STAR-K Webinar: Pre-Pesach Conversation 2024
April 2024
Rabbi Zvi Goldberg and Rabbi Baruch Beyer present timely information about a variety of Pesach-related topics, including a quick review of what’s new, how to manage your food-buying budget, baby food, almond flour, kitniyos, matzah, and much much more.
Check out the wide variety of podcasts that are part of The Kosher Conversation, a STAR-K media production.
Preparing/Kashering the Pesach Kitchen
Updated February 2024
As the Yom Tov of Pesach nears, and the diligent balabusta begins to tackle the challenge of preparing the kitchen for Pesach, undoubtedly the light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to shine. Although moving into a separate Pesach home sounds very inviting, such luxuries are often not affordable and definitely not in the Pesach spirit. Among the basic mitzvos of the chag is the mitzvah of tashbisu se’or mibateichem, ridding one’s home and possessions of chometz. However, if we are to use kitchen equipment, utensils, or articles that can be found in our kitchen year-round, it may be insufficient to just clean them thoroughly. One is forbidden to use these items unless they have been especially prepared for Pesach. This preparation process is known as kashering.
The Torah instructs us that the proper kashering method used to […]
Kashering for Pesach According to Sephardi Minhagim
View / Download PDF of Article Here
מקצת הלכות הגעלת והכשרת הכלים לפסח לפי מנהגי ספרדים
Utensils that are used during the year with chometz are forbidden to be used during Pesach without kashering them according to Halacha. From the time it is prohibited to eat chometz on Erev Pesach, it is forbidden to use the utensils without kashering them according to Halacha. The proper kashering method used to rid a vessel of chometz is dependent upon the original method of food preparation through which chometz was absorbed into the vessel.1We do not recite a bracha when kashering an item since it is a negative commandment not to consume the taste of non-kosher food.2Sephardic custom is that the method of kashering depends upon the most common usage of the vessel. Therefore, it is sufficient to pour boiling hot water […]
Halachos of Taking Medicine on Pesach
Reviewed January 2024
For many years, Rav Gershon Bess prepared a Guide for Pesach Medications and Cosmetics which was published and distributed by Kollel Los Angeles. A partnership with STAR-K and the Kollel to make this information more widely available to the general public is still going strong after more than a quarter century. The Medications and Cosmetics Guide, available in Jewish bookstores nationwide, serves as an invaluable resource for kosher consumers seeking to purchase these items for Yom Tov.
Sefer Kovetz Halachos (Hilchos Pesach 12:4) states in the name of HaRav Shmuel Kamenetzky, shlit”a, that lechatchila one should take a medication approved for Pesach and mentions the availability and use of reliable Pesach lists and guides (see Hilchos Pesach, ibid., footnote 5).
The halachos pertaining to medication and cosmetic use on Pesach are based on the joint psak of Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, shlit”a, and Rav Gershon Bess, shlit”a.
THE MEDICINE LIST DOES NOT […]
Advice for People with Celiac, Food Allergies and Gluten-Free Restrictions on Pesach
Updated February 2024
Yomim Tovim are synonymous with food—and lots of it! During Pesach, the temptation to eat and overeat, perhaps the wrong things for eight straight days, is extra challenging. The good news is that you don’t have to resolve to store away those extra pounds which you will regret just as you store away your Pesach dishes for next year. STAR-K is grateful to Sarah Klugman, RD, for sharing her Pesach nutrition advice on which this article is based. They include tips for gluten-free and celiac individuals, as well as those with various food allergies.
Sarah Klugman suggests, “Always make Kiddush in the morning. It’s the key to a successful day! Use light grape juice 1 and have a starch or fruit and milk. Regarding when to make Kiddush and how to fulfill Kiddush b’makom seuda, consult your rav. Good ideas are: starch/fruit and milk; fruit and yogurt; […]
Pesach Shiurim for Matzah & Wine – For Healthy Individuals and for Diabetics / Those with Food Allergies
Updated February 2024
The challenge of diabetes seems ten-fold when it comes to Pesach. There are a whole new set of considerations – among them, four cups of wine at each Seder; a many-hour wait until Shulchan Aruch; and knowing the carb content of a single hand matzah.
