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    30 Sep SPECIAL KASHRUTH QUESTIONS FOR THE YOMIM NORAIM WITH RABBI MOSHE ELEFANT FROM THE OU

    Posted at 17:20h in by
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    This month
    many of the
    bakeries sell
    raisin challah.
    Many local
    bagel stores recently stopped
    selling cinnamon raisin
    bagels. Are raisins kosher to
    eat?

    The OU’s
    position is
    that raisins are
    kosher. The only
    issue that comes
    up with raisins
    is that you can
    find insects in
    raisins. The
    Halacha is
    very concerned about the consumption
    of insects; it can involve 4-5 aveiros every
    time you ingest one. However, the halacha
    is that an insect only becomes prohibited
    once it has left the fruit where it was
    formed. The Prid Megadim and other
    commentators suggest that raisins don’t
    have that issue and even if a raisin did have

    an insect, it wouldn’t pose a Kashrut issue.
    Therefore, the OU does certify raisins.

    Since honey is produced
    by bees, and bees are not a
    kosher species, how can honey
    be kosher?
    That’s a great question which is in the
    Gemarah. The Gemarah says honey must
    be Kosher. How do we know this? Because
    Eretz Yisroel is called “Eretz Zvas Chalav
    U’Dvash.” So, there’s no way that the Torah
    would’ve compared Israel to something
    that isn’t kosher. But why indeed is it
    kosher? The Gemarah says that honey is
    not digested by the bee. The bee swallows
    the pollen from the flower and secretes it
    from its body the same way that it ingested

    it. The bee has nothing to do with the
    making of the honey; it’s just like a bag
    holding the food.
    The Question is, can that be applied to
    other foods? And that’s a very interesting
    question because there’s another very
    popular food ingredient called shellac,
    which is the secretion of another bug.
    The question is, does that have the
    same properties as honey? Rav Moshe
    Feinstein held that it did and that’s why the
    OU certifies shellac for food.

    Can one eat Cheerios during
    the Aseres Yemei Teshuva (ten
    days from Rosh Hashana to
    Yom Kippur) or Shabbos and
    Yom Tov for those who only
    eat Pas Yisroel on those days?
    What about other breakfast
    cereals? Must they be Pas
    Yisroel?

    There are differing opinions as to
    whether Cheerios is considered pas.
    The OU poskim do not consider it pas,
    because of the size of the individual
    pieces and the manner in which it is
    made. Likewise, wheat flake cereals
    are not considered “bread-like” and
    therefore do not need to be pas Yisroel.
    Corn and Rice Cereals are, by definition,
    not bread items. For a current OU Pas
    Yisroel list please see https://oukosher.
    org/blog/articles/pas-yisroel-list-5780/

     

    What foods should one eat at
    the seuda ha’mafsekes (last
    meal) on Erev Yom Kippur?
    Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 608:4)
    writes that on Erev Yom Kippur, one
    should eat light foods that are easily
    digestible, so one will be able to daven on
    Yom Kippur with proper concentration.
    There is a common custom to dip
    challah in honey. Mishnah Berurah
    (608:16-18) writes that one should not
    overeat. It is proper to serve chicken, red
    meat, and especially fatty meat, should
    be avoided. Wine and other intoxicating
    beverages should not be served. One
    should avoid foods that are overly spicy
    or vinegary. Sesame should be avoided,

    since it can cause reflux. Based on the Tur
    (Orach Chaim 604), some have a minhag
    to eat fish on erev Yom Kippur. However,
    Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (131:12) writes
    that it should not be served at the seuda
    ha’mafsekes, but rather should be eaten
    earlier in the day.

    Is one allowed to eat an esrog
    and, if yes, can one eat the
    esrog on Sukkos itself?
    There’s nothing wrong with eating an Esrog.
    You can’t eat your esrog on Sukkos because
    once the Esrog has been designated for a
    mitzvah, you can’t eat it until the Yom Tov
    is over. Even an esrog that was bought to
    decorate the Sukkah, can’t be used on
    Sukkos to eat. If you just want to buy an
    esrog as a fruit, that’s fine. You need to make
    sure that if the esrog is from Israel, there
    are no issues with terumos and masros, but
    otherwise you can eat an esrog. Many have
    the minhag to eat an esrog on Tu B’shvat
    and pray for a nice Esrog for the next year.

    What needs to be toiveled? Is
    there a general rule?
    The Halacha is that Kli Seuda, utensils used
    for food, need to be toiveled. Deoraisa,
    only something made of metal needs to
    be toiveled so pots, pans etc. Glass needs
    to be toiveled Derabanan. Earthenware
    poses a problem. Earthenware doesn’t have
    to be toiveled however, glazed earthenware
    is often glazed in glass. If it’s a thin layer,
    it’s not as big of a question as with a thick
    layer. I learned from my Rebbeim to toivel
    glazed china but everyone should ask their
    own Rabbi.