Winter 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 Carr\u00e9, 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\u201dl<\/em>, was brought in as the guest speaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before the event, we met extensively with the hotel chef, the pastry chef, and the food and beverage director to ensure that \u2013 even though the hotel was kosher certified \u2013 there would be no kashrus hiccups. When the big day arrived, I came with a crew made up of the chevrei hakollel<\/em> to supervise the cooking for the event. Imagine our alarm when the chef showed us the \u201ckosher\u201d soup kettle \u2013 gleaming on the inside but encrusted with crawfish on the outside! To say it was a very long day is a gross understatement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Decidedly, kashrus has come a long way since then. Nevertheless, kashrus challenges constantly arise with the advent of new trends, advancements in technology, and changing practices in global productions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two truisms when preparing for a lifecycle event: (1) The more preplanning prior to the event, the fewer problems will be encountered; and (2) Murphy\u2019s Law \u2013 there will always be problems! In view of these truisms, it is incumbent on ba\u2019alei simcha<\/em> to have as much awareness as possible about potential kashrus pitfalls so they can avert simcha<\/em> crises and enjoy their simcha <\/em>\u2013 b\u2019simcha!<\/em> In that spirit, the checklists below should help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In-town simchas are special occasions. There\u2019s no travel involved and we know most of the people in attendance. But when attending a catered event in a hall or shul \u2013 be it a Kiddush, Shalom Zachor or Sheva Brachos \u2013 guests should be aware that the simcha<\/em> might not be under any \u201cofficial\u201d kosher certification, unless the shul is certified, the food service event has been approved by the shul, or if the shul has hired a Vaad mashgiach. If the ba\u2019al simcha<\/em> has hired a party planner, other challenges may arise (see sidebar, \u201cThe Perils of Partnering with a Party Planner<\/a>\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pre-planning your Kiddush is the best strategy to guarantee that the simcha<\/em> will encounter a minimum of glitches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cholent and other hot items are dealt with in the Sheva Brachos section below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mazel Tov! It\u2019s a boy, and he was born on Friday morning. Everyone is rushing and hurrying to get the Shalom Zachor ready. Quick \u2013 get the beer and the arbis<\/em> (chickpeas)! But hold on: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shabbos Sheva Brachos can be a grand undertaking. As the cost of having a caterer has become prohibitive for some, ba\u2019alei simcha<\/em> often opt to cater the event themselves and buy prepared foods from reliably certified food vendors. In the trade, when food is purchased from a caterer or a take-out store, it is referred to as a food service event<\/em> versus a fully catered simcha<\/em>. It is critical that you, as the ba\u2019al simcha,<\/em> clearly understand what your responsibilities are in this situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n B\u2019chasdei Hashem<\/em>, the mishpachos<\/em> of Klal Yisroel <\/a>have seen unprecedented growth in both size and affluence. Home dining rooms can\u2019t always accommodate extended families, and shul social halls don\u2019t hold a candle to points unknown. So, what do wandering Jews do best? Wander to large Airbnb homes \u2013 in Orlando, Scottsdale, Cancun or to points beyond.[18]<\/a> Some well-heeled travelers even bring their own personal chef to cater the occasion. For now, we will focus on the additional kosher culinary challenges one faces when taking a Shabbos or simcha<\/em> \u201con location.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pre-planning the trip and event details \u2013 from forshpize<\/em> to dessert \u2013 whether you do it yourself or have a party planner (again, see sidebar<\/a>) who is up to the challenge, will ensure that your simcha<\/em> is really b\u2019simcha<\/em> and the occasion truly memorable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [1]<\/a> If the Kiddush bakery products must be Yoshon<\/em>, the ba\u2019al simcha<\/em> should realize that Yoshon<\/em> does not just include breads, cakes and cookies. Products such as jarred gefilte fish, licorice, pretzels, noodle kugels and even potato kugels may have flour in their ingredients and must also be Yoshon<\/em>. It would be a good idea to place small signs indicating which items are Yoshon<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2]<\/a> Be aware that cakes are often decorated with pictures or lettering that may not be cut on Shabbos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n [3]<\/a> Rav Moshe Heinemann shlit\u201da<\/em> requires that to be considered Mezonos, the roll should be as sweet as a cinnamon bun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [4]<\/a> Meat and fish items require two simanim<\/em> (seals) when they leave the store, while cheese, dairy and bakery goods require only one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [5]<\/a> There are home bakers who bake beautiful simcha<\/em> cakes. Does the shul\u2019s policy require kosher supervision for these cakes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n [6]<\/a> Someone needs to be responsible for opening all unopened cans, bags, boxes and bottles before Shabbos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [7]<\/a> Do not assume that a flavored alcoholic beverage is just a little lemon juice mixed in the beer. Further, those flavors can come from Eretz Yisroel; and glycerin is often used as a blending agent in flavored beverages. Regular beer and ales are generally acceptable. Be mindful that beer companies are increasingly choosing to bottle their brews in cans. If you don\u2019t open cans on Shabbos, better to purchase these in bottles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [8]<\/a> See also footnote 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [9]<\/a> When the caterer delivers the food items, or when the food items are picked up from the store or commissary, the food must be properly sealed \u2013 especially meat and fish. Once the seals are broken, the hashgacha\u2019s<\/em> responsibility ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [10]<\/a> This problem arises when aino Yehudim<\/em> are hired to prepare the meal and are not supervised at the venue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [11]<\/a> All foods should be cooked at least 1\/3 of the way before the onset of Shabbos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n [12]<\/a> Fires are frequently turned on and off during cooking. Since the ba\u2019al simcha<\/em> will be preoccupied and unable to properly supervise the food preparations, he should designate someone to be responsible for igniting all heating equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [13]<\/a> The melacha<\/em> of Shehiya<\/em> forbids one to leave uncooked food on a cooking surface before Shabbos on which the fire may be adjusted to hasten or improve the cooking. To prevent this, the fire and controls be covered with a blech. See also footnote 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [14]<\/a> There are strict guidelines that must be followed when returning cooked items to the oven. These apply even if the stovetop is covered with a blech, and even if the food that one wants to put onto the blech is fully cooked and still hot. It is very important to review the laws of Chazara<\/em> with your rav<\/em> to avoid any problems on Shabbos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [15]<\/a> Rav Heinemann requires the essence to remain on a blech to retain its warmth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [16]<\/a> Often salads, platters and trifles are made on Shabbos and involve cutting and separating peels, pits and seeds from the fruits or vegetables. Separating these items incorrectly may cause one to violate the melacha<\/em>. These laws can become quite complicated. It is advisable to check with one\u2019s rav<\/em> to review these rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [17]<\/a> Questions regarding their prior use should be addressed ahead of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [18]<\/a> See \u201cNavigating the Ins and Outs of Renting an Airbnb<\/a>\u201d by Rabbi Zvi Goldberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [19]<\/a> e.g., Yoshon<\/em>, Pas Yisroel, Bishul Yisroel<\/em>, Glatt <\/em>and Chalak Beit Yosef<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [20]<\/a> In some areas, kosher dishes and cookware are available for rent.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPlanning Simchas In Town<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Kiddush Checklist<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
The Shalom Zachor Checklist<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
The Sheva Brachos Checklist<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Navigating a Destination Event<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Destination Simcha Checklist<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n\n