Kosher Spirit - Pesach 5774

‫ב"ה‬

‫פסח תשע"ד‬

PESACH 5774

CERTIFIED SOUL NUTRITION

‫חג כשר‬ !‫ושמח‬ WE WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A

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SHARE YOUR SPIRIT QUESTIONS FOR THE ~ HEALTHY SPIRIT

dear reader,

Organic FOOd

e are living in exciting times.

Our Sages say, “B’Nissan nigalu u’b’nissan asidim l’higo’el… [In the month of Nissan our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt, and in Nissan we will once again be redeemed]” (Rosh HaShanah 11a).

When Moshiach comes the whole world will be filled with revealed holiness; the world will be a kosher place.

Just like we prepare for Shabbos on Erev Shabbos, and even taste some of the Shabbos food, today, as we stand at the threshold of Moshiach, it is our responsibility to prepare the world to do all that we can to be ready for that splendid time.

Baruch Hashem, today there are hundreds of thousands kosher products readily available for anyone who wants. After the industrial revolution and an abundance of products were widely available, hardworking and dedicated people saw to it that the food would be made kosher. Holy seforim are printed in so many languages, and are available online and on smartphones.

The past twenty years have seen such a tremendous growth in electronics and mobile access, where vast amounts of products, knowledge and information is available with a click or the touch on a screen. Once again, we are faced with the challenge of making it holy and kosher.

It is with gratitude to Hashem that the ~ was granted this task

by ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) and given the mandate to monitor and administer a whole new area of the digital domain, which will soon be known as .Kosher (like .com and .org), where the kosher consumer can be confident that every site ending in .Kosher will be kosher without compromise.

Best wishes for a kosher and frielichen Pesach,

Keeping KOsher in...

KATHMANDU FROM THE DESK OF RABBI DON YOEL LEVY VEGETABLE CHECKING

FrOm the ~ Vegetable checKing guide

10 16 18 19 20 22 23

A GUIDE TO TEVILAS KEILIM by rabbi Yosef d. chanowitz

A SLICE OF MEMORIES: bOstOn Fruit slices

DID YOU KNOW... riVer Facts

PESACH RECIPE gnOcchi with beeF cheeK sauce

WHO’S BEHIND THE ~ interview with rabbi rapoport

CHASSIDIC INSIGHTS PESACH SHEINI compiled by dina Fraenkel

SOUL NUTRITION

KOSHER SPIRIT Pesach 5774 editOr-in-chieF:

w

Rabbi Chaim Fogelman Editor-in-Chief

Rabbi Chaim Fogelman editOr:

Dovi Scheiner assOciate editOr:

Dina Fraenkel design:

Spotlight Design We welcome your comments, submissions and letters to the editor.

Mail: 391 Troy Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11213 Email: editor@kosherspirit.com © 2014. No portion of this publication may be reprinted without written consent from the publisher.

Scan the QR code with your smartphone to receive a PDF subscription to Kosher Spirit

CORRECTION: In our last issue we incorrectly listed the location of West India Spice. West India Spice is located in Grenada, not Canada.

FEEDBACK

Share Your Spirit readers share their thoughts...

Dear Kosher Spirit, I read your Chanukah issue with great interest. I always enjoy Kosher Spirit for its informative articles. I especially enjoy reading details on hashgacha, since my brother in law is a mashgiach in the food industry. Your articles address some of the intricate issues he deals with.

While reading the article Soul Nutrition, I was amazed at the facts presented. However, when reading the closing sentence I was appalled! To write, “So on November 28th, 2013, enjoy your turkey and your latkes,” is, in my opinion an outright offense. The holiday of Thanksgiving is clearly a Christian one.

To celebrate it is in the category of idolatry, of which one is the three grave sins a person must give his life for. Rabbi Avigdor Miller Zatzal was known to say that it is an issur d’oraisa to eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Yes, I am aware of how much turkey is sold in the kosher stores this season. But to encourage it? I would expect better editing from such a professional magazine.

With much Hatzlacha, FT

Is it Kosher for Pesach?

Kosher Spirit responds: Dear FT Thank you for your letter. I appreciate the points you brought forward, but according to other poskim, Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday or one based in avoda zara. Rav Moshe Feinstein writes (paraphrased), “In regards to joining a Thanksgiving party, since this is not brought down in the non-Jewish writings as a holiday, and it is just a remembrance of those who lived here, there is no issur to make a meal and eat turkey at the meal.” (Igros Moshe Y.D. 4:11:4, see Igros Moshe Y.D. 4:12.)

In addition, in a Sicha on 19 Kislev 5747, the Lubavitcher Rebbe ztz”l praises Thanksgiving as the foundation of America, and confirmation that our country was built on faith in G-d as our Creator and Director. The Rebbe connects Chanukah and Thanksgiving, saying that both are days that we commemorate saving the righteous from the hands of evil and the weak from the strong.

I am sorry you took offense, but as you see, there are differing halachic and hashkafic opinions on the issue.

Download the Kosher Food Guide app and get the most updated list of the Kosher for Passover products that ~ Kosher certifies.

It’s like having a rabbi at your side whenever you go shopping...

Best wishes for a Freilichen Chanukah!

Dear Kosher Spirit, Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my letter. I must say that you shed light on an issue that has been bugging me for a long time of why so many Yidden are indeed celebrating with eating turkey etc. Once again, I enjoy each one of your Kosher Spirit magazines from cover to cover.

B’Hatzlacha, FT P.S. The 8 facts on the eye were amazing! What nifloes haboira! * Letters may be edited for clarity and/or space constraints.

