Author Archives: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Kashrus With a Lot of Gall: The Nut That Isn’t

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Summer 2025

Every year at the STAR-K Chanuka mesiba, Rav Moshe Heinemann shlit”a, STAR-K’s Rabbinic Administrator, rises to address the assembled. His annual message consists of a brief Chanuka dvar Torah, expressions of hakaras hatov to the entire staff, and a reiteration of the uncompromising principles of emes and shalom by which STAR-K is governed.

This year, he added the following to his divrei chizuk: “Good kashrus requires a clear understanding of products, process, and all the source materials that go into a certified product. What are they?

“Take nuts, for example. Hazelnuts, also known as filberts, are classical tree nuts. The bracha for all nuts grown on a tree is Borei Pri Ha’eitz.

“Peanuts, unlike their other shelled counterparts, grow in the ground. The bracha for peanuts is Borei Pri Ha’adama.

“Doughnuts,” he quipped, “are Borei Minei Mezonos. And what bracha do you make on a gallnut? None!”

“What is a gallnut? A gallnut is […]

Vinegar: Doing Kashrus Tastefully

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Spring 2025

Vinegar has a long and storied history and plays a highly-prized role in every aspect of modern life – whether as a nutrient, flavorant, preservative or household cleanser. The name vinegar is derived from the French “vin aigre, which literally means sour wine. According to legend, its discovery is credited to a neglected barrel of wine that had been left in storage and allowed to ferment and become sour.

We find several references to vinegar in both Tanach and the Gemara. A nazir is forbidden to consume anything derived from grapes, which includes wine vinegar;[1] Dovid Hamelech accuses his tormentors metaphorically of giving him vinegar to quench his thirst;[2] Boaz’s workers dip their bread in vinegar;[3] and Mar Ukva refers to himself as “Chometz ben Yayin” – Vinegar, the son of Wine – when comparing himself to his father’s degree of piety.[4]

Vinegar […]

Destination Simcha: From Meat Board to Surfboard

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Winter 2025

Forty years ago, the Lakeshore Hebrew Day School of New Orleans celebrated its 10th Anniversary Dinner in one of the premier hotels in the Vieux Carré, under the supervision of the local Orthodox rabbi. The day school then housed the New Orleans Kollel, of which I was a member. The event was so special that my Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Henoch Leibowitz ztz”l, was brought in as the guest speaker.

Before the event, we met extensively with the hotel chef, the pastry chef, and the food and beverage director to ensure that – even though the hotel was kosher certified – there would be no kashrus hiccups. When the big day arrived, I came with a crew made up of the chevrei hakollel to supervise the cooking for the event. Imagine our alarm when the chef showed us the “kosher” soup kettle – gleaming on the inside but encrusted with crawfish […]

From Dregs to Riches

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Fall 2024

In medieval folklore, alchemists were supposedly able to transform lead into gold. Their craft was the stuff of fantasy. But in contemporary life, through the wonders of kosher food science, we are witness to a veritable world of transformation. An impressive example of chemical transformation that would make an alchemist envious is the production of silica gel.

The Chemical Transformation of Sand

Silica gel is a desiccant. It is a highly versatile industrial product, used to absorb moisture in toothpaste, paint and telephone wires, among a myriad of other uses. Granules of silica gel fill the little white packets marked “do not swallow” in your shoe boxes. Kosher food applications include silica gel in spices as an anti-caking agent or as an absorbent in an oil refinery.

Chemically, the basic raw material for silica gel is sodium silicate. More simply, we know it as sand. When sodium silicate is mixed with sulfuric […]

Acids in Digestion

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

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 […]

Controlling Your Temper

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

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 Knead to Know: The Rise of Sourdough

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

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 […]

Cool Drinks for a Hot Summer Day: A Review

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Summer 2023

Each summer the STAR-K Hotline fields hundreds of questions from concerned kosher consumers, thirsty to know: Is my Slurpee kosher? Do smart waters need a hechsher? What are the concerns with shaved ice and sno-cone stands? We stand ready to quench your thirst for information!

