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

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

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

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 […]

Using a CPAP Machine on Shabbos

Using a CPAP Machine on Shabbos

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Winter 2010

Q: My doctor has told me that I have sleep apnea, and advised me to use a sleep apnea machine.  Can this device be used on Shabbos?

A: Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing during sleep.  Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of the disorder, is caused by the relaxation of the walls of soft tissue in the airway of the throat during sleep.  Common symptoms include loud snoring, restless sleep, and daytime sleepiness.  Sleep-disordered breathing is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure,arrhythmias, diabetes, and sleep deprived driving accidents.1  Recent studies have shown that sleep apnea affects about 16% of men and 5% of women between 30 and 65 years of age.[...] Read More

Sticker Shock

Sticker Shock

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Published Winter 2010

Years ago, when I was a young rabbi in Birmingham, Alabama, an important aspect of my out- of-town rabbanus was to serve as the regional mashgiach for national kashrus organizations.  If you were to ask my children which company was their all time favorite, the answer would be unanimous – the American Candy Company in Selma, Alabama.  The American Candy Company specialized in a variety of hard candies including lollipops, candy canes, stick candies and the eye popping twirl pops.  The candy was certified kosher by a very reputable national kashrus organization.  The company also produced a heimishe variety sold in the finest heimishe candy stores. What was the difference between the ingredients and process of the regular label and the heimishe label?  Absolutely nothing, save one.  I came to the plant on the day of the heimishe production and saw that the candy ingredients and the release […]

Good Things Come in Small Packages

Good Things Come in Small Packages

By: Rabbi Zushe Yosef Blech

Published Winter 2010

The Torah extols Eretz Yisroel as the land blessed with seven types of produce:  wheat, barley, figs, grapes, pomegranates, olives and dates (D’varim 8:8).  Most types of fruit are harvested once a year.  Since fresh fruit spoils quickly, the challenge has been to find a way to enjoy them year round.  Modern processing methods, such as canning and freezing, allow for  a form of preservation similar to that of fresh fruit.  Older methods, however, involved processing the fruit into a new product markedly different from the original, but with equally tasty and desirable traits.  Dried grapes – raisins – are a case in point. Grapes are harvested in the fall within a span of about six weeks.  Some of the crop is eaten as fresh fruit, and much is squeezed to make […]

When it’s Null and Void: Understanding Batel BShishim (One-Sixtieth)

When it’s Null and Void: Understanding Batel BShishim (One-Sixtieth)

By: Rabbi Dovid Heber

Published Spring 2011

“She is too nervous to come to the phone,” said the woman, referring to the mother of the Bar Mitzvah boy, who had just prepared a huge pot of chicken soup for the upcoming seudas Shabbos.   The woman then related the following story to me.  The Bar Mitzvah boy, who was home from school on the Friday before the big Shabbos, had warmed up some pizza in the toaster oven on a piece of aluminum foil.  After completing his lunch, he crushed the used foil into a ball and attempted to shoot it into the garbage can.  The foil ball missed the trash and landed in the large pot of chicken soup, simmering on the stove in preparation for his seudas Bar Mitzvah!  The woman on the phone got right to the point. “We discarded the foil.  Does the soup need to be thrown out, and do we need […]

Eating Her Curds? No Way

Eating Her Curds? No Way

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Published Spring 2011

If Miss Muffet was a conscientious seminary girl, sitting down to a meal of curds and whey would not be so simple.  There is much to consider.  Was the milk Cholov Yisroel?  Does the milk have to be Cholov Yisroel?  Was the starter culture Cholov Yisroel?  What rennet was used to coagulate the milk?  Did the mashgiach add the coagulants to make the curds and whey?  Are all curds and whey created equal?

Cholent! A Guide to Proper Enjoyment

Cholent! A Guide to Proper Enjoyment

By: Rabbi Moshe T. Schuchman

Published Spring 2011

The savory smell of cholent greets us as we awaken on Shabbos morning. The word “cholent” was coined by the progenitors of Ashkenazic Jewry who settled in the Alsace region of France, over 12 centuries ago, and likely derives from the Old French word chalant meaning heat.1 Cholent covers an array of concoctions, ranging from the typical potatoes, meat, barley, beans and onions, to avant-garde vegetarian and simple Pesachdik versions; every household has its ‘secret’ ingredient.  Whatever one calls it and however they prepare it, whether Sefardic chamim or German gruenkern, it is crucial to adhere to halacha while delighting in this permanent fixture of the Shabbos menu.  The following guidelines address common halachic issues in the preparation and consumption of cholent.2

