Kosher and Organic

Now You Can Have Your Organic Cake and Eat it Too…Thanks to STAR-K!

Once upon a time, organic produce and processed foods were found only in health food stores. Today, not only can you walk into most any mainstream grocery store and find a variety of organically certified foods, you can find them in stores catering to the most discriminating kosher consumer, as well. The rapidly, rising global demand for kosher products bearing a trusted, recognizable kosher logo now parallels that of labeled certified organic products. The two intersecting trends have given rise to a flourishing new specialty food category, kosher organic, which meets both the strict requirements of Jewish dietary laws and the USDA National Organic Program specifications. The major impact on sales of these doubly certified products is reflected in Mintel International’s 2008 research data; both “kosher” and “organic” were amongst the top ten claims for new products.

The term […]

Oven Kashrus: For Shabbos Use

By: Rabbi Avrohom Mushell

To download and print a handy summary of these halachos, click here.

Cookin’ just ain’t what it used to be. Technological advances have taken the old stovetop and oven and upgraded them to be safer, more efficient, and smart for today’s lifestyle. They are also far more complicated. With these transformations, the observant Jew is faced with challenges that did not confront him in the past.

To understand how these changes affect the halachic use of the stovetop on Shabbos and Yom Tov, it is worthwhile to review some laws and concepts as they relate to cooking on Shabbos and Yom Tov.

DEFINITION OF MELACHA

Cooking on Shabbos is a Torah prohibition derived from the constructive acts performed in erecting the mishkan. This forbidden act is known as a melacha. There are 39 categories of prohibited acts.

MELACHA OF COOKING

The prohibition of cooking on Shabbos is defined as the act of using heat to […]

Oven Kashrus: For Everyday Use

By: Rabbi Moshe Heinemann

Hashem, in His eminent act of chesed, created a world with abundant gifts expressly designed for the enjoyment of man. The Torah often limits, directs or restricts these worldly opportunities afforded to us to help us remember that we do not own this earthly bounty, instead we are using them with the permission of their Owner.

Sabbath Mode Appliance Problems Run Hot and Cold: Let the Buyer Beware

Can you remember back to the good ol’ days when your erev Shabbos and Yom Tov ‘To Do’ list included turning on your oven that would stay on until Havdalah, so you could eat hot food? What about unscrewing the refrigerator light bulb or taping down the button on the refrigerator door frame to prevent the light from turning on when you opened the refrigerator door? The Sabbath observer has long been challenged with a plethora of major kitchen appliance problems, however, the installation of technologically advanced safety features by well-intentioned appliance makers have made our 20th century appliance challenges seem like child’s play!

Shattered Dreams

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Published Fall 2011

One of the most popular articles in Kashrus Kurrents, dating back to my days in kollel, was the article entitled, Preparing the Home for Pesach, written by Rav Heinemann shlita, Rabbinic Administrator of Star-K. It appeared in one of the Kashrus Kurrents earliest Pesach editions.

Keeping Your Cool: All About Refrigerators

By: Rabbi Avrohom Mushell

Few of us can remember life in the kitchen without the help of a refrigerator. Probably the most used appliance in the home, the electric refrigerator was mass produced as a home appliance in the early 1920’s. Although many improvements and modifications have taken place over the years, the basic principles employed in the home refrigerator remain the same.

How Refrigeration Works

The natural laws of physics dictate that as a liquid evaporates into a gas, it absorbs heat from the surrounding areas. In turn, these surrounding areas become cold. (If you touch the cylinder supplying gas to a barbecue grill, you will notice the cylinder getting cold and icy because the liquid in the cylinder is rapidly changing to a gas as it leaves the cylinder to provide fuel for the flame.) Although we may view our refrigerator as a […]

She Sells Sea Shells – But Are They Kosher? The Kashrus Status of Glucosamine and Other Arthritis Remedies

By: Rabbi Dovid Heber

As the kosher consumer crosses Maryland’s spectacular Chesapeake Bay Bridge, it is hard to imagine that glucosamine, one of the most widely used arthritis remedies is derived from the seafood shells found deep in the waters below. Sea shells are not the only surprising source of muscle and joint remedies. The l’vona (frankincense) used in the Bais Hamikdash, deer antlers, and an array of animals including sharks and bees, also contain the raw materials of over-the-counter arthritis supplements.

