Kashrus Kurrents Fall 2011
Q: Which brocha should be recited when eating the following foods? (i) Hearts of palm; (ii) Cranberries; (iii) Sushi; (iv) Ezekiel bread; and (v) Rice cakes.
Brachos on Hearts of Palm, Cranberries, Sushi, Ezekiel Bread, and Rice Cakes
Keeping Bugs in Check Insect Infestation Revisited
Published Fall 2011
1. Introduction
Over the past number of years, there has been much discussion regarding insect infestation and the procedures used to check fruits and vegetables. Many guides have been published, many lectures and demonstrations have been given, L’Hagdil Torah Ul’hadira. However, infestation can and does change over time,1 so it is worthwhile to step back from time to time and review the facts as well as the procedures used.
High Tech and Halacha meet at STAR-Ks First-Ever Interactive Eruv-Inar
Published Winter 2012
On Wednesday, September 7, at 8 p.m. EST, STAR-K made history by hosting the world’s first Eruv-inar. The inaugural long distance interactive presentation allowed participants from around the globe to experience a live workshop highlighting eruv shaylos through the use of pictures of eruvin. STAR-K’s Rabbinic Administrator, Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, shlit”a, has always been on the cutting edge of the juxtaposition of advanced technology and halacha; the Eruv-inar featured Rav Heinemann discussing hilchos eruv.
Getting a Handle On Your Faucet
Winter 2012
Torah-observant Jews know that turning on the hot water faucet during Shabbos causes cold water to be heated, which transgresses the melacha of bishul, cooking. What many don’t know is that even turning on what you think is cold water can be a problem – if it’s a one-handled faucet.
Let’s first analyze why using hot water causes cold water to be heated. In a typical home setting, cold water arrives from the city supply under pressure. Turning on the hot water faucet allows this cold water into the hot water tank which, in turn, forces out the hot water already in the tank. Since the water in the tank is typically more than 120oF (the minimum temperature for bishul on Shabbos), the incoming cold water is immediately heated by the hot water that is already in the tank. 1
In a one-handled faucet, both hot and […]
Brachos for Breakfast
For the most updated Cereal List click here.
Published Winter 2012
Updated Winter 2019
STAR-K has researched breakfast cereals for the past 30 years and has published Brachos lists and halachic guidelines for these products based on the psak of Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, shlita, STAR-K Rabbinic Administrator. It is with great pride that STAR-K has begun certification of the following three cereals distributed by Nestle in Israel: Cheerios, Fitness, and Crunch Cereals. The hashgacha is coordinated by our newly expanded Israel office. The products bear a STAR-K symbol and are pareve, bishul Yisroel, and yoshon. The brocha rishona on all three cereals is mezonos and the brocha achrona is al hamichya.
Side Bar Spring 2012: STAR-K Welcomes Baltimore’s Tudor Heights Senior Assisted Living
STAR-K Welcomes Baltimore’s Tudor Heights Senior Assisted Living
Senior Lifestyle Corporation, a family owned Jewish company and a leader among senior living communities, operating over 75 properties in the U.S, has ventured into the world of kosher, according to Tudor Heights Senior Assisted Living’s new executive director, David Lapin. Senior Lifestyle residential communities are unique in that they custom-tailor every aspect for the particular populations it services. In this regard, Tudor Heights now offers a fully STAR-K certified kosher kitchen and dining room, in addition to boasting a local community-based management team that will cater to its kosher clientele, both literally and figuratively! The newly renovated and expanded 64-room historic retirement community in Baltimore has a 70 resident capacity; it presently accommodates 36 residents. For more information about Tudor Heights’ assisted living amenities, its Legacy, memory care programs, or its Passover respite program, please call 410-318-8000.
[...] Read More
Guidelines for Men’s Haircuts
Kashrus Kurrents Spring 2012
Q: When my barber works on the area around my ear and temple, what I am allowed to let him do and what should I stop him from doing?
The Secret Ingredient
Published Spring 2012
One of the trademarks of the Star-K is that it encourages its staff to respond to consumer kashrus inquiries. All too often, after eating a yummy treat, a consumer will notice a seemingly questionable item listed on the wrapper’s ingredient panel. They will then call the Star-K hotline in a frantic state because they fear they may have eaten something non-kosher, only to learn that they most likely mistook the ingredient for something else or that the ingredient has a kosher counterpart. The following is a list of commonly questioned ingredients that regularly appear on the labels of popular foods that we eat.
Electric Shavers
Published Spring 2012
Since the Star-K often receives questions regarding the use of electric shavers, this article will address the halachic concerns of removing one’s facial hair. The Torah states “לא תקפו פאת ראשכם ולא תשחית את פאת זקנך” , Do not round the corners of one’s head, and do not destroy the corner of one’s beardויקרא י”ט כ) ). The Torah continues, “ופאת זקנם לא יגלחו” (ויקרא כ”א ה ) and the corner of one’s beard they shall not shave.
Side Bar Summer 2012
STAR-K’s Advanced Halacha Webinar Series Updates
Which Materials May Be Kashered (and Which May Not)
Kashrus Kurrents Summer 2012
Q: I have a number of utensils which need kashering through hagalah (immersion in boiling water). Which materials may and may not be kashered?