Visit our updated website:

www.OK.org/Pesach

IMPORTANT: When buying your wine for Pesach, make sure it is not shmitta wine! www.Kosherspirit.com 3

The ~ receives many letters/emails with kosher questions...

Dear Kosher Spirit, Is it permissible to use a hand soap that contains milk ingredients (or derivatives) and possible meat ingredients (or derivatives)?

The ~ responds: ews are forbidden to benefit or derive pleasure from a cooked mixture of milk and meat. in order for the product to be prohibited from being used, the following conditions would need to be met:

J

1. the fats are from animals that are kosher species of animal.

2. the relevant ingredients are cooked together.

3. the relevant ingredients are edible when they are cooked together.

4. the volume of both the milk and animal ingredients is more than 1/60 of the total mixture (at the time they are mixed).

the ~ has extensive experience in food chemical production, much of which has crossover applications with the production for soap ingredients. Â based on our experience, it is unlikely that all the required conditions to prohibit the soap would be met. therefore, it would be permitted to use this kind of soap. Â One can also choose to be stringent and refrain from using the product until more research can be done on the particular soap.

4 www.OK.org

about

Organic produce does not have more bugs! e lack of chemical exposure makes organic produce better able to resist insects and disease.

Before World War II all crops were organic.

78% of American families buy some organic food and organic foods account for 4.2% of all food sold in the U.S.

Organic farming replenishes soil and protects water systems from contamination.

Washing non-organic food does NOT remove the pesticide used on the produce.

Organic foods are regulated by the USDA.

Less than 1% of all American crops are organic.

According to the USDA, a product labeled “organic” only needs to be 95% organic.

www.Kosherspirit.com 5

t’s Erev Pesach, and Jews around the world are hustling and bustling to prepare the final touches on their sedarim. From arranging the seder plate to peeling potatoes and cracking walnuts, there is much to be done and never enough time to do it. For those hosting a public seder, the preparation is double or even triple the amount of a regular one. Public sedarim are held by the hundreds around the world every year. In recent years, public sedarim have been turned into all inclusive Pesach getaways and resorts. The destinations are endless; from Palm Desert to Cancun to Tuscany, Pesach has become the most exciting of Jewish holidays. But of all the Pesach getaways to choose from, none is more exotic, or as big, as the seder hosted in Kathmandu, Nepal.

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This famous seder has claimed its title as the largest public seder in the world, hosting well over one thousand people every single year. The seder, hosted by Rabbi and Mrs. Lifshitz, Chabad Shluchim to Kath-

KEEPING KOSHER FOR PESACH IN...

mandu, attracts people from all walks of life, and grows every year. Such an operation takes a lot of effort and creativity, especially when it comes to kosher food. Living in a remote location may make kosher resources hard to come by, but it’s far from impossible to put together a beautiful, memorable, and delicious Pesach seder for all to enjoy.

They say it takes a village to raise a child. Take that same village, move them to Kathmandu, and you have

the team of workers who bring this humongous seder to life. When it comes to preparing and executing a seder on such a large scale, one can never have enough help.

Lital, an Israeli who was backpacking through Nepal with a few of her friends, had arranged to spend Pesach in Kathmandu, and arrived at the Chabad House two weeks before Pesach. What she found upon arrival was astonishing; an army of workers, backpackers, and friends working together to bring this seder to life. “It was like one big, Israeli reunion,” she recalls.

Along with hundreds of other Israeli backpackers, a group of young students and two couples that the Lifshitz’s brought out to Kathmandu, she spent two weeks preparing for the seder of a lifetime. Kosher food is hard to come by in Nepal, but it’s not impossible to find. Chabad of Kathmandu has a restaurant, where a majority of the food for the seder was prepared and cooked. While some ingredients, such as vegetables, can be found locally, matzah and wine were ordered from Israel in mass amounts.

“You would not believe how many boxes of matzah they had in storage

KATHMANDU

BY LEIGH HERS HKOVICH

6 www.OK.org

They say it takes a village to raise a child. Take that same village, move them to Kathmandu, and you have the team of workers who bring this humongous seder to life.

—it was unbelievable!” Chickens, which Rabbi Lifshitz and the team of rabbis shechted themselves, arrived in crates by the hundreds several days before Pesach. Along with local workers whom the Lifshitzs’ hired, it took a team of about fifty people to bring the seder to its final form. Days of peeling potatoes, boiling carrots and roasting chickens reached a majestic pinnacle on the night of the seder.

A young, newly married couple who went to help conduct the seder was shocked to find just how much

time and effort goes into preparing such a vast amount of food. “It was an incredible operation,” they explained.

“We arrived a week before Pesach, and most of the preparations had already been taken care of. What was left to do immediately before the holiday began was actually cooking the food.” How does one even begin cooking food for 1,500 people? They combine the use of the Chabad House kitchen, as well as the kitchen in the restaurant and the kitchen of the venue they rented out for the ac-

tual seder. “The venue had a commercial kitchen similar to what you’d find in a hotel—massive pots, huge ovens.

It cut the cooking time in half.” After cooking for days at a time, executing the actual seder felt like a breeze.

“There are actually two sedarim held at the venue,’ the couple explained.

“The main seder, which is conducted in Hebrew, is run by Rabbi Lifshitz.

There is a second seder, conducted in English, that takes place in the same venue, right outside of the room where the main seder is conducted.”

While over 1,500 hundred people took part in the seder last year, only 400 of them stayed for the meal.

“Once we arrived at the meal, we moved everyone around so that they would be closer to one another, to give it a homier feel. The food was plated and served by the staff so that we would be free to help conduct and explain the seder.”

