Putting the New in Shehecheyanu

By: Rabbi Chananya Jacobson

Kashrus Kurrents, Spring 2023

Shehecheyanu is a bracha
that is said on special occasions, which the Gemara defines as something that
only “happens from time to time.”[1] We
say Shehecheyanu not only on religious occasions, such as the Yamim
Tovim, but also to express our appreciation for new experiences and pleasures.
Unlike the obligatory Shehecheyanus said on the zmanim and their mitzvos,[2] these
brachos are voluntary; perhaps that is why people are not always careful to say
them in every situation that would warrant it.[3]

New Fruit

The Shulchan Aruch writes, “One who sees a fruit which grows anew every year says Shehecheyanu, even if he sees it in his friend’s hand, or while still on the tree.”[4] In other words, the primary motivator for the bracha should be the sight of the new fruit. This is indeed how the halacha was originally codified by the Rambam.[5] However, the Mechaber concludes, “The custom is to […]

Mashke Goes Mainstream

By: Rabbi Zvi Holland

Kashrus Kurrents, Spring 2023

In the last year, STAR-K certified a host of iconic brands in the
alcoholic beverages category from almost all the way around the globe: from the
green pastures of Kentucky, to the shores of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor; crossing
the Atlantic Ocean to the Emerald Isle, Ireland; and completing the journey in Italy.
These newly kosher-certified brands include selected products from Baltimore’s
own Sagamore spirits; Wild Turkey and Skyy Vodka; Bailey’s Irish Cream Original
(STAR-D Dairy, non-cholov Yisroel); and Frangelico, all of whom have joined
the STAR-K Family just this year.

Kosher certification for spirits addresses a number of serious issues that have cropped up, as the industry has globalized and consolidated operations. Growing use of additives and processing aids that need certification – such as flavor chemicals, glycerin and the use of shared transportation bottling lines with dairy and non-kosher products – makes kosher certification more and more relevant, even in product categories that […]

Who Has Whom…Over the Barrel?

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Kashrus Kurrents, Spring 2023

The immortal words of Koheles, “l’kol zman va’eis” – there
is a time and a place for everything – rings true in all of life’s twists and turns
and is certainly relevant in the world of kashrus and kashrus standards. Kosher
food certification has grown exponentially, and standards have improved with
age. Who would have dreamed that pas Yisroel, bishul Yisroel, and
cholov Yisroel would be available to the wider kosher marketplace?

Forty years ago, a can of tuna with bishul Yisroel and hashgacha
temidis was a rare commodity. Many a yeshiva would resort to stam cholov
when cholov Yisroel wasn’t available, something that would be
unheard of half a century later. Yoshon was an anomaly, except for the
meticulous few; today, yoshon is a kosher household term and it
continues to proliferate.

These amazing developments across a variety of industries are a
testament to the tireless diligence of kashrusagencies who strive to
provide the kosher consumer with the finest […]

STAR-K Goes to College: An Interview with Rabbi Mayer Kurcfeld

Kashrus Kurrents, Spring 2023

Some of the top colleges in the U.S. boast a 10-25 percent Jewish
student population. In 2022, Jewish students were well-represented at all eight
Ivy League schools, with Columbia leading the way at 24%, followed by Brown
(19%), Cornell and UPenn (tied at17%), and Yale (13%).[1] The
continually increasing number of kosher and other Jewish amenities on the American
college campus mirror these statistics – and act as magnets to attract Jewish
students. For some, STAR-K’s presence on campus offers a first – and sometimes
only – taste of Yiddishkeit.

Rabbi Mayer
Kurcfeld, a STAR-K kashrus administrator, has been engineering and overseeing the
agency’s many certified on-campus facilities since 1999, custom-designing those
that were not pre-existing. I asked him to describe the kashruschallenges
of certifying the ever-evolving college campus dining platform.

KK: Which
U.S. colleges and universities are certified by STAR-K?

RMK: We currently certify kosher dining at American University, Cornell
University, Franklin & Marshall College, Ithaca College, Johns Hopkins
University, Muhlenberg College, […]