Posts By: eli@gersten.con
Rabbi Eli Gersten has 10 Articles

Rabbi Eli Gersten serves as OU rabbinic coordinator and recorder of OU policy.
OU, - Friday October 04, 2024 - 1 Pages
Chiltis has long been known as the sharpest of spices. In fact, the Talmud states that if a cow were to swallow a whole chiltis plant, it could be assumed that it would not live out the year. If one...
Glucosamine (glucose + amine) is a sweet-tasting amino sugar known to benefit those who suffer from osteoporosis, as it supports the structure and function of joints. It is commonly sold in tablet form, a ready-to-mix powder, or included in a...
The Story Behind Kosher Soap    Soap production has historically used animal fats that are then processed with a strong alkali, such as sodium hydroxide (caustic soda). Due to the many kosher laws that govern what types of fats may and...
The media’s recent coverage of major findings of fraud in the food industry has understandably prompted consumer concern – and mistrust. Back in 2013, the scandal involving England’s food industry made major news; it was discovered that horse meat was...
Trucking

August 18, 2016

Keep on Truckin’ It is well known, to those who are involved in running a kosher program, that all equipment used in the processing of kosher food must also remain kosher. This means that any kettle, piping, filler, or retort...
One of the more challenging considerations when evaluating a factory that produces both kosher and non-kosher is dealing with their shared utilities, such as a common boiler. If a factory produces both kosher and non-kosher products, even if the products...
Here is a riddle. How can it be that an all-kosher factory uses only kosher ingredients and yet whether the finished product is kosher or not will depend on its appearance? The answer: dairy bread. Kosher law mandates that aside...
Q:  Our bakery has only been using kosher certified ingredients for the past five years. We are now interested in attaining kosher certification. Will we still need to undergo a kosherization for all of our lines and equipment? A: This...
One of the most fundamental concepts in kosher supervision, aside of course from the requirement that all ingredients in a product must be kosher, is the idea that the equipment that is used to process the foods must be exclusively designated...
Ask the Rabbi

December 8, 2014

Ask the Rabbi Q: Can you please explain why our request to have our butter bread added to our Schedule B (list of products to be certified kosher) was declined. All the ingredients on the list were already approved as...