The most important part was making sure that everyone felt at home. From the massive amounts of food, wine and matzah to the heartwarming tune of Ma Nishtanah sung by the youngest in the crowd, one thing’s for sure: A seder like this is surely an affair to remember.

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~

KOSHER CERTIFICATION

Rabbi Don Yoel Levy CEO/Kashrus Administrator

From the Desk of Rabbi Don Yoel Levy osher ingredients are constantly changing. Until now, it was assumed that freeze drying fruits and vegetables eliminated the issue of tolaim (insect infestation) by getting rid of the bugs completely or making them inedible (k’aitz – like wood). This was especially relevant to raspberries and blackberries. Research was done to verify this and it was the accepted conclusion.

K

Recently, in the course of reviewing some ingredients, this situation came up again and the ~ sent some product samples to a renowned posek and kashrus authority. After a thorough inspection and rehydration, the rabbi found some whole insects in the product that returned to their original state and may no longer be in the category of inedible (k’aitz). We then sent additional products for inspection and the rabbonim arrived at the same conclusion.

Therefore, the ~ changed our policy and will no longer certify or approve (as ingredients) freeze dried raspberries and blackberries. This does not affect pureed raspberries and blackberries. If we are able to guarantee that the product will not be rehydrated, freeze dried raspberries and blackberries could still receive approval.

The ~ has taken steps to share our findings with various organizations and kashrus agencies. I am sure my esteemed father, Rabbi Berel Levy ob”m, is proud that the ~ continues to take the high road on kashrus issues and stands fast to our convictions even in the face of potential economic loss.

Wishing all of our readers a kosher and freilichen Pesach,

Rabbi Don Yoel Levy Kashrus Administrator

HQ: 391 Troy Ave. | Brooklyn, NY 11213 | t: 718-756-7500 | f: 718-756-7503 | www.ok.org

8 www.OK.org

PREPARING FOR THE SEDER

Vegetable Checking Tips Vegetables should be washed with Kosher for Passover soap.

Lettuce

Endive

The following types of lettuce must be checked according to the instructions below: ARUGULA, BOSTON LETTUCE, ESCAROLE, GREEN LEAF, ICEBERG, ROMAINE, RED LEAF.

1. Cut off bottoms. If outside leaves are not clean, remove them. If top is spoiled, remove it.

1. Separate leaves from the head, opening all folds and creases.

2. Soak the lettuce in water with soap for five minutes, and then rub each leaf between your fingers. Empty basin by removing lettuce with both hands (holding loosely) in small bunches and shaking them under the water.

3. Put lettuce in a clean basin of fresh water.

Swish vigorously. Repeat this step until there is no foam on the surface of the water.

4. Rinse each piece of lettuce, one-by-one, under a strong stream of water.

5. Check one-by-one (on both sides) in good lighting. A light box or fluorescent light is recommended for this procedure.

Q: Can

one check vegetables on Shabbos and avoid the melachos of borer (separating the bad from good), choivel (wounding), mimareich (smoothing)?

2. Check first 3 leaves from both sides. If they are clean, separate the leaves.

3. Put in water with soap for 5 minutes, and then swish vigorously for 2 minutes. Empty basin by removing endives with both hands (holding loosely) in small bunches and shaking them under the water.

4. Put endives in a clean basin of fresh water.

Rinse each leaf, on both sides, under a strong stream of water. Put in a clean basin of fresh water, swishing for at least 2 minutes. Repeat this step until there is no foam on the surface of the water.

5. Remove the endives and place on a clean surface. Check at least 3 samples (on both sides) in good lighting. A light box or fluorescent light is recommended for this procedure.

A: Yes, if one dilutes the soap and washes the vegetables close to the time the meal will begin, he will then be separating food from non-edibles in close proximity to the meal, which is not a problem. Since one is not sure there are insects and one is not sure that the soap will kill the insects, there is no intention (‫ )מתכוון‬to kill the insects so it is not a problem.

From the ~ Vegetable Checking Guide Get the full guide FREE at www.ok.org, on your iOS device in the iTunes Store, or for Android in the Google Play Store.

www.Kosherspirit.com 9

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO

Tevilas Keilim

By Rabbi Yosef D. Chanowitz

udel and Gittel were married for a couple of years. Each year one set of parents would invite them to come for Pesach. Until this year they always accepted the invitation—they loved spending Pesach with their extended families. This year Yudel and Gittel finally decided to make Pesach at their own home. They knew that the preparations would be daunting, but the thought of hosting their own Sedarim was enough of a motivator. They pictured the sight of their children reciting the Mah Nishtana at their own table and they were inspired to take on the task.

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As soon as Purim was over, Yudel learned the laws of Pesach extensively.

Soon after, he and his wife Gittel started the grueling task of cleaning the entire house room by room. Once they finally finished cleaning the kitchen, it was time for them kasher the kitchen and purchase an entire new set of Pesach utensils and keilim.

Yudel consulted with his rov and learned the proper methods of kashering the sinks, countertops, tables, stove and oven. Then, he and his wife went to the store to purchase all the

many of these utensils require tevilas keilim, how do we know which ones require tevila?”

They prepared a list of the equipment that they purchased and asked their rov a sheilah. The equipment included: metal pots, metal lids, an enameled cast iron egg pot, Teflon coated frying pans, disposable aluminum sheet pans, Pyrex dishes, red stained china dishes, glass cups, metal cutlery, vegetable peelers, a can opener, a wine opener, a nut cracker, a wood cutting board, plastic storage containers, a crystal pitcher, a metal knife with wood handle, a netilas yadayim pitcher, a toaster oven, an electric food processer, a hot water urn and an electric hand blender.