Carbonated Beverages

Carbonated beverages involve two major processes: compounding the flavor bases to create the flavor, and bottling the finished product when the sweetening agents, carbonation and water are added.

Soft drinks are compounded into soda flavor bases at one of three locations: the bottling facility, a separate technical center dedicated to blending soda emulsions, or an outside flavor house. In the latter case, the flavor house will create custom emulsions with specifications laid out by the soft drink company.

Regardless of the location, the most intensive part of kosher soft drink certification entails compounding, since this is when the kashrus of the flavors, colors, oils and blending […]

Why the “D” in Non-Dairy?

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Summer 2023

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary offers the following definitions for the noun dairy: the department of farming or of a farm that is concerned with the production of milk, butter, and cheese; milk from a cow or other domestic animal (such as a goat); and food (such as ice cream, cheese, or yogurt) made primarily of or from milk.

Today, a dairy is far more than a producer of milk products. If we were to explore a modern-day dairy, a far more accurate definition would be: an establishment that processes milk; milk products, such as ice cream, buttermilk and yogurt shakes; non-dairy alternative frozen desserts; non-dairy novelties, such as ices and popsicles; and non-dairy beverages, such as juices, fruit punch and tea.

Unquestionably, liquid milk production is the bread and butter of a successful dairy plant. Juices and teas are suitable side dishes and, of course, the pièce de resistance is ice cream […]

Who Has Whom…Over the Barrel?

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Kashrus Kurrents, Spring 2023

The immortal words of Koheles, “l’kol zman va’eis” – there
is a time and a place for everything – rings true in all of life’s twists and turns
and is certainly relevant in the world of kashrus and kashrus standards. Kosher
food certification has grown exponentially, and standards have improved with
age. Who would have dreamed that pas Yisroel, bishul Yisroel, and
cholov Yisroel would be available to the wider kosher marketplace?

Forty years ago, a can of tuna with bishul Yisroel and hashgacha
temidis was a rare commodity. Many a yeshiva would resort to stam cholov
when cholov Yisroel wasn’t available, something that would be
unheard of half a century later. Yoshon was an anomaly, except for the
meticulous few; today, yoshon is a kosher household term and it
continues to proliferate.

These amazing developments across a variety of industries are a
testament to the tireless diligence of kashrusagencies who strive to
provide the kosher consumer with the finest […]

Rice: Nature’s Answer To Hashem’s Blessings

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Kashrus Kurrents, Winter 2023

It has been touted as nature’s most versatile food. There is no single
grain that feeds more people around the globe and, because it is free of gluten
and allergens, can be tolerated by most everyone. It is the most widely
consumed staple for over half of the world’s human population.[1]

When the Gemara in Brachos discusses the brachos that
are made before and after eating this versatile grain, the mnemonic used to
remember the poskim’s conclusion is אמן: Orez, Mezonos, Nefashos. The grain we are discussing is
Oryza sativa, which the Gemara refers to as orez.[2] We
know it, simply, as rice.

There are over 7,000 varieties of rice grown worldwide. Rice is mostly consumed in the Asian regions from Japan in the east
to Pakistan in the west and, after sugarcane and maize, is the third most
produced agricultural crop in the world.[3] China
and India account for more than half […]

Seeing the Forest From the Bees

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Kashrus Kurrents, Fall 2022

Eretz zavas chalav u’devash was surely music to Moshe Rabbeinu’s ears, and no doubt filled his heart with anticipation of a yeshua.

When the Ribono
Shel Olam commissioning Moshe to assume the leadership of Bnei Yisroel at
the Sneh, He promised that Bnei Yisroel were to be emancipated from
their servitude in Egypt and brought to a wonderful land, an eretz zavas chalav u’devash, a land
flowing with milk and honey. This description surely conjured
up the glorious image of a land abounding in delicious, sweet milk and heavenly
honey, a land of prosperity and, on a deeper level, an exceptional makom
that exuded kedusha v’tahara (sanctity and holiness) and the Ribono Shel
Olam’s special Providence.

