Have Questions or Comments?
Leave us some feedback and we'll reply back!

    Your Name (required)

    Your Email (required)

    Phone Number)

    In Reference to

    Your Message


    03 Nov KASHRUS QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK WITH RABBI MOSHE ELEFANT

    Posted at 13:19h in by
    0 Likes

    WHAT BRACHA DO YOU MAKE ON KUGEL?
    There are different types of kugel, and the bracha depends on the
    ingredients and how the kugel is prepared.

    A carrot kugel that is more cake-like would
    be a Borei Minei Mezonos.
    The same applies to apple kugel. If it is
    prepared like a cake, the bracha would be
    Borei Minei Mezonos. However, if it consists
    primarily of apples with other ingredients
    mixed in, the bracha would be Borei Pri
    Ha’etz.
    Regarding potato kugel, Rav Belsky, zt”l,
    held that the bracha is Borei Pri Ha’adamah.
    The reason is that potato kugel is essentially
    similar to mashed potatoes.
    Generally, when a food is mashed or pureed
    and loses its original form, its bracha can
    change to Shehakol. For example, if peas or carrots are pureed until they are no
    longer recognizable, the bracha would be Shehakol.
    One might therefore think that mashed potatoes should also be Shehakol. However,
    the Mishnah Berurah explains that mashed potatoes retain enough of their original
    texture and identity to maintain their original bracha. Therefore, potato kugel, which
    is essentially mashed potatoes with additional ingredients, retains the bracha of
    Borei Pri Ha’adamah.

    CAN DRINKING GLASSES BE
    USED FOR BOTH DAIRY AND
    MEAT? WHAT’S THE HALACHA?
    Sephardim follow the opinion that glass does
    not absorb; therefore, as long as it is clean,
    unpainted, and contains no other materials,
    glasses can be used for both dairy and meat.
    Ashkenazim follow the opinion that glass can absorb, and should be designated for
    milk or meat.
    However, some poskim are lenient with drinking glasses because they are not used
    with hot dairy or meat, and are not washed with dairy or meat. Since they remain
    pareve, they may be used at either a dairy or meat meal, but you cannot put actual
    milk or meat into the glass.

    WHAT BRACHA DO YOU MAKE
    ON CHOCOLATE?
    Since cocoa beans grow on trees, poskim
    discuss whether the bracha on chocolate
    should be Ha’eitz.
    However, the custom is to make a Shehakol,
    since cocoa beans are too bitter to eat on
    their own and must be processed and combined with other Shehakol ingredients,
    such as sugar.