To help them sort through this extensive list of equipment and determine which items require tevila in a mikvah, we need to take a closer look into the laws of tevilas keilim.

INTRODUCTION

necessary items for their Pesach kitchen.

On their way out of the store, Gittel turned to Yudel and reminded him that these utensils were not yet kosher to use. Some might require toiveling in a mikvah. To which Yudel responded, “You may be correct that ,ç”áäå î”ëä åáúë ïëå (æ-ä”ä æ”éô à”ëàî òîùî íù í”áîøä ’ì úåèùôî íìåà ùåøéôá â”äðëäå ú”øôä ë”ëå .ïðáøãî àåäù úëøòî íéììë ç”ãùá äàøå .í”áîøä éøáã æ”äãà ò”åùáå .äæá úåòéãä ’á ììë ú”éè ÷ñôã ç”ñ â”ëù ’éñå à”ëñ è”ð÷ ’éñ ç”åà .’á úåèî ç”éç ù”å÷ìá ò”òå ,ú”äî àåäù

The Torah discusses the laws of tevilas keilim in Bamidbar.1 After the Jewish people returned from a battle with the Midyanites, they came back with many possessions that they took from the enemy, including food and equipment. Hashem tells Elazar, the son of Aharon the Kohen Gadol, that in addition to purifying and kosherizing the equipment, the Jewish people must immerse the metal equipment in the mikvah.

“The gold, the silver, the copper, the iron, the tin and the lead, whatever is used in fire, must be passed through fire by you, and then it will be purified. They must, however, [also] be cleansed with sprinkling water [alternatively, with mikvah water]. Whatever (utensils) are not used in fire

éëå ìéàåä úéëåëæ éìë éðä” àéáî íù æ”ò .”åîã úåëúî éìëë äð÷ú ïäì ùé åøáúùð äùòîëå ïéçå÷ìá àìà åðù àì“ íù ’îâ .6 .”àì ïéìåàù ìáà ä’éäù ,ú”äò é”ùø ú”äî åäæù úåèéùä .7 à÷ôúñî ú”äò ï”áîøä .ó”éøäå ,à”áùøä ’ìä) í”áîøä úèéù ïë øàáî à”áùøä ,äéì

[but rather, with cold foods], should be passed through [mikvah] water by you [right away, since they do not need to be purged].” The Torah includes equipment that were used “with fire” (for hot food) and equipment used “without fire” (for cold food), as well as new equipment – they all require tevilas keilim.2 From these pesukim our Chachomim extracted the following guidelines about tevilas keilim: 1. The equipment must be entirely clean before it is immersed into the mikvah waters, otherwise they will remain impure.3 2. Only equipment used for a meal requires tevila. This is similar to koshering, which is only done for equipment used with food.4 3. The only materials that require tevila are those that are made of metal. However, wood, earthenware and stone do not require tevila. The Talmud also states glass also requires tevilas keilim, since it is similar to metal since both can be repaired with the heat of a fire (wood, earthenware and stone cannot).5 4. If the equipment is purchased or gifted from a non-Jew, it requires tevila. If it was just borrowed or leased from a non-Jew, or if one purchased metal and manufactured a utensil himself, it would not require tevila.6 From the source quoted earlier, it appears that tevilas keilim is a mitzvah d’oraisa (Biblical), which is the opinion of many Rishonim. Other Rishonim disagree and are of the opinion that this mitzvah is d’rabbonon (Rabbinical) and the reason for the mitzvah is to add a level of kedusha to our equipment by immersing them into a mikvah.7 Some Poskim resolve this disagreement between the above Ris-

ïàëå ,ïéîçá åùéîùúù éìë ÷ø øéùëäì êéøö ùîúùä àìù ùãç éìë ë”â ìéáèäì êéøö .íìåòî

ãîåì ï”áîøäå ,õöåçä øáãå äãåìç éèåòéîì úå÷ðì êéøöù ”íéîá åøéáòú“ ÷åñôäî .íãå÷

éâåñ ’å ììåë äæå .”áäæä úà êà“ ÷åñôäî .5 ìéãáä ,ìæøáä,úùçðä,óñëä,áäæä-úåëúî íåéðéîåìà íà íé÷ôúñî ùéå .úøôåòäå ’îâäã .ïðáøãî äåä úéëåëæ íìåà .ë”â ììëá

à”áùøá ïééòå ,íù é”ùøå :ä”ò óã æ”ò ’îâ .4 êéøöå ùàá àáù øáã åäæéà“ ã”ù ã”á ä”åú .”äãåòñ éìë äæ øîåà éåä ùàá åøéùëäì ïéà øåñéàîã øåñéàî äøùëä éãë æ”éà íìåà

,íù é”ùøá ïééòå .âë-àë ÷åñô à”ìô úåèî .1 .(à”åâå í”àø) é”ùø éùøôîáå ,íù ï”áîø åà ïðåöá íùéîùúù íéìë ãîåì é”ùø .2 ï”áîøäå ,”íéîá åøéáòú“ ÷åñôäî íéùãç íùéîùúù íéìë ìù ÷åñô åúåàî ãîåì .”øäèå“ ïéîçá ”áäæä úà êà“ ÷åñôäî ãîåì é”ùø .3

www.Kosherspirit.com 11

honim by explaining that the mitzvah of toiveling keilim is d’oraisa (Biblical), however the prohibition of not using them before immersion is d’rabbonon (Rabbinical).8 Other Poskim disagree and hold that the entire mitzvah is d’oraisa.

One may not use a vessel, even once, prior to tevila. If one accidently used equipment which was not yet immersed in a mikvah, the food may be eaten.9 However, one should re-

ever, one may be more stringent and toivel without a brocha.13 LEATHER Does not require tevila.