Kashrus Guide for the OB/GYN Patient

By: Rabbi Dovid Heber

Updated June 2024

When visiting an obstetrician/gynecologist, a patient may be given prescriptions or recommendations for an array of products by her physician. The patient may be confused about whether a particular product is kosher. The following guide was prepared to help clarify the kashrus issues regarding these products.1

Ideally, one should purchase medicinal products and vitamins with a reliable kosher certification. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. In the event a product is not kosher approved, one should consult her rav, as one does with any halachic question.

The following guidelines in this regard are the halachic ruling of Rav Moshe Heinemann shlit”a, STAR-K Rabbinic Administrator.

NOTE: The following are general halachic guidelines and cannot possibly cover all scenarios. Under no circumstances should an individual forgo taking a prescribed medication without first consulting her physician and rav.

CHOLEH SHEYEISH BO SAKANA: ONE WHO IS ILL AND WHOSE LIFE MAY BE IN DANGER

A choleh […]

A Kashrus Guide to Medications, Vitamins, and Nutritional Supplements

By: Rabbi Dovid Heber

Click here to view the STAR-K Medicine List

Global sales of pharmaceutical products are expected to reach 500 billion dollars annually.1 It is therefore no wonder that the interest in kosher certification and approval for these products has also skyrocketed. Ideally, one should purchase these products with kosher certification. However, this is not always practical. It is for this reason that one of the most frequently asked questions on the Star-K hotline relates to the kosher status of these remedies. In an effort to clarify the numerous issues regarding these popular products, the Star-K has prepared the following halachic guidelines based on the psak of Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, shlita, Rabbinic Administrator of Star-K Kosher Certification.2

Yoshon and Chodosh Something Old and Something New

By: Dr. Avrom Pollak

The story is told about how in the mid 1970’s the proprietor of a kosher bakery in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood was asked if his products were Yoshon. Not realizing that this Hebrew word, which literally means ‘old’, actually refers to grain which had been planted before Passover, proudly, albeit naively, answered, ” I can assure you that everything in my bakery is 100 percent fresh.” Today, as we approach the millennium yoshon and chodosh have graduated and become household words which have rightfully taken their place among the more popular terms such as Glatt Kosher, Cholov Yisroel, and Pas Yisroel.

Guide to STAR-K Certified Schach

By: Rabbi Moshe Heinemann

August 2013

STAR-K currently certifies schach made from bamboo slats held together with monofilament type cord for use during Sukkos. The following is an explanation of the psak of Rabbi Moshe Heinemann regarding this item:

In Hilchos Sukkah (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 629:1) it is written that schach can not consist of something that is “mekabel tumah” (something that has the ability to become ritually impure). It is for this reason that bamboo carpet mats cannot be used for schach as they are mekabel tumah. All Star-K certified schach is not made to sit or walk on and is therefore not mekabel tumah.

In addition, l’chatchila, kosher schach may not be supported by anything which is mekabel tumah (see Rama O.C. 629:7). According to the opinion of Rashi (as brought in Shaar Hatziyun 629:20) spun or woven threads (e.g. string, yarn) are mekabel tumah. Rav Moshe […]

Eruv Tavshilin

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

A fundamental difference between Yom Tov observance and Shabbos observance is the allowance of ochel nefesh, food preparation on Yom Tov. “Ach Asher Yei’achel L’Chol Nefesh Hu Levado Yei’aseh Lachem…“1 The Torah permits us to cook, bake, and prepare food on Yom Tov proper, in order to eat the prepared food on that day of Yom Tov. One is not permitted to prepare from one day of Yom Tov for the second day of Yom Tov or for after Yom Tov. This prohibition of hachana, of preparing from one day of Yom Tov to the next, presents a problem when the second day of Yom Tov falls out on Shabbos or when Shabbos follows a two day sequence of Yomim Tovim. Can one halachically prepare food on Yom Tov for the Shabbos Yom Tov or for Shabbos?

Matzo: How it is made and how to differentiate between those that are acceptable and forbidden for use.