The
description eretz zavas chalav u’devash not only serves as a beautiful
metaphor to lavish praise on Eretz Yisroel. The Gemara Bechoros points
out that this possuk is actually the mekor (source) for
permitting milk produced by a kosher mammal, as well as honey made […]

A Profile of Courage and Inspiration: A Trip To a Yerushalmi Otzar Beis Din

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Kashrus Kurrents, Summer 2022

Anyone
who has had the opportunity to visit Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh, as
I recently did, will tell you that a must-see experience is a trip to the Geula
neighborhood on Erev Shabbos.

Rechov
Malchai Yisroel could very well be dubbed the commercial heart of the Chareidi community.
The stores pulsate with energy and electricity, while the streets teem with
traffic tie-ups, both on and off the sidewalks. It could be termed a
businessman’s dream or nightmare, depending on one’s ability to handle the
sheer crush of consumers. The side streets, on the other hand, are a labyrinth
of quiet residential apartments. One such quiet street is Rechov Yonah.

For six
out of seven years, the Stern family’s mirpeset (balcony) on Rechov
Yonah looks like any other mirpeset, but this year is not like the
others. During this year, shnas haShemita, the Stern’s mirpeset undergoes
an amazing transformation. Welcome to the Otzar of Bnei Brak – Jerusalem
Branch!

In brief,
the Otzar […]

It Depends Where They Stem From

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Kashrus Kurrents, Spring 2022

There
is a basic principle in Halacha: kol hayotzei m’tamei tamei, kol hayotzei
m’tahor tahor. The crux of that principle is that a product derived from a
non-kosher animal will be deemed not kosher (e.g., pig milk or ostrich eggs),
while a product derived from a kosher animal will be kosher (e.g., chicken eggs
and goat milk). This definition needs more investigation when it comes to stem
cells.

Before
we proceed with this discussion, let’s first step back to the Beginning, to the
Source of all that ‘stems.’

In the Beginning … There Was Change

Change
is sometimes beneficial, at times detrimental, frequently challenging, and often
intriguing. If we take a closer look, change is actually the underlying
force behind brias ha’olam (creation).

The
Ramban offers a riveting insight into unlocking the secret of brias ha’olam
when he draws us close and says, “and now, let me tell you the secret of
creation. The Ribono shel Olam created the world yesh mi’ayin – ex
nihilo […]

Sushi: The Birth of a Yiddishe Meichel

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Kashrus Kurrents, Winter 2022

Our numerous sojourns through Galus not
only defined and influenced the minhagim emerging from those foreign
lands, but also infused our cuisine with bursts of ethnic diversity – pierogi and cholopshkes from
Poland, couscous and harira from Morocco, goulash and strudel from Austro-Hungary,
and gravlax from Scandinavia. Our seudos feature dips from around the
world – schug from Yemen, hummus from the Levant, guacamole from Mexico,
and matbucha from Morocco. As our migration advanced to the shores of the goldene
medina, kosher restaurants sprang up that offered consumers a bevy of
ethnic choices, from Chinese won ton soup and Italian calzones to Persian
kebabs and Lebanese shawarma.

The latest entry to that diverse menu is the
proliferation of sushi – a traditional dish from Japan – that has been wildly
embraced by Jewish communities everywhere and is now nearly as popular as apple
pie (or potato kugel). It has found a place of prominence in virtually every
kosher restaurant, wedding […]

Understanding Kitniyos: What They Are & What They Aren’t

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Reviewed January 2025

View / Download STAR-K Kitniyos Chart Here

As is commonly known, the Torah prohibits chometz on Pesach, and the consequence of chometz consumption on Pesach is very severe. In order to distance us from the possibility of violating Torah precepts, Chazal with their supreme insight, instituted a minhag as a protective fence. The minhag to guard us from chometz violations is to refrain from consuming kitniyos on Pesach.

What Are Kitniyos?

Kitniyos are popularly defined as legumes. But what are legumes? The Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 453, defines kitniyos as those products that can be cooked and baked in a fashion similar to chometz grains, yet are not halachically considered in the same category as chometz. Some examples are rice, corn, peas, mustard seed, and all varieties of beans (i.e., kidney, lima, garbanzo, etc.). The Torah term for the using or fermentation of barley, rye, oats, […]

Machine Matzos: Timing is Everything!