WOOD Does not require tevila.

STONE, BONE, HORN & MARBLE

Does not require tevila.

EARTHENWARE, BONE CHINA

Does not require tevila.

only coated on the inside, one should toivel without a brocha. If it is only coated on the outside, no tevila is required.16 If a metal or glass utensil is coated with earthenware, Teflon or enamel, one should toivel without a brocha.17 Metal or glass equipment that was painted still requires tevila with a brocha since paint does not change the status of the equipment.18

PORCELAIN Some require tevila

without a brocha, some do not.14

One may not use a vessel, even once, prior to tevila... move the food from the vessel as soon as he realizes it was not immersed in a mikvah.

Some Rishonim say that tevilas keilim is a Biblical decree that does not have a revealed reason (a gezeiras hakasuv). The Yerushalmi states: “[Tevilas keilim] is [required] to remove the impurities of the Aku”m and to bring the item into the holiness of the Jewish people.”10

MATERIALS: METAL All metals require tevilas

keilim with a brocha, including gold, silver, copper, iron, tin and lead.

ALUMINUM Requires tevila with a 11

brocha.

GLASS (including Pyrex, Duralex,

Corelle, crystal and fiberglass) — Requires tevila with a brocha.12 PLASTIC, NYLON, FORMICA, MELAMINE AND RUBBER The

custom is not to require tevila, how-

úçàë åìåë åìéáèîå ’å ’òñ íù .15 ñøç åðééäã) àéðå÷ éìë ïéðòá :äò æ”ò ’îâá .16 à”îøáå à”ñ íù ò”åùáå (úëúîá äôåöîä ïéðòáå ,á”÷ñ à”øâä øåàéááå íù ê”ùáå éìëë ìåç åá áøåòîù ïåéë èøæéåìâá äôåöî ç”é÷ñ íù ã”åé ú”ëøãá ’éòå .àéîã úéëåëæ .à”î-è”ì÷ñ à”éô ë”ìáè øôñá ò”òå ,è”éå à”éô ë”ìáè øôñá ’éò ìîàðà ïéðòáå .17 àîù ùùåçù à”æùø íùá ïë àéáîù å”÷ñ .éìëì ìèá éåôéöä øôñ àéáî ïëå ,àåä àîìòá àúåæçã .18 à”æùø íùá è”÷ñ à”ô ë”ìáè ç”øôäî àéáî ä”î÷ñ íù ú”ëøãá .19

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Any piece of equipment that includes parts of metal or glass (if the metal or glass are essential to the use of this equipment and they come in contact with the food) do require tevila with a brocha. Otherwise, they do not require tevila.15 COMBINATIONS

GLAZED UTENSILS If the vessel is

coated with metal or glass, even if

USAGE: Only equipment used for a meal or meal preparation requires tevila with a brocha. These include dishes, cutlery and serving utensils and pots, pans and ladles.

Utensils which were not manufactured with the intention to use for a meal, such as a razor knife or scissors, can be used temporarily for foodstuff

äøåúì óñàîá ïééèùðééô î”øâä ÷ñô æ”ç øæòéìà õéöå ,11 ’îò ’à úøáåç äàøåäå íéøáåñù ùéå .á”ð ’éñ á”ç î”áå ,æ”ì ’éñ â”ç é”çðîä àéáî ïëå.äëøá àìá íìéáèäì ù”æø äøåä ïëå ,ìéòåäì ãîìîä ïëå ,å”ò ’éñ .ñèééä ïåàø÷ ÷”÷ã à”ãî ä”ò ïé÷øàååã .íìéáèäì àìù âäðîä èùôúðå

ì”ðä úåëúî éâåñ ’å ÷ø ú”äîù à”é .11 ïðáøãî ÷ø áééç íåéðéîåìåàå ,äìéáèá íéáééç .åëéúäì øùôàù áééç úéëåëæù äáéñ åúåàî .çð ’éñ ç”åàáå ãñ÷ ’éñ á”ç ã”åé î”âàá ïééòå ìò íéëøáîù íé÷ñåô ä”ùäå î”âàä àìá åìáåèì ÷ñåô à”æùø íìåà ,äìéáèä .äìéáè àìá íéøéúî ùéå .äëøá

ïåéë ,øñàð ìëàîä ïéà ãéæîá íäá ùîúùä àäå .äìéáè øñçù éìëá äòéìá ïéã íåù ïéà ñéðëäùë åðééä ,ãéî ìëàîä àéöåäì êéøöã äìéáè àìá úåðçäî åäð÷ íà íìåà ,åîöòá ìëàîä àéöåäì êéøö ïéà ,ïéìëåàá äñåëîùë á”éñå è”ñ ã”ô íéìë úìéáè øôñá ò”òå .ãéî .à”æùø íùá íù úåøòäáå

÷ñåô ïëå äìéáè ö”éàã àéáî á”÷ñ ú”ô .14 ïééèùðééô î”øâäå ,ç ’éñ á”ç ã”åé à”éáéä ,20 ’îò ’á úøáåç äàøåäå äøåúì óñàîá íåùî øéîçäì ùéù àéáî ù”äåøòä íìåà ä÷ã úéëåëæî èøéæåìâ íéîòôì íäì ùéù ’éñ ïçìùä úøâñîá ïëå ,íìéáèäì åâäð ïëìå .à”÷ñ æ”ì