A: A fleishig utensil which comes into contact with hot milchig food or a milchig utensil which comes into contact with hot fleishig food needs to be kashered before further use. There are a number of methods for kashering, dependent upon the manner of contact between the utensil and the food. Perhaps the most common form of kashering is hagalah, in which the utensil is immersed in boiling water.
Metal
The Torah tells us that a vessel may be kashered if it is made from one of six metals: gold, silver, copper, iron, tin or lead.1 There are other metals and alloys which were not in common use at the time of Matan […]
Indulging L’Mehadrin
Published Summer 2012
Not too long ago, prior to the flood of Jewish children recordings, my children listened to a popular recording of birthday party songs. One popular song that stands out in my memory is the song beginning with the following lyrics:
Everyone loves ice cream, yes indeed they do,
Everyone loves ice cream, I do – do you?
Search the whole world over travel near and far,
‘Cause everyone loves ice cream, no matter where they are.
Side Bar Fall 2012
The Ninth Annual Training Program
Published Fall 2012
Rabbi Daniel Presman traveled 10,800 roundtrip miles, a 22-hour roundtrip flight from his hometown of Porto Alegre, Brazil, just to attend STAR-K’s ninth annual Kashrus Training Program, July 16-19, 2012, held in its Baltimore offices.
A Cut Above: Shechita in the Crosshairs, Again
Published Fall 2012
The Community and Its Shechita
One of the most basic features of a functional Jewish community, no matter the size, has historically been the shochet. Rabbis are a necessity, but were not always available; access to kosher meat is indispensable. The original American Jewish community of twenty-three Dutch Jews from Brazil, who landed in New Amsterdam (later, New York) in 1654, was led by the celebrated Asser Levy, who was also the shochet. Well before the first ordained rabbi, Rabbi Abraham Rice, arrived in 1840, shochtim served the needs of American Jews.
In the more established kehilos of Europe, the shochet was also deemed critical. An intrepid shochet, who risked his life in the early 1930s to provide kosher meat to Jews in Soviet Russia, remarked during an interview:
Looking Through the Liquor Glass
Fall 2012
Unquestionably, the latest operative terms in the burgeoning liquor industry are ‘transparency’ and ‘innovation’. Never before has there been more consumer enlightenment, courtesy of the information highway known as the Internet. Moreover, new venues have been introduced to tweak standard products or present new ones, so that distilleries can gain a greater share of the market. What previously was assumed to be a glatt kosher choice in the liquor cabinet has now become not so glatt.
Side Bar Winter 2013
STAR-K CERTIFICATION
STAR-K Kashrus Administrator Rabbi Dovid Heber will present a webinar series on Hilchos Brochos, scheduled every other Monday from December 17, 2012 through February 11, 2013 at 12 noon. Some of the topics will include: fruits, vegetables and processed grains, ikker v’tafel, cereals, kadima, and the various foods included in the brochos of Hamotzi and Hagofen. To sign up, visit Kosher University.
Tearing Kriah at the Kosel
Kashrus Kurrents Winter 2013
Q: I am going to Israel and will be visiting the kosel (Western Wall). I know that it is customary to tear kriah upon seeing the kosel, but what exactly is the procedure?
A: The Shulchan Aruch paskens that when a person sees the cities of Judea he should say,
ערי קדשך היו מדבר and tear kriah.1 However, it is not customary to do so, possibly because we do not know exactly where the ancient cities of Judea are located.2 The Shulchan Aruch continues that when a person sees the Old City of Yerushalayim he should say, ציון היתה מדבר שממה , and then tear kriah again.3 Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l writes that even nowadays, one should tear kriah upon seeing the Old City.4 However, Rav Moshe Feinstein […]
National Kashrus Lecture Series
Star-K’s National Kashrus Lecture Series features various topics delivered by Star-K administrators. Topics cover: Glatt Kosher Meat Today, Kosher Travel, The High Price of Kosher Foods, Caterers and Restaurants, Meat and Poultry, Kosher Liquors, Shabbos & Yom Tov Appliances, and the Kashrus of Medicines & Vitamins. Cassettes of these lectures are available through the Star-K office. For more information, click here or call Star-K,
(410) 484-4110.
Star-K Speakers Bureau
Star-K’s Speakers Bureau presents selected topics on kashrus delivered by its administrative staff. Topics span the spectrum from the basics of keeping a kosher home, to its philosophical and spiritual significance, and its practical application. It also explores the technical world of kashrus, with behind the scene looks at the manufacturing and processing of several industries. For further information, click here or call Star-K, (410) 484-4110.
Shidduch Incentive Program
Star-K’s Shidduch Incentive Program offers a cash gift of $2500 to those who successfully match its hometown Orthodox single women, by Chanukah, 2009. A local attempt at remedying the universal Orthodox singles problem in Baltimore, its widespread impact has become a motivating factor in matching single Orthodox women around the world.
Please Note: Effective January 1, 2010, the STAR-K award will only be paid to shadchanim who have received a minimum shadchanus fee of $1500 paid by the choson and kallah or their families.
