06 Apr KASHRUS QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK

Are Animal Rights activists onto something?

Absolutely! The Torah is very concerned about Tzar Balei Chaim, and we have to be concerned about it as well; we are very sensitive to animal rights. But at the same time, given that the way we slaughter an animal is the way the Torah tells us to slaughter an animal, and given that we just said the Torah is so sensitive to Tzar Balei Chaim, we believe

What is the Torah view as far as wearing a fur coat or a streimel? That’s a difficult question. Our position is that animals were created to serve humans and that’s why we eat meat. So certainly, if a person is cold and they feel they would be best served wearing a fur coat, they can wear a fur coat. that our form of slaughter is the most humane way of killing an animal.

My wife recently brought home a tea that is milchigs with a hashgacha. Isn’t that confusing?

I’m not familiar with the exact product; it’s a legitimate concern. The halacha does say that we cannot certify dairy or meat bread because they are considered the most staple food items. The halacha does not speak about other food items that way. So we don’t have any limitations of certifying that way. We have in the past avoided certifying products that could be confusing. I remember we once had an orange juice that was dairy and we did not certify it. I very much understand that approach, but there’s a limit to what we can do and we have to ask our consumers to check, as well.