éà ä’éì à÷ôúñî ñ”ùá úåîå÷î äîëá .12 äùòðù) úëúîë åà (ìåçî) ñøçë úéëåëæ ïàë .àøîåçì íé÷ñåô ë”ãáå .(äëúä é”ò æ”òá éøéàîá ’éòå .úëúîë åáéùçäì øéîçî .çð ’éñ çð ììë êåøàä ä”åàå :åè úáùáå íù .ïðáøãî ÷ø åøåñéà íìåà

à”áùøäå ù”àøäå ,íù æ”ò éîìùåøé .10 ç”éç ù”å÷ìáå .ë”äæâ àåäù åáúë í”áîøäå ùèéååàáåéìî ø”åîãà ÷”ë øàáî ’á úåèî ùãç éìë ’éôà éøëðä úåùøá àåäù éìë ìëù úìåëéäå ,øåñéàì ùîúùäì éøëðì úìåëéá ùé êøãäå ,øåñéà úòéìá íò éìëë åäùåò åæä ò”òå äìéáè é”ò àåä øåñéàä ÷ìñì ãéçéä .äæ ãåñé ô”ò úåéâåñ äîë øàáîù êéà íù

ïëå ,äìéáè ö”éàã íéøáåñ íé÷ñåôä áåø .13

é”çðîáå ,à”÷ñ ë”÷ ’éñ ã”åé á÷òé úåòåùé .8 äëìä øåàéáá àáåä ïëå åàéáî ã”î ’éñ à”ç úèéù ïë øàáîù ,øúåî ä”ã â”ëù ’éñ ç”åà åðéà äæù àéáî íù é”çðîá íìåà .é”áä ò”åùî ÷ééãì ùé ïëå .íé÷ñåôä ìëá íëñåî øîåì êéøö ïéàå“ ç”ñ â”ëù ’éñ ç”åà æ”äãà ïî àéä íéìë úìéáèù íéøîåàä éøáãì ïëìå ,”ìëä éøáãì áåùç ïå÷éú åäæù ,äøåúä äìéáè éãé ìòù ïåéëî úáùá åìáåèì øåñà íâ íìåà .ùåîéùì éåàøä éìëì åäùåò øáòùë ãáòéãá øúåî æ”äãà úèéùì ìò êåîñì ùé ãáòéãáù ïåéëî ùîúùäå ,ñ”ãî äìéáè ïéãù íéøáåñù íéøéúîä .ç”ñåñ íù ù”îë íà ’éôàã àî ’éñ á”ç ã”åé î”âàá ïééòå .9

✃ without tevila. Similarly a netilas yadayim cup and a drying rack can be used occasionally with food without tevila, since it was not created for food use.

Even if the utensil was manufactured for food, if one were to use it only for non-food use, such as a knife being used as a box cutter, it would not require tevila. However, if one were to use the knife sometimes to cut food as well, it would require tevila without a brocha.19 Tevila is not required for utensils that aid in food processing, yet do not produce a final

REFERENCE GUIDE Cut out and save this sheet for easy reference

Toivel with a brocha

Toivel without a brocha

Metal and glass only

* It is preferable to toivel together with a vessel that requires a brocha.

• Metal cutlery, pots, pot lids, pans

product, such as rolling pins, cookie cutters, and sifters. Some have the custom to toivel them without a brocha. If the utensil may be used occasionally with finished goods, such as coffee maker, grinder or scraper, one should toivel without a brocha. However, a utensil which is normally used for final processing, such as pots, pans, metal grater and glass cutting boards requires tevila with a brocha, even if one only plans to use it during the early stages of food production.20 Only utensils that come in direct contact with food require tevila. This includes barbeque grills, griddles, pot lids, peelers, and the racks and trays of a toaster oven. However, if the utensils are not used directly on the food, such as hoods of barbeque grill, blech, burners, an oven, baking lids and milk pitchers, tevila is not required. Some include an egg pot as well.21 According to many Poskim, can openers and corkscrews do not require tevila. Although it sometimes comes in contact with the food, it is not intentional. According to some Poskim, nut crackers should be toiveled without a brocha, àì íéãéô÷îù ïåéë äìéáè ö”éà äèéçù ìù ÷ìåç æ”èä íìåà .øçà øáãì íäá ùîúùäì åìáåèì íéìæøáá íâ øéîçî à”îøäù øáåñå øéîçä æ”ôòå .íù ä”åàä ô”ò äëøá àìá ñ”úçäå éç ùéà ïáäå (ú”øôäå) ç”øôä à”éôáå ,â”ñ à”ô ë”ìáè øôñá ò”òå .ä”÷ñ ,ç”é÷ñ ,è”öñ ,â”öñ ,á”òñ ,ç”ññ ,å”ëñ .æ”ô÷ñå æ”ð÷ñ é”÷ñ ú”ëøãá ’éòå ë”åðáå ã”ñ íù ò”åùá .21 íùá àéáî æ”÷ñ à”ô ë”ìáè øôñáå ç”ì÷ñå ïåâë úé÷ùá ãéîú åùéîùúù ìëù à”æùø êøèöî àìå ,÷ñôä úé÷ùä áéùç áìç ãëá øééð ïåâë éòøà åùéîùú íà íìåà .äìéáè åðîî ìæåð íéîòôìù äåòù øééð åà íåéðåîåìà .äìéáè áééçå ÷ñôä áåùç øééðä ïéà éìëì úìéáè øôñá ’éò íéöéá ìåùéáì éìë ïéðòáå åìáåèì ùéù à”æùø íùá é”÷ñ à”éô íéìë äöéá íéàéáî íéîòôìù ïåéë äëøá àìá .äãåòñì äúôéì÷ íò äîéìù