By: Rabbi Moshe Heinemann

The production of matzos Kosher for Pesach (KFP) involves a great deal of meticulous work. The process begins with the inspection of wheat kernels to ensure that they have not been adversely affected by moisture in the air and have not prematurely sprouted. Grinding of the grain must be performed according to the dictates of Halacha which preludes any pre-grind soaking of the grain and which requires special preparation of the milling equipment to ensure that no contamination exists from non-Passover flour in the grinders and filters. The KFP flour is then loaded onto trucks either pneumatically or in bags under sheltered conditions and shipped to the bakeries.

A Guide to Erev Pesach That Occurs on Shabbos

By: Rabbi Dovid Heber

Note: This article was originally written for Kashrus Kurrents 2001 and revised for the 2021 Passover Guide. The halachos apply whenever Erev Pesach falls on Shabbos. The next occurrences will take place in 2025 and then not again until 2045.

Many of us are quite familiar with the regular Erev Pesach routine: The bechorim go to a siyum, the chometz is burned, and we prepare for the Seder. However, every so often,1 Erev Pesach occurs on Shabbos and we must modify our routine. Let us review the halachos of Shabbos Erev Pesach.

Thursday – Taanis Bechorim/Bedikas Chometz

On a regular Erev Pesach the first-born males (bechorim) are obligated to fast. This year the fast is pushed back to Thursday. Those bechorim who do not wish to fast should attend a siyum. Thursday night after tzeis hakochavim (when it gets dark), one should immediately perform bedikas chometz. A bracha and […]

Stores Where Chometz May Be Purchased After Pesach

Click here to view the listing of stores where chometz may be purchased after Pesach 2016

FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE HALACHOS REGARDING PURCHASING CHOMETZ AFTER PESACH CLICK HERE:

Shopping for Passover: But What Could be the Problem With…?

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Updated April 2024

As Pesach nears, the grocery bills mount and the bank account dwindles, the Jewish housewife courageously attempts to hold the household budget intact without compromising her strict standard of Pesach kashrus. She asks: Are there products in the marketplace that live up to their claims of fresh, pure, natural, or additive-free that can be purchased worry-free without special Passover certification, or are there legitimate kashrus concerns that would require the product to carry reliable Kosher for Passover (KFP) certification? Let us take a behind-the-scenes look at some of these potential products.

Supermarket Produce

Can the Passover consumer confidently purchase fresh fruits and vegetables without worrying about the wax coatings used to maintain the freshness of the fresh fruit and vegetables? Our research of food grade waxes has shown that soy proteins may be used as a thickener in some waxes. This means that the waxes may contain kitniyos derivative. However, […]

Bracha On a Newly Flowering Tree: Birchas Ha’ilanos Guidelines

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Spring 2009

Q: There is a bracha which is recited once a year upon seeing a newly flowering tree. I have a number of questions regarding Birchas Ha’ilonos:

When is the optimal time to say this bracha? Does the bracha have to be said during the month of Nisan?

What rules apply concerning the location of the person when saying the bracha? How far away can you be from the tree when saying the bracha? Can you be inside a house or other structure? Can you be in a car? Is it necessary to be at a site where there is more than one tree?

What limitations are there regarding the type of tree over which this bracha may be recited? Does the tree need to be fruit bearing? How old should the tree be? Can the tree be orlah (less than three […]

Glossary of Kosher Terms

Batul
Batul – to nullify. Batul refers to a situation when a small amount of one food is accidentally mixed into a larger amount of a different food. When the ratio is one part to 60 parts or less, the smaller ingredient is generally considered to be null and void.

Appliance Information

Personal Stories: Becoming Kosher

If WE Can Do It, So Can You!!
Naomi Lazerow

I was raised in a home where I was told, “you’re Jewish.” That was the extent of my Jewish education. On the Jewish holidays, we went to my grandmother’s and ate the appropriate foods. On Passover we ate matzah but didn’t have a seder. My mother, a widow with four small children – my three younger brothers and me – lived in a non-Jewish neighborhood in Baltimore. We stood out as different, even though we didn’t really know what made us different. My husband Carl was raised in a very assimilated family and attended a large Reform Temple. Needless to say, when we married, we never would have predicted we’d have a kosher home some day.

Why Eat Kosher?

Adapted from: On Judaism: Conversations on being Jewish in Today’s World, by Rabbi Emanuel Feldman, pages 219-236. With permission from Artscroll/Mesorah Publications, Ltd.

