A 30 Year Retrospective on Kashrus Kurrents

By: Dr. Avrom Pollak

Published Summer 2008

Approximately thirty years ago shortly before “Pesach” 5738 Mr. A. J. Levin, a vice president of the Orthodox Jewish Council, began publishing Kashrus Kurrents. In that first issue, printed on the familiar yellow paper with the blue Kashrus Kurrents logo, it was deemed necessary to advise the Baltimore community that they cannot rely on labels or advertisements that merely states ‘Kosher for Passover’. From that same issue we learned that the fledgling Star-K organization had just inaugurated its kosher hot-line whereby one could get accurate kashrus information Monday through Thursday between the hours of 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Star-K Side Bar Summer 2008

Other News From The STAR-K

STAR-K CERTIFICATION

Announces Monthly TeleKosher Conference Program for Local Kashrus Agencies

Rice: Natures Answer to Hashems Blessings

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Published Summer 2008

It has been touted as nature’s most versatile food. There is no grain that feeds more people worldwide, and can boast that it is free of gluten and allergens. When the Gemara in Brachos discusses the blessings that are made before and after eating this grain, the mnemonic used to remember the Gemara’s conclusion is Amen,אמן : “נפשות ” , “מזונות ”, “אורז ” – “Orez”, “Mezonos”, “Nefashos”. If you haven’t guessed by now, the grain we are discussing is Oryza Sativa, otherwise known in Talmudic terms as 1 “Orez“, “אורז ”. We know it simply as rice.

Beware: Glatt May Not Always Mean Kosher

By: Rabbi Moshe Heinemann

Published Summer 2008

It is written in our Torah, “Ubosor basodeh treifa lo socheilu” (Shmos 22:30), it is forbidden to eat treif meat. While the expression “treif” has become the universal connotation for food that is not kosher, in truth, the word treif specifically refers to an animal whose flesh was torn or ripped. Technically speaking, if a kosher species of animal or fowl was attacked by a predator, the meat of the victim may be deemed treif, non-kosher. However, the meat of an animal improperly kosher slaughtered is not treifa, it is called a neveila. Technically, meat of a non-kosher animal species is the meat of a temeiah. Yet, the term “treif” has found its way through the portals of the slaughterhouse, as well as the aisles of the non-kosher meat section of the supermarkets. No matter what the name, all of these categories of meat […]

Creating a Round Cake Decorated as a Sun | Doing Dental Work on a Parent

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Summer 2008

Inaugural Issue: Shailos From The Institute Of Halacha
Kashrus Kurrents is proud to launch a new column, “Insights from the Institute”. In this regular feature, Rabbi Mordechai Frankel will share with our readership intriguing shailos from his email inbox. The following is a sampling of the types of interesting questions that will be addressed in future columns.

STAR-K Launches the Institute of Halacha

Summer 2008

The Mishnah teaches us, “appoint for yourself a rav,” a Torah guide from whom you can acquire clarity through wisdom. But, what happens when you do not have a personal rav, or you live in a large Jewish community but your Rav is unavailable and time is of the essence for your halachic query?

STAR-K realizes that there is no substitute for a person’s own rav. In an effort to offer a possible solution, it has launched its Institute of Halacha as a public service. Over the years, the agency’s Kashrus Hotline has answered generic halachic questions from kosher consumers the world over, including inquiries regarding the kosher status of foods and certified Sabbath mode appliances. The formation of a separate official division within STAR-K testifies to the need for addressing these issues.

The Institute of Halacha is directed by HaRav Mordechai Frankel, under the guidance of HaRav Moshe Heinemann, STAR-K’s […]