The Reviews are In: STAR-K’s Mashgicha Enrichment Program is a Big Hit
08 | 15 | 2013
Published Winter 2009
The eighteen mashgichos who attended STAR-K’s Mashgicha Enrichment Program, November 2-3 in Baltimore, Maryland, had only one complaint: it wasn’t long enough. Although it lacked nothing in the way of organization or detailing of comprehensible and practical information, the women would have appreciated even more face time with the STAR-K experts. The experience of meeting fellow mashgichos from so many communities, being able to ask questions throughout the presentations, and the camaraderie felt by the program’s end, made it worth the trip!
Advanced Halacha Webinar Series
STAR-K is committed to utilizing its resources for the education of Jewish communities worldwide. Our Advanced Halacha Webinar Series Project features STAR-K’s Rabbis and our Rabbinic Administrator, Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, who has always been on the cutting edge of advanced technology and halacha. We will discuss various topics through an interactive presentation which allows participants from around the globe to experience a live workshop through the use of audio, video and pictures.
Kashrus Training Program – REGISTRATION CLOSED
The Star-K’s widely acclaimed Kashrus Training Program has been held annually since 2004, at the Star-K offices in Baltimore, Maryland. This intensive seminar is limited to 25 students ; Rabbonim, certifying agency administrators, kollel members, and others serving in klei kodesh ; who will be taken behind the scenes of a first class luxury hotel’s kosher kitchen and a manufacturing plant. Seminar participants will also benefit from lectures delivered by Star-K administrators, audio-visual presentations, and a hands-on practicum to find the less obvious thrips and aphids hiding in a restaurant’s vegetables.
When Does One Pray When There Is No Day
Published Summer 2007
For a further discussion on this topic see Sefer Shaarei Zmanim – Siman 11 here.
There was a time not long ago when kosher food was available only in major Jewish metropolitan areas. Finding kosher certified products on the road was a daunting task. “Kosher Tours” were limited to a few select areas. Today, the Star-K and other kosher symbols appear on thousands of food products. Kosher food is available from Fairbanks to Fiji, and from New Zealand to Norway. Kosher tours are now available to Alaska and Antarctica. With so many north and south destinations easily accessible to kosher consumers, the observant Jew now faces an array of fascinating questions. In parts of Alaska, and other locations north of the Arctic Circle, there are periods of time during the summer when […]
Pie In The Sky
Published Spring 2007
Much has changed in air travel over the past decade. With all of the security scrutinization that a passenger has to undergo before boarding a flight, flying will never be the same. Slowly but surely airline travel is getting back to its place of prominence before the disaster of 9/11. The FE Traveler cover story article, “The Five-Star Inflight Experience”, should come as no surprise to the international traveler. It states,
On the Road to a Kosher Vacation
Published Summer 1996, Reviewed Summer 2005
Summertime is a season synonymous with travel, vacation, and experiencing the great outdoors. For many, the great excursion meant traveling to Bubbi’s bungalow colony in the country. Today, we vacation the length and breadth of America. As we venture further and further away from the Catskill corridor, and experience the heartbeat of America, a universal question crosses the mind of every frum vacationer: “Is there anything Kosher to eat out there?” The answer is yes, more than you think; but it is still wise to plan before your journey.
A Traveler’s Guide to the International Dateline
Published Summer 2012
Click here for a handy printable map.
In today’s global market, the furthest regions of the Earth are much closer to home than one could ever imagine. For example, citric acid – an integral ingredient in soft drinks, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) – a common nutrient, and amino acids used in numerous food items, are produced in a variety of Star-K certified Chinese plants. Star-K certified glycerine is manufactured in the Philippines and shipped to the United States. Mashgichim are frequently sent to Thailand, Fiji, Vietnam, and Indonesia to oversee production of kosher spices, tuna fish, and canned fruits and vegetables. The Star-K has an office in Shanghai to administer the supervision and inspect facilities.
Microwaving in the Workplace
In today’s office cafeteria a company microwave is prominently seen next to the corporate coffee urn. As the cold winter months approach many office workers look forward to a hot cup of soup or hot chocolate with their brown bag lunch. Can the office microwave be used for general Kosher use?
Sabbath Mode and Sabbath Compliant Appliances
Updated January 2023
Appliance manufacturers, with the aid of modern technology, have designed kitchen appliances to be safer and more efficient while incorporating various features to enhance operation. However, the integration of this technology may pose a challenge to their proper use on Shabbos and Yom Tov.
THE INTRODUCTION OF SABBATH MODE
In 1997, a historic technological project was launched between a major appliance manufacturer and a kosher certification agency. Whirlpool Corporation (manufacturer of KitchenAid) approached STAR-K to help modify their ovens for use on Shabbos and Yom Tov. Prior to that time, many of their appliances did not conform to halachic guidelines.
Following some adjustments, a successful mode was developed. Whirlpool called this “Sabbath Mode” and was awarded a patent in 1998 for this concept.
STAR-K kosher certification on appliances falls into one of two categories:
1. Sabbath Mode Appliances – these are models that have unique software/hardware specifically […]
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