ò”òå .äãåòñ éëøöì ãòåéî åðéàù éìë ïéðòá äãåòñì éåàøä éìë ïéðòáå .å÷ ’éñ ã”éç ð”áàá øáåñ ç”øôä ,úåùîúùää øçà åá íéëìåäù íà ’éôàå åùéîùú áåø øçà íéëìåäù áééç åðéà íéìëåàì íéîòôì ïéëñá ùîúùú øáåñå ÷ìåç à”é÷ñ ú”øôä íìåà .äìéáèá à”îøá ä”ëå åùéîùú áåø øçà íéëìåä ïéàù íìåà,äëøáá åìáåèì ùé à”îøä ô”òå ,ç”ñ åòéøëä àî-î ’éñ ù”äåøòäå á”ð ’òñ ö”áæä åìáåèì åà äëøáá áééçä øçà éìë íò åìáåèì .á”ñ à”ô ë”ìáè øôñá ë”ëå .äëøá àìá äèéçù ìù ïéëñ éáâì ä”ñ íù ò”åùá .20 éáâìå ,”äëøá àìá åìáåèì áåèå“ à”îøä ÷ñô ÷ñô úåöîä úà íäá íéð÷úîù íéìæøá ïéëñ éðàùã ê”ùä òéøëäå ,äìéáè ö”éàã .äãåòñì ïëåîä øáã åá ùîúùäì øùôàù íéøôåúù íéèçîá íâå åìàë íéìæøáá íìåà áúë æ”ôòå .äìéáè ö”éà úåôåòä úà íäá íéðéëñ åðéîéáù á÷ óã á”ç ã”åé é”øäè øôñá

• Crock-pot (only metal and glass insert)

• Glazed Porcelain, ceramic and china

• Barbeque grill (only the grill itself)

• Enameled iron dishes

• Rack and trays of a toaster oven

• Food processor (if used for raw product only)

• Sheet pans & baking pans • Electric Griddle

• Nut crackers (some say with a brocha)

• Steel knife (even with wooden handle)

• Tin cans, metal containers for storage

• Grater for finished product

• Glass containers for storage,

• Pizza cutter

• Glass thermos and bottles

• Coffee maker & coffee grinder

• Peeler with metal blade • Corn on the cob holder • Ladle, spatula and mixing utensils

No tevila required

• Food processer (at least metal blade and parts)

• All earthenware, stone, wood, leather

• Electric water heater (or ask a rov)

• Pottery (unless glazed)

• Popcorn maker (or ask a rov)

• Wooden ladle

• Wooden cutting board

• Glass cutting boards

• Razor knife, pocket knife or scissors (unless used permanently with food)

• Pyrex baking dishes

• Netilas Yadayim cup

• Tin or glass salt shaker

• Drying rack

• Metal or glass dishes for both storage and serving

• Milk bag pitcher (common in Israel)

• Crystal Pitcher

• Can opener and cork screw

Tevila is in question

• Knife sharpener • Stove grates, burners, blech

• Plastic, nylon, Formica, melamine, rubber

• Ovens and fryers (and oven racks unless they come in direct contact with food)

• Disposable aluminum (second use)

• Electric hot plate (unless food is placed on it directly)

• Toaster

• Induction cooker

• Electrical equipment

• Lid of baking dish and barbeque hood

• Large equipment • Rolling pins, cookie cutters • Metal flour sifter • Egg pot

• Glass microwave tray (unless food is placed on it directly) • Motor for electrical appliances

LAWS & BLESSINGS How-to Toivel

☛ Before toiveling equipment one must insure that it is clean from any dirt, rust or company stickers, unless it is a tag that adds value to the equipment (such as a prestigious company, brand or country sticker). ☛ Care must be taken that water reaches all sides of the vessel at once, and that no air is trapped in the vessel. ☛ Only a mikvah which is kosher for tevilas nashim or a designated keilim mikvah may be used for utensils.

Before immersion one holds the vessel and says the following blessing:

Ub¨J§S¦e rJ£t 'oŠI¨ Q†n Ub¥eO¡t  ¨T©t QUrŠC /o   Ubœ²Um±u 'u¨Im¦nC For one vessel the brocha is:

/   ///  ¨T©t QUrŠC ☛ One then proceeds to dip the vessel once in the mikva water. There are different minhagim regarding the number of times the vessel should be immersed. Consult your rabbi if you do not know your family minhag.

14 www.OK.org

while some require toiveling with a brocha.22 Sheet pans and baking pans require tevila, although they are only used with a liner or foil.

Equipment which is used to store food, such as cans, containers, thermos, and glass bottles require tevila without a brocha. If it occasionally is used for serving as well, like a pitcher, one should say a brocha.23

When purchasing a vessel Disposable aluminum pans do not require tevila since they are not considered keilim.

Even if one were to use it a few times, it is still not a permanent keili since it was designed for one-time use and is not durable. Some are more stringent and toivel the pans if they will be used more than once, especially if the aluminum is made of thicker, less flimsy material.24 Large equipment maybe harder to toivel, but is not exempt from tevila altogether. There are instances in halacha when some large equipment could be sold to a non-Jew who would then allow the Jew to borrow it for use. Usually, this is considered a loophole, but in some instances, such as a very large utensil, it may be allowed.25 An oven built into the ground is not a keili, so no tevila is necessary. Similarly large equipment which is not moveable, such as large ovens and fryers, do not required tevila. The same applies to utensils dedicated for this equipment.