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Reviewed January 2025

Meticulous, scrupulous and passionate are terms that describe the fervor, zeal and seriousness displayed by the kosher consumer regarding Pesach kashrus in general, and Pesach matzos in particular. The kosher consumer has become more sophisticated and savvy with each passing year. Kosher consumers are willing to pay top dollar for a quality kosher product. Pesach matzohs are no exception. Machine matzos with fine mehadrin hechsherim are readily available on the supermarket shelf. Are all machine matzos created equal?

Regarding matzah baking and the time parameters for chimutz, leavening, the Shulchan Aruch1states, “One should not leave the dough dormant, not for a moment.” If the dough is constantly being worked the chimutz process is impeded.However, the Shulchan Aruch continues, “If the dough is left dormant for a ‘mil’, the dough […]

Kosher Consumer Misconsumptions

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Fall 2021

STAR-K’s
consumer Kosher Hotline is constantly abuzz with kashrus inquiries. Close to
5000 consumer calls were logged between Purim and Pesach 5781 alone. Questions
range from product information to complex kitchen shailos, from reliable
kosher airline caterers to wines whose kosher certification symbols are so
small you need a high-powered magnifying glass to read the rav hamachshir’s
name.

Even
with all the available information, consumers still get confused or make incorrect
assumptions that could lead to severe halachic consequences. The following
examples of kosher consumer misconceptions are based on real Kosher Hotline
inquiries. Hopefully, this article will help clarify some common errors.

Misconception 1: Putting an oven into Sabbath Mode allows
one to cook on Shabbos.

Chas v’shalom! The Sabbath Mode does not allow one to cook on Shabbos. The
Sabbath Mode makes a modern oven halachically compliant so that it may be used on
Shabbos and Yom Tov. The purpose of the Sabbath Mode was to address new
technological and computerized features that have created […]

The Chaliva Mashgiach Neither Slumbers nor Sleeps

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Spring 2021

הנה לא ינום ולא ישן שומר חלב ישראל

10:00 AM, 6:00 PM, 2:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 6:00 PM, 2:00 AM – a virtual ‘dairy-go-round’ on an actual carousel for 1700 satisfied participants, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This scenario bears no resemblance to my Mother’s, ע”ה, family cow that she milked in the shtetl about 90 years ago. What do both scenarios have in common? Both produce Cholov Yisroel milk but, oh, how times have changed! There is so much more that must meet the keen eye of a contemporary Cholov Yisroel mashgiach.

When I grew up in Washington, D.C., Cholov Yisroel was a totally unknown term, an unknown entity, and certainly an unknown milk bottle in the refrigerator. But times have changed. Today, Cholov Yisroel is a burgeoning industry, ranging from ice cream novelties to energy bars. However, some […]

Navigating the Pizza Paradox: Pas or Pas Nisht

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Kashrus Kurrents, Winter 2021

If you ask any out-of-town kiruv professional involved in outreach, “What are the two most important community ‘must-haves’ needed to attract baalei teshuvah or create growth in a particular Jewish community?”, nine times out of ten the answer you will get is 1) an eruv and 2) a kosher pizza shop! I can bear witness to this fact. At the beginning of my tenure as executive director of the Vaad Hoer of St. Louis 35 years ago, I sent out a questionnaire to the frum kehilos and the community at large asking what they think would enhance the St. Louis frum community. Believe it or not, the overwhelming response was a kosher pizza shop. Soon thereafter, a kosher pizza shop opened. Subsequently, two community eruvim were also built.

