Eating in a Canvas Sukkah that Sways in the Wind

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Fall 2010

Q: I have been invited to eat out on Sukkos. The sukkah has canvas walls which shake in the wind. Is this a problem?

A: The Mishna1 states that a person can use the trunks of trees as a sukkah wall. This Mishna is referring to a scenario where the tree trunks are very close to one another, or the space between them has been filled with some other material, and the overhang of the tree branches will not invalidate the schach. The Gemara2 states that this is true only if the tree trunks do not sway. If the tree trunks are supple and sway in a normal wind, the sukkah wall is not valid. The Shulchan Aruch3 codifies this halacha, and adds that if the tree trunks are supple one can tie them to each other in such […]

Starting the New Year Right: A Guide to the Simanim on Rosh HaShana

By: Rabbi Moshe T. Schuchman

Published Fall 2010

Introduction
On Rosh HaShana, everything we do is imbued with extreme significance. We stand in judgment before the Heavenly Court while each of our actions, words, and thoughts are scrutinized. To assist our efforts in currying Divine mercy, we employ various customs transmitted by our ancient mesorah. Among them is the regimen of the simanim, literally signs or omens. These are the foods that we bring to the table at the beginning of the evening meal as auspicious indications of a propitious year to come. What are the origins of this unusual custom? How can we be meticulous in its performance? How do we harness its power to usher in a year of prosperity?

Drinking Responsibly II

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Published Fall 2010

There has probably never been more oversight in the food manufacturing arena than in the areas of consumer awareness, consumer protection and consumer advocacy. Most notably, this has been evident in nutritional labeling, HAACP, ISO, QAI Organic, allergen disclaimers, and salmonella recalls – the list goes on and on.

Do Bee Don’t Bee: A Halachic Guide to Honey and Bee Derivatives

By: Rabbi Dovid Heber

Fall 2010

As we look toward the beginning of the new year, we turn our thoughts to teshuva, and the hope that our tefillos will be answered for a sweet new year. This request has been symbolized for hundreds of years on Rosh Hashana by eating challah and apples dipped in honey.1

The question regarding the kosher status of honey is older than the custom of dipping an apple on Rosh Hashana. There is a well known halacha that states that derivatives of non-kosher species are not kosher;2 this would include camel’s milk and ostrich eggs. Since a bee is a non-kosher insect, how can honey which comes from a bee be permissible to eat? Furthermore, if honey is kosher, are all products manufactured by the bee, e.g. royal jelly, beeswax, bee venom, and propolis (described below) also kosher?

The Kashrus of Honey

A brief entomological review of this remarkable insect is necessary in […]