STAR-K Awards Grant to Baltimore Community Kollels Chananya Backer Memorial Fund

STAR-K Awards Grant to Baltimore Community Kollels Chananya Backer Memorial Fund

STAR-K Certification’s claim that Kosher is “not just about milk and meat” has recently extended to funding a program that is one of the few of its kind in the nation.  Known for its proactive local benevolent efforts, which have a ripple effect across the greater Jewish community, STAR-K has recently awarded a very considerable grant to the Chananya Backer Memorial Fund of the Baltimore Community Kollel.  The program (started by Rabbi Aryeh Zigdon) is a teen outreach effort memorializing a 16-year-old Baltimorean, who tragically died three summers ago from injuries sustained in a car crash; his levaya was held on Tisha B’Av, 5768.

Can a Kohain Visit a Science Museum

Can a Kohain Visit a Science Museum

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Summer 2011

Q: Can a Kohain enter the Maryland Science Center, located in downtown Baltimore?

Sharp Awareness in the Kitchen

Sharp Awareness in the Kitchen

By: Rabbi Moshe T. Schuchman

Published Spring 2011

I. Davar Charif

On one of my first visits to a food production facility, I cried. Not because I discovered a gross kashrus violation, chalilah; and not from tears of joy over the privilege to promote the availability of kosher food. My tears flowed because at one end of the enormous fruit and vegetable processing factory, the deafening machinery was slicing and packaging – onions! Despite a distance of a few hundred feet from the onion production line, my lachrymal glands were working hard to flush out sulfuric acid from my eyes. Only veteran workers were immune to the effects of the intruding irritants permeating the air.

Paradise Lost – Revisited

Paradise Lost – Revisited

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Published Summer 2011

Curaçao?  Where is Curaçao?  Better yet, how do you pronounce Curaçao?  Curaçao (cur-a-sow) is a small but beautiful island in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela.  Curaçao is one of three Leeward Islands which use to form part of the former Netherland Antilles.  The Netherlands Antilles was made up of six Caribbean islands namely Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao in the south, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba in the central Caribbean region.  In 1986, Aruba left the Antillean constitution to become an autonomous island nation within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  On October 10, 2010, Curaçao and Saint Maarten followed suit by also becoming autonomous island nations within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius opted to become special municipalities of the Netherlands.

Star-K Side Bar Fall 2011

Star-K Side Bar Fall 2011

Women’s Mashgicha Conference Planned for Fall, 2011

STAR-K’s first Mashgicha Enrichment Program, held in November, 2009, attracted veteran mashgichos from around the U.S. and as far away as Israel.  It was so successful that STAR-K is planning its second all-women conference this coming fall.  The two-day program will be held at its Baltimore headquarters and is open to a limited number of women who are currently employed as mashgichos worldwide.  The curriculum will include kashrus procedures, insect checking, and visits to local food service establishments.

STAR-K Hosts Eighth Annual Kashrus Training Program

STAR-K Hosts Eighth Annual Kashrus Training Program

Published Fall 2011

In the beginning of 2009, Rabbi Haim Levy moved from Israel to Panama to continue the work of his then recently deceased father, Chief Rabbi Sion Levy, z”l, rav of Congregation Shevet Ahim. When his father arrived in Panama City from Israel in 1951, the country was affluent, yet spiritually poor. Building the community from scratch, it is to the late Rabbi Levy’s credit that of the approximately 10,000-12,000 Jews living in Panama today, about 90% have a kosher home (of which a large percentage eat only kosher outside the home, as well), and Shabbos observance is on the rise. Presently, Panama boasts one of the largest and strongest Jewish communities in Central America.

Keeping Bugs in Check Insect Infestation Revisited

Keeping Bugs in Check Insect Infestation Revisited

By: Rabbi Sholom Tendler

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

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

Getting a Handle On Your Faucet

By: Rabbi Zvi Goldberg

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

Brachos for Breakfast

By: Rabbi Dovid Heber

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

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

Guidelines for Men’s Haircuts

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

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

The Secret Ingredient

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

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

Electric Shavers

By: Rabbi Moshe Heinemann

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.

Which Materials May Be Kashered (and Which May Not)

Which Materials May Be Kashered (and Which May Not)

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

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

Indulging L’Mehadrin

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

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.