yom Tov is fairly apparent during Pesach. During this special holiday, chometz is strictly prohibited and we fulfill a very unique mitzvah of eating matzah. There are many intricate halachos associated with baking matzah, which if not performed properly, render one’s matzos to become chometz. There are also many halachos associated with the kashrus of wine used for daled kosos, the maror that we eat at the seder, and the list goes on. However, Pesach is not a holiday that has a monopoly on kashrus concepts. Areas of kashrus are also touched upon during other times of the year, even though sometimes the connection may seem hidden. Succos is no exception, as there are topics dealing with kashrus and eating, which are associated with this special time.
The Spiritual Significance of Shemittah
by Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb Why would the Torah dictate such a challenging set of laws, requiring that landowners relinquish their land and neither plant nor reap for an entire year? Many great sages have asked this question and have offered a variety of answers. The Rambam offers two very different reasons for shemittah. Firstly, that shemittah is […]
Halachos of the Hive
A discussion of the differences between honey and royal jelly in regards to Kosher.