These are real concerns for people with diabetes and related health issues who wish to fulfill the requirements of Pesach al pi halacha without compromising their health. STAR-K has turned to the Jewish Diabetes Association (JDA) for answers, and the JDA has kindly provided the following guidelines to help you prepare your matzah and wine.
NOTE: The following are guidelines for achilas matzah and arba kosos for both healthy individuals and for those challenged with diabetes or food allergies. When in doubt, consult with a rav.1a
I. Matzah
The stipulations for minimum shiurim for matzah, which follow, are based on the psak of Rav Moshe […]
Halachos of Using Cosmetics and Personal Care Items on Pesach
Reviewed January 2024
In addition to pharmaceutical companies, Rav Gershon Bess also contacts many cosmetic companies and bases the following chometz-free list on his research. L’Halacha, all non-food items not fit for canine consumption – nifsal mei’achilas kelev (i.e., something that one would not feed his dog) – may be used on Pesach. This includes all cosmetics, soaps, ointments, and creams.1 Nonetheless, people have acted stringently with regard to these items.
Below are several reasons why people are strict:
Many products, including shaving lotion and perfume, contain denatured alcohol which can be restored to regular alcohol (see Igros Moshe O.C. 3:62). According to some opinions, one should not use such products if chometz-based. (Sefer Kovetz Halachos Pesach Chapter 12, footnote 7 has a brief discussion regarding the different opinions). The STAR-K Pesach Guide lists products which do not use chometz-based alcohols.
The Biur Halacha (326:10 B’shaar) writes in the […]
The Kashrus, Shabbos, and Pesach Guide to Cosmetics
Updated February 2024
Ezra Hasofer established ten takanos (laws) covering a wide spectrum of Jewish life.1 The purpose of these takanos was to enhance Torah study, Shabbos, the Jewish communal court system, and the sanctity of the Jewish home and marriage. One of the takanos was that salesmen should travel from town to town to supply perfume and fragrances to the women of each community.2 It is clear that these items were important in Jewish life since ancient times.
The STAR-K hotline receives numerous inquiries relating to cosmetics and halacha. One must know the answers to questions regarding these products that are commonly used. Does lipstick require kosher certification? During Pesach, may one use perfume or makeup that contains chometz? Are any cosmetics permissible for use on Shabbos and Yom Tov?
Because these halachos are complex, it is important for consumers to have a clear grasp of the numerous issues and […]
The Busiest Day of the Year: The Laws of Erev Pesach
Reviewed January 2024
Erev Pesach is one of the busiest and most unique days of the year. With every hour comes another set of halachos. Many halachic times, including the time for searching for chometz and the latest time for eating chometz, are well known. However, many halachos of Erev Pesach are often confusing and not commonly understood. The purpose of this article is to elucidate some of the lesser known laws of Erev Pesach.
Note: These halachos apply to Erev Pesach that occurs on a weekday. If Erev Pesach occurs on Shabbos, special halachos apply to both Friday (13th of Nissan) and Shabbos (Erev Pesach). Refer to the Erev Pesach Shabbos article on our site.
CHOMETZ
Searching for Chometz – The opening line of Maseches Pesachim states that one should search for chometz on the night of the 14th of Nissan […]
Halachos of The Pesach Seder
Reviewed February 2023
View / Download PDF of Article Here
The following contains halachic guidance concerning some of the common issues that arise when conducting a Pesach Seder. In particular, it discusses preparation for the Seder, the four cups of wine, and the obligation to eat matzah, Maror, Koreich and Afikomen. This is by no means comprehensive. For a more comprehensive guide, see HaSeder HaAruch by Rabbi Moshe Yaakov Weingarten (three volumes, 1431 pages).
Preparations for the Seder
A person should complete all of the necessary preparations for the Seder on Erev Pesach to enable him to start the Seder without delay.1 (If Erev Pesach falls on Shabbos, he cannot prepare for the Seder on Erev Pesach since he may not prepare for Yom Tov on Shabbos.)
The following preparations should be made prior to Yom Tov:
If meat or chicken will be eaten at the Seder, […]
The Traveler’s Halachic Guide to Hotels (Including Guidelines for Shabbos and Pesach)
Updated February 2024
Yosef chose the hotel he was staying in for its many amenities, not the least of which was the free Continental Breakfast it offered its guests. Surely, when kosher symbols on products are becoming more and more prevalent, he wouldn’t starve! The breakfast menu included cereals, pancakes, waffles, muffins, pre-cut fruits and vegetables, hardboiled eggs, as well as hot coffee and juices. Can Yosef eat anything offered on the Continental Breakfast menu, or should he prepare his own breakfast using the microwave and coffeemaker in his hotel room?
