Comments on: Kashrus Kuestions - Eating Out (004) http://www.jerusalemkoshernews.com/2009/07/787/ Reporting on Kashrus in Eretz Yisrael Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:09:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Chaim http://www.jerusalemkoshernews.com/2009/07/787/comment-page-1/#comment-152 Chaim Mon, 27 Jul 2009 07:26:57 +0000 http://www.jerusalemkoshernews.com/?p=787#comment-152 With all due respect, I feel that Rabbi Baum is making 2 highly offensive assumptions: 1. The kashrut-observing public is too ignorant to ask basic kashrut questions. 2. The mashgichim for the "non-reliable" hechsherim (a euphemism for the Rabbanut?) not only don't do their jobs properly but are also liars. In addition, there are many problems that can be solved easily. Not sure if they took challah? Take a few crumbs and say "הרי זו חלה". Not sure if they took trumot and maasrot? Take from what you have on your plate. Ascertaining the level of kashrut in said "unreliable" places is actually very simple. The main questions to ask are: a) Are you 100% sure that there are no issues of בישול עכו"ם? (more complicated for sephardim) b) Are the leafy vegetables from a proper bug-free brand AND washed properly? c) Who checks the flour/rice/etc.? d) Do you personally check that the fruits and vegetables arrived with the proper kashrut seals? (Restaurants are supposed to receive their produce ready to use and aren't supposed to be dealing with trumot u'maasrot) e) In a meat restaurant: who supervises the preparation of the liver, and are they careful to keep separate utensils for liver? (Obviously in these "unreliable" places the meat is likely to not be glatt) Want to be a little more direct with the mashgiach? Ask him simply if it's proper for a "ben Torah" who's very careful about kashrut to be eating there. Want to be even more direct and a little pushy? Cut right to the chase and ask the mashgiach if he would eat there, and if not then why. With all due respect, I feel that Rabbi Baum is making 2 highly offensive assumptions:
1. The kashrut-observing public is too ignorant to ask basic kashrut questions.
2. The mashgichim for the “non-reliable” hechsherim (a euphemism for the Rabbanut?) not only don’t do their jobs properly but are also liars.

In addition, there are many problems that can be solved easily. Not sure if they took challah? Take a few crumbs and say “הרי זו חלה”. Not sure if they took trumot and maasrot? Take from what you have on your plate.

Ascertaining the level of kashrut in said “unreliable” places is actually very simple. The main questions to ask are:
a) Are you 100% sure that there are no issues of בישול עכו”ם? (more complicated for sephardim)
b) Are the leafy vegetables from a proper bug-free brand AND washed properly?
c) Who checks the flour/rice/etc.?
d) Do you personally check that the fruits and vegetables arrived with the proper kashrut seals? (Restaurants are supposed to receive their produce ready to use and aren’t supposed to be dealing with trumot u’maasrot)
e) In a meat restaurant: who supervises the preparation of the liver, and are they careful to keep separate utensils for liver? (Obviously in these “unreliable” places the meat is likely to not be glatt)

Want to be a little more direct with the mashgiach? Ask him simply if it’s proper for a “ben Torah” who’s very careful about kashrut to be eating there.
Want to be even more direct and a little pushy? Cut right to the chase and ask the mashgiach if he would eat there, and if not then why.

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