Similarly, over 40 years ago in my shul in Birmingham, Alabama, where the community was too small to support either […]

Mashke Yisroel: Liquor L’Mehadrin Comes of Age: A Behind-The-Scenes interview with Star-K Israel’s Director of Kashrus, Rav Aharon Haskel

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Kashrus Kurrents, Fall 2020

It is an understatement to say that we as a global society are going through unprecedented times. Due to Covid-19, the word ‘unprecedented’ has taken on new and far-reaching connotations. On the lighter side, in the relatively new world of kashrus in the liquor industry, ‘unprecedented’ has become an appropriate term. In general, the world of alcohol has always been shrouded in mystery. However, during the past 25 years, there has been a genuine movement towards greater transparency, and kosher research/analysis has made great strides in revealing the underpinnings of the alluring world of kosher wine and spirits. With the realization that there is significant value in kosher certification, many companies have sought to become certified. As is the case with any company seeking kosher certification, the company must now reveal their ingredients and processes to their kosher certifier. All information is kept confidential under ‘lock and […]

Now You See It, Now You Don’t: A Kosher View of Refined Edible Oils

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

“שמן תורק שמך“ (Shir Hashirim Rabah 1:3) …”Your name is flowing like fine oil”. Shir Hashirim Rabah makes the following insightful observation. Shlomo Hamelech compares Bnei Yisroel to fine oil. Just as fine oil is extracted from its source through crushing and squeezing, so do the innate qualities of Bnei Yisroel emerge as a result of our collective challenges and travails. Similarly, just as oil serves as a glowing source of radiance that fills a room with shining light, so does Bnei Yisroel serve as a light to other nations through their stellar performance of Torah and mitzvos.

Oil is an incredibly remarkable and versatile product of Hashem’s creations and is not limited to olives, the quintessential source of shemen. Oil is found in a plethora of sources, and the means of oil extraction are varied. Moreover, there are remarkable halachic ramifications with various oil extractions. Let’s explore the wondrous world of […]

Keep the Fire Burning Creatively

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

1-איז דרך טוב שידבק בה האדם … רבי שמעון אומר הרואה את הנולד – What is a wise life course of action? Rabbi Shimon says it is seeing the consequences of one’s actions. Our Chachomim, with their keen insight into human nature and the consequences of one’s actions, realized that safeguards have to be instituted in order to keep the קדושה and טהרה of כלל ישראל intact.

2 גדולה לגימה שמקרבת את הרחוקים there is nothing more effective to draw hearts closer (i.e., relationships) than a “geshmak” meal. לגימה is probably the most potent tool that kiruv professionals have in their kiruv arsenal. The “לגימה” factor is part and parcel of human nature and socialization. Unfortunately, we have seen how potentially dangerous “innocent” socialization can create serious pitfalls. As a precaution against unnecessary socialization, our חכמים3 have instructed that certain בושח foods served at important functions must be monitored by a יהודי […]

A Time and Place for Almost Everything

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Introduction:
Years ago, on a transatlantic flight, I had an interesting exchange with another passenger sitting across the aisle. He was traveling with his family, and they were obviously very European. Out of curiosity he asked, “What do American children eat for breakfast?” I responded, “All varieties of cold cereal;” that is the anchor of the All American breakfast. He reacted with a tone of disdain, “That is what we would feed animals!” I countered, “So, what do you serve your children?” “Porridge!” was the reply. Porridge, I said to myself. That’s the staple of the Three Bears!

Of course, every country has their own breakfast menu and what one culture might consider to be an elegant repast would not pass muster in a different district or region. In fact, the laws of בישול עכו”ם reflect these differences of זמן and מקום, time and place. What qualifies as עולה על שלחן […]

A Cut Above – Or Is It?

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Much discussion and halachic energy have been expended discussing the halachic legitimacy of Norelco’s Lift-and-Cut shavers. The Lift-and-Cut claims to lift up the hair by one blade and then cut it with a second blade, instead of using a screen-blade scissor action.

It is a fascinating fact that the lift-and-cut “technology” is based on a concept fostered by Gillette razor blade producers that if you insert two razor blades together with a slight gap between them, the first will pull the shaft of the hair up and the second blade will cut the hair below the skin line. Hence, the term “lift and cut”.