Chana’s brother’s bar mitzvah, held in a hotel during Shabbos, turned out to be a real nightmare! The closet light went on automatically when she opened the closet door; the housekeeper had turned off the light in her room, preventing her from reviewing her Parsha notes; she drank a bottle of water from her room’s ‘refreshment bar’ which unbeknown to her […]
Navigating the Ins and Outs of Renting an Airbnb (Including Guidelines for Shabbos and Pesach)
Winter 2024
Who would have imagined, just a few years ago, that you could go on vacation and rent a stranger’s private home? But that is exactly what people now do every day, with the rise of Airbnb and similar short-term rental platforms that list millions of units in over 100,000 cities.[1]
A Torah-observant individual who enters into such an arrangement will encounter numerous halachic challenges when signing up as an Airbnb “guest.” This includes properties listed as “kosher” – even ones in Israel – since an owner usually cannot vouch for every renter who has used the kitchen, nor for each renter’s kashrus standards, which can vary widely. Likewise, one who owns and is the “host” of an Airbnb property will have to address his own set of halachic concerns. Let’s analyze some of the more common ones.
Kashrus Concerns During the Year (Excluding Pesach)
The primary area of concern for […]
What To Do If Chometz is Found During Pesach
Reviewed February 2024
Erev Pesach (after the time of Biur Chometz)
If you find chometz on Erev Pesach after the latest time for biur chometz:
If you sold your chometz earlier that morning: You should move the chometz that you found to the place that you are storing the chometz that you sold.
If you did not sell your chometz earlier that morning: You should burn it.
First Day of Pesach
If you find chometz on the first day of Pesach: You should cover it with a utensil.
See below for further instructions for the subsequent days of Pesach.
Second Day of Pesach
If you find chometz on the second day of Pesach, or if you found chometz on the first day of Pesach and had covered it:
If you sold your chometz before Pesach, or you said ‘Kol Chamira’ before Pesach, or the chometz that you found was less than a kezayis: You should cover it with a utensil […]
Guide to Buying Chometz After Pesach
Updated February 2024
From a Jewish-Owned Store That Did Not Sell Its Chometz to a Non-Jew Before Pesach
The Torah forbids a Jew to own chometz on Pesach. In order to dissuade people from owning chometz on Pesach, there is a rabbinic injunction not to eat or benefit from chometz which was owned by a Jew during Pesach. Such chometz is known as chometz she’avar alav haPesach, and it remains forbidden permanently.1
For this reason, one should not buy chometz from a Jewish-owned store immediately after Pesach, unless the owner sold all chometz that he owned before Pesach to a non-Jew for the duration of Pesach and did not acquire any further chometz during Pesach. The laws of mechiras chometz (selling chometz to a non-Jew for Pesach) are complex; therefore, the sale must be made by a competent rabbi or kashrus authority.
If a Jewish-owned store did not sell its chometz for […]
The Kosher Conversation Episode 3: Pesach Hotels
Pesach Hotels with Rabbi Zvi Holland
Pesach hotels are a long-standing, much maligned institution in Jewish communities in America and around the world. Rabbi Holland takes us behind the scenes and gives us his insight into what it takes to plan, prepare and run a Kosher for Passover program.
“Beer” Chometz – An overview of Beer Distribution in New York and Chometz She’avar Alav haPesach
UPDATED: As of May 10, 2018, all beer can be assumed from after Pesach.
Updated April 10, 2018 | 25 Nissan 5778
It has come to our attention that much of the beer sold in New York and surrounding counties is distributed by a Jewish owned company, creating a potential Chometz She’avar Alav haPesach issue for our communities. The following is a brief explanation of the issue.
Click here for a list of beers that are of concern.
Click here for a list of brands that may be purchased anywhere.
What exactly is Chometz?
The Torah[1] forbids eating any chometz – leavened grain products during Pesach. Simply defined, leavening is dough or batter that has increased in volume either through yeasts or chemical means. The process of how this happens is the following.