From the first man and woman we learn about the significance of eating. Adam and Eve were given simple, clear instructions. As guardians of the Garden of Eden they were permitted to taste everything in the Garden. There was only one restriction: they could not eat from one particular tree. If they did, they would die. Isn’t it curious that the Creator’s first conversation with Adam and Eve focuses on the do’s and don’t about food. Superficially, there is nothing about these instructions that strikes one as having implications for eternity or immortality. Just – this you may eat, that you must avoid.

Keeping Kosher…and Staying Kosher!

It’s one thing to keep kosher; it’s quite another thing to stay kosher! Kashrus mix-ups are inevitable, even in the most scrupulous of kosher homes. So, when in doubt about a mix-up, don’t feel bad or embarrassed about asking a shaila (question in Jewish Law) of a Rav (Orthodox rabbi) or kashrus organization.

How to Make a Home Kosher

Healthy food choices and dieting are 21st century buzzwords. It seems that more than ever people are making positive dietary changes. For thousands of years, Judaism has offered a dietary blueprint. Not only does the Torah guide us in our food choices, it commands us to separate dairy and meat, and wait a customary length of time between eating meat and dairy dishes. Today, we find Jews of all ages and backgrounds with a growing interest in kashrus and kosher homemaking. For first-hand accounts of people who have kashered their homes click here.

Electronic Letters of Certification Available

08 | 15 | 2013

In keeping with Star-K’s commitment to providing prompt, efficient service, Star-K companies will now have the option of receiving their Letter of Certification (LOC) electronically. This enhancement is especially useful for companies that send multiple LOC’s to each of their customers. For example, rather than faxing a five-page LOC to a long list of customers, Star-K companies will be only a click away from electronic LOC distribution. All their customers can receive the data they need in seconds.

Kosher 101

Definitions
The Jewish religion incorporates within its tenets a regimen of dietary laws. These laws determine which food is acceptable and in conformity with Jewish Law. The word kosher is an adaptation of the Hebrew word meaning fit or proper. It refers to foodstuffs that meet the dietary requirements of Jewish Law.

Acceptability and Service

How does one determine the level of acceptability of a certification?

The best way to begin is by asking your customers, distributors, or companies selling products similar to yours, about their experiences with a particular certification.

STAR-K Kosher Certification Hosts Back-to-Back Training Seminars

07 | 21 | 2013

http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/kashrus-corner/178543/star-k-kosher-certification-hosts-back-to-back-training-seminars.html

Is a kosher caterer’s non-Jewish chef allowed to squeeze the juice of fresh grapes into the food he is preparing for an event? Questions such as these, and more, were answered by HaRav Moshe Heinemann, shlit’a, at STAR-K Kosher Certification’s back-to-back seminars, held in their home offices, earlier this month. Participants joined the Foodservice Kashrus Training Seminar, July 1-3, and the Tenth Annual Kashrus Training Program, July 8-11, from across the US, Mexico, and Canada.

Rabbi Yechiel Biberfeld, who has been the Rosh Kollel of the Philadelphia Community Kollel for 13 years, attended the Tenth Annual Kashrus Training program so he could see and hear, first hand, the behind-the-scenes in Kashrus.

“I would like to see the standards of kashrus in our community be even better than they are already,” said Rabbi Biberfeld. “The information and insight from the STAR-K seminar will be helpful in attaining this goal. It gives you […]

Kashrus Foodservice Training Seminar

July 1-3, 2013

Expertise and Knowledge

It is also imperative that you make inquiries regarding the level of expertise and knowledge that the various agencies have about your particular industry. For example, if you are producing a food chemical such as citric acid or an amino acid, be sure that the Rabbi making the initial plant visit is familiar with industrial fermentations. Otherwise, his lack of understanding will almost certainly interfere with a smooth trouble-free certification.

Negotiating Terms & Fees

Negotiating terms
One issue which may not be so obvious when first negotiating terms of kosher certification, but may be a very serious concern later on, is your need to know in advance if your raw ingredient suppliers will require kosher certification. If they do, will their present certification which they may already have, be acceptable? Although in most instances reputable agencies accept the certifications of other reputable agencies, there are a disturbing number of exceptions to this rule.