Bear in mind that the edge of the razor blade is sharpened to a point of .1mm to .2mm (1/16 of an inch = 1.5mm), so the point of a razor is unquestionably razor sharp! However, users of the dual blade have dispelled the lift-and-cut “theory”. Below are […]

Danger-Sakana: Keeping Our Food Safe & Healthy

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

In an ongoing effort to keep food processing on a high level of quality, a new position known as Director of Food Safety has been created in the Quality Assurance departments of food processors. In fact, there is a relatively new certification program that companies undergo known as SQF certification. SQF stands for Safe Quality Food, and there are different levels of SQF certification: 1, 2 or 3.

SQF standards are very rigorous, some may say bordering on excessive. However, the repercussions can be devastating if a company’s production environment is compromised or unsanitary. A common nemesis to food producers that Quality Assurance valiantly tries to battle is the presence of E-coli, bacteria comprised of many different strains that are commonly found in one’s intestines. Most are harmless, yet there are some E-coli that can cause severe food poisoning.

When the bagged salad industry was in its fledgling stage, E-coli food poisoning […]

K’Tapuach B’Atzei HaYa’ar Like an Apple in the Orchard

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

The Talmud1 records a very interesting exchange between two Amoraim, Rava and Rav Pappa. Rava raised a legal query which Rav Pappa heartily answered. To that response, Rava exclaimed, “Sadnai!” Rashi gives two explanations to the approbation, Sadnai. One explanation is that Rava’s exclamation attests to Rav Pappa’s keen scholarship. When Rava extolled Rav Pappa’s scholarship, he implied that his insight was so great that Rav Pappa was able to uncover the underlying “secrets” (“sode”) of Torah. Another explanation of the term “sadnai” is a testimonial to Rav Pappa’s expertise as an expert brewer. He knew the mystery of creating a successful brew of beer.

Which variety of beer was Rav Pappa brewing? The Gemara in Pesachim,2 where this exchange between Rava and Rav Pappa was also recorded, tells us that he was brewing date beer. Brewing beer was popular in Talmudic and pre-Talmudic times. As far back as […]

Hot Off the Hotline

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

(All answers are based on the psak of Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, shlita, Star-K Rabbinic Administrator.)

Q: What type of aged cheese requires one to wait six hours before eating meat?

A: Generally speaking, aging of cheese is an ongoing process, which occurs when the bacteria found in cheese breaks down the lactose (the milk sugar), creating lactic acid, thereby changing the physical property of the cheese, giving it a sharper flavor.

A good example of this aging process would be if someone were to leave a wedge of Muenster cheese in a nice warm environment until the cheese becomes “tangy.” The housewife would call it spoiled; a cheese maven would call it flavorful. Historically, flavorful cheese took about six months to age. The longer the cheese aged the harder it became. In Italy today, one can find some […]

Hot Off the Hotline

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Amongst the number of recent eye opening events that have impacted the Jewish community, a discovery was made last May regarding the halachic status of New York tap water. The New York kosher consumer was shaken by the fact that New York tap water, which had the reputation of being one of the most pure, clean, and natural water available, contains unwelcome visitors called copepods that are visible to the human eye. In spite of that fact that this was a New York discovery, the Star-K hotline in Baltimore was abuzz with inquiries of “Can we drink the water?!” This is the Star-K response regarding copepods in drinking water based on discussions with Rav Moshe Heinemann Shlit”a, Star-K Rabbinical Administrator.

Q: What are copepods?

A: Copepods, also known as “insects of the sea,” are crustaceans that are found wherever water is […]

Life is Not a Dress Rehearsal: Making Your Simcha a Star Performance

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Summer 2018

The joy, the planning, the anticipation, the expense — there is a lot that goes into a Yiddishe simcha. Be it a chasuna, Bar Mitzvah, or bris – every significant life cycle event is extra special, and the baalei simcha want to ensure that their guests have a good time. Central to that goal is a delicious seudas mitzvah. Endless hours of planning are spent making sure everything is perfect, from the décor to the menu. Is the same effort expended regarding the kashrus level of the event?

If the simcha is being catered, does the caterer have reliable kosher certification? As catering costs have risen, consumers have opted to cater their own simchas. This article will attempt to address some key issues that one should consider when self- catering an event.

The Kiddush

Pre-planning your Kiddush is the best strategy to guarantee that the simcha will encounter a minimum amount […]