A chemical leaven such as sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) react with compounds naturally present in the dough to produce carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide […]
From Wheatfield to Pesach Table: STAR-K Kosher Certification Takes You Behind the Scenes at Migrash Farm
The hefty $20-$50 price per pound of handmade shmura matzah may cause you to raise your eyebrows, especially when comparing it to the price of machine-made matzah, but if you only knew what goes into manufacturing the crisp, paper-thin, artisanal specialty item you would understand why it is so pricey.
To keep up with the increasing demand for handmade shmura matzah, matzah bakeries around the world start baking as early as October! But, actually, the labor-intensive process of producing STAR-K certified shmura flour began a few months before, in July. That is when HaRav Moshe Heinemann visited the 28-acre Migrash Farm—located inside the Chesapeake Watershed, just a stone’s throw from STAR-K’s Baltimore headquarters. The farmer, R’ Yosef Hertzmark, who doubles as a STAR-K menaker, accompanied the Rav as he walked the fields to supervise the shmura wheat harvest, deeming its extra level of scrutiny– “shmurah m’shaas ketzira” (guarded from the time […]
STAR-K Hotline’s Most Popular Pesach Questions
Over 30 years ago, STAR-K Kosher Certification recognized a deep community need for a hotline. Today, the STAR-K Kosher Hotline answers close to 100,000 questions, annually, from consumers calling in from around the world. It is comprised of a team of seven highly-trained receptionists who answer the questions from a written script. All answers are pre-approved by one of the STAR-K Rabbonim, who are available to elaborate on certain questions. As the phones continue to ring off the hook since Shushan Purim, the hotline has received close to 6000 questions, in addition to the many hundreds we received via email and our app. These are the top ten questions that have been asked.
If my oven is self-clean, do I just turn it on to kasher it?
It’s not enough since the door and opposing face of the oven don’t usually get hot enough to clean. First clean those areas, then turn […]
“Beer” Chometz – An overview of Beer Distribution in Baltimore and Chometz She’avar Alav haPesach
It is by now well known that much of the beer sold in Baltimore and surrounding counties is distributed by Jewish owned companies, creating a significant Chometz She’avar Alav haPesach issue for our community. The following is a brief explanation of the issue.
What exactly is Chometz?
The Torah[1] forbids eating any chometz – leavened grain products during Pesach. Simply defined, leavening is dough or batter that has increased in volume either through yeasts or chemical means. The process of how this happens is the following.
A chemical leaven such as sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) react with compounds naturally present in the dough to produce carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide (CO2) released from this reaction becomes trapped inside the dough, thereby causing the dough to expand – and rise.
Another way to cause dough to rise is through a process called fermentation. Yeast, a fungus naturally present in grains (or commonly added […]
Pesach Webinar 2016
A Guide To Purchasing Chometz After Pesach
Published Spring 2015
The Torah forbids a Jew to own chometz on Pesach . In order to dissuade people from owning chometz on Pesach , there is a rabbinic injunction not to eat or benefit after Pesach from chometz which was owned by a Jew during Pesach . Such chometz is known as chometz sheovar olov haPesach , and it remains forbidden permanently.1
For this reason, one should not buy chometz from a Jewish-owned store immediately after Pesach , unless the owner sold all chometz that he owned before Pesach to a non-Jew for the duration of Pesach , and did not acquire any further chometz during Pesach . The laws of mechiras chometz (selling chometz to a gentile for Pesach ) are complex, therefore the sale must be made by a competent rabbi or kashrus authority.
If a Jewish-owned store did not […]
STAR-K Kosher Certification Seminar Helps Consumers Around the World Get Ready for Pesach
A Guide to Erev Pesach That Occurs on Shabbos
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:
For Good Measure: Baking with Gluten-Free Blends, Whole Wheat Flour, Sourdough and at Challah Bakes
Spring 2024
Once upon a time, baking a loaf of bread was simple. Today, when gluten-free blends and processed whole wheat flour are found in many homes, that is no longer the case. Baking with sourdough starters and group baking at “challah bakes” have also become popular. The halachos involved are complex and bear examination.
Let’s begin with a review of the measurements necessary for mitzvos related to regular wheat flour.[1]
Mitzvos Involving Wheat Flour
► Separating Challah (hafrashas challah) Without a Bracha – One should separate challah without a bracha when kneading a dough that contains at least 8 ⅔ cups of wheat flour (on average 2.6 lbs.).[2]
► Separating Challah With a Bracha – There are differences of opinion as to how much flour is needed to recite a bracha. Some individuals do so when kneading at least 12 ¼ cups of flour (slightly more than 3 ⅔ lbs.).[3] Others only do so when kneading at least 5 lbs. of […]
Acids in Digestion
Spring 2024
When my father z”l went to pharmacy school at George Washington University, his course of study had a heavy concentration of chemistry. His background in chemistry proved extremely useful in his forty-year career as an examiner in the U.S. Patent Office. On his workbench, he had shoe boxes with all his pharmacological paraphernalia: Bunsen burners, beakers, and little vials of litmus paper. As a child, I remember my fascination with watching the red litmus paper turn blue when dipped into a base and the blue litmus paper turn red when dipped into an acid. These were literal litmus tests, a term which over time has crept into everyday language to denote a means of determining an outcome.
Although the world of industrial kashrus may not require the deep analysis found in chemistry textbooks, it behooves kashrus administrators and mashgichim to have a working knowledge of chemical compositions and formulations. Solid […]
What’s “New” in Chodosh
Winter 2024
The Torah states[1] that chodosh (new) crops of the five grains may not be eaten until after the second day of Pesach (outside of Israel, not until the third day).[2] Thus, grain harvested in the summer of 2023 would not be allowed until Pesach 2024. On the other hand, yoshon (old) crops, which were harvested in the summer of 2022, became permitted after Pesach 2023. Grain planted at least two weeks or more before Pesach are permitted upon harvest, since they took root before Pesach.[3]
Outside of Israel, there are various customs based on numerous sources as to whether or not one needs to be stringent about using only yoshon products (see Rabbi Mordechai Frankel’s article in this issue). Each person should consult their rav for guidance. In Israel, however, these leniencies do not apply. Therefore, any product from Israel bearing a reliable kosher […]
Controlling Your Temper
Winter 2024
The baalei mussar, our guides in ethical character development, have instructed us that in order to develop and refine one’s behavior, one has to control one’s temper.
Controlling temper in manufacturing is a means to refine and improve the quality of the product in question. When steel is tempered, the resiliency of the steel is improved through the process of heating and cooling. When chocolate is tempered, through a similar process of heating and cooling (albeit at a much lower temperature), the chocolate acquires a lustrous, luxurious sheen, impervious to changes in color.
Likewise, tempering grain for milling improves the grain so that the final product – wheat flour – is rendered white and fluffy. The source of this final product is the humble wheat kernel.
A wheat kernel or berry is the seed of the wheat plant and is comprised of three edible parts: the nutritious bran wrapped protectively around the […]
The Kashrus of Tea—With No Strings Attached!
Summer 2013
Americans generally do not drink as much tea as the rest of the world. This may have something to do with a certain party they had in Boston a while back. That being the case, you might be surprised to learn that tea is second only to water in worldwide beverage consumption. In fact, some estimates place tea consumption in the billions of cups daily. That’s a lot of tea. However, with recent health benefits being ascribed to tea, its popularity in this country is definitely on the rise. In this article we will explore the world of tea vis-a-vis kashrus and halacha. First, a little background is in order.
BACKGROUND
Tea is a processed leaf. It is grown on a tea tree which, if allowed to grow wild, would reach 30 or more feet in height. On tea plantations, the main trunk of the seedlings is cut to produce a […]
The Knead to Know: The Rise of Sourdough
Fall 2023
We are all familiar with the Torah’s directive to rid our homes of chometz in order to prepare for Pesach. The Torah uses two terms when instructing us in the cleaning process: chometz and se’or.
Ask any talmid or talmida: “What is chometz,” and you will get a very erudite response. Ask the next question: “What is se’or,” and seven out of ten will shrug and say, “I dunno,” while the other three might venture, “Sourdough?” When you follow up and ask them to define sourdough, most – if not all – will say, “I dunno!”
Today, more and more homes are seeing sourdough boules find their way into their bread baskets. With its “rise” in popularity, it is only natural that we look into this new trend and ask, “Ma nishtana sourdough bread from its conventional counterpart? Are there halachic and practical differences?”
Wheat and Bread Making Fundamentals
Let’s begin by reviewing […]
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