Electrical equipment that comes into direct contact with food requires tevila – for example, if one has an electric water urn, electric hot plate or popcorn maker, one needs to toivel at least the parts (if they come apart) of the equipment that touches the food. The wire does not

øúåé åá ùîúùî íà øéîçäì íéöåøù ùéå úçà íòôî äàñ ’îî ìåãâ éìëá ïéãä àåäã à”éå .25 äáåâ úåîà ’â íåøá äîà ìò äîà åðééäã ïéá ú÷åìçîá éåðù åðìù úåãéîá äæ øåòéùå) æ”ëá ’éòå ,(î”ëàå à”åæçäå äàð ç”øâä é”ñ à”ô ë”ìáè øôñáå ä”÷ñ íù ú”ëøãá éìëá øéúî á”ë ’éñ á”ç éàúéìú ã”åèåèäã à”òøå ,éìë áåùç åðéàù äàñ ’î ÷éæçîä åñ ’éñ ä”åà øòù à”ðéááå â”äðëä íùá íéùôçî íé÷ñåô äîëå à”ðéáäå .æ”ò ÷ìåçù åâäð àì íìåòä äîì úåëæ ãîìì íéøéúä ’éñ äøäè éìåãéâ øôñá .íéìåãâ íéìë ìåáèì ’éòå .ò÷ø÷á òåá÷ éìë øéúäì àéáî æ”é ïéðòáå .æ”è÷ñ à”ô ë”ìáè øôñá äëåøàá ãåã ïéðòáå ,é”ñ à”éô ë”ìáèá ’éò øø÷î éôãî úëúîî ïçìù ïéðòáå ,å”ìñ íù íéîç íéî .á”øñ íù

å-ä”÷÷ñå ã”ë÷ñ à”éô ë”ìáè øôñá .22 àåäù åîë íéàéáî íà éåìúù à”æùøî àéáî íàå ,äëøáá íìéáèî ïçìùì íúôéì÷ íò .äëøá àìá åàì ç”ñ à”ô ë”ìáè øôñáå å”÷ñ ú”ëøãá .23 ’ø íìåà .à”æùø ô”ò â”é÷ñå æ”èñ à”éôå .äìéáè àìá úéëåëæ øéúî ïàîéðééä äùî òâåð íéîòôì ìëåàäù øø÷îä úåøéâî ïéðòáå úìéáèä ’éò,íìéáèäì àìù åâäð î”îå íäá åîëù à”æùø øàéáù ç”÷ñ à”éô íéìë úåøéâîä êë ,éìë áåùç åðéà åîöò øø÷îäù .äéìà íéìèá é”÷ìçáå à úåà áì ’éñ ä”ç é”çðî ú”åùá .24 ãç åá åùåîéùù éìë øéúî åè÷ ’éñ â”ç äàøåäå äøåúì óñàîá ô”îøâäå .éîòô äîë åá ùîúùäì øéúî 40 ’îò ’á úøáåç .òåá÷ éìëì éìëä úà äùåò àì äæù ,íéîòô

need to be toiveled. (Some poskim hold that the wire should be toiveled.)

It is preferable to wait a few days until the appliance is completely dry after it was toiveled before using. If one is concerned that it may get ruined, one should discuss this matter with a rov.26 Some say that a toaster oven

of the manufacturing company is Jewish, and no tevila is required unless one finds out that the company is owned by a non-Jew.29 Some Poskim are of the opinion that in the USA one should not recite a brocha on tevilas keilim unless one knows definitively that the item belonged to a

Are they stationary or connected to the ground?

Do they come into contact with the food directly?

At which stage in the production process do they come into contact with the food?

one should try to find out if it ever belonged to a non-Jew... does not require tevila since it is used for bread which is edible before entering the toaster, but most Poskim disagree.27 Equipment that can be disassembled does not need to be taken apart before tevila. It can be toiveled either whole or apart, but a closed Thermos (or other item with a lid) needs to be opened before tevila.

OWNERSHIP: The mitzvah of tevilas keilim applies to the equipment that was previously owned by a non-Jew, or even by a partnership between a Jew and a non-Jew. Even if a Jew built the equipment, tevila is required if it belonged to a non-Jew.28 Yet when one sells chometz to a non-Jew before Pesach through his rav, one is not required to toivel the vessels after Pesach.

In the Diaspora, most manufacturing companies are owned by nonJews, or have a non-Jew as a partner.

Therefore, if one is unsure about the ownership of a company, it must be assumed to be owned by a non-Jew and tevila with a brocha is required.

In Israel, it is assumed that the owner

’éòå .úéëåëæá íâ êøáì ÷ñô áé ’éñ ã”åéç é”ç àìå êøáì úåèéùä å”÷ñ á”ô ë”ìáèá äæá äøåú éìäà íéøåàéáå úåøòäá ò”òå .êøáì .äæá ïé÷ñø .é.ì áøäî 999 õáå÷ éìë çáùá äðå÷ ïîåàã ç”éå .30 äáåùú øôåñ èáùä úáåùú ô”ò ãñåéî .31 .æ”ñ

non-Jew. Most poskim disagree, and hold that one should make a brocha unless he knows that it was never owned by a non-Jew. When purchasing a vessel one should try to find out if it ever belonged to a non-Jew. If one sends equipment to a nonJewish handyman to repair, it does not require tevila once the equipment is returned,30 unless the metal used for repair belonged to the nonJew and the equipment could not function without the repair. Therefore, if one were to send a knife to a non-Jewish sharpener, the newly sharpened knife would not require tevila. The same would apply if one sent sheet pans to be reglazed.

INDUSTRIAL: When dealing with industrial facilities and the industrial size equipment, there are a number of factors to consider when a Rov Hamachshir determines if tevilas keilim is required: How large are the keilim?

What materials are they made from?

Are they electrical?

.úåéâåñ äîë äæá ì÷äì úåëøá ÷ôñ ïðéøîà àì ì”åçáã .29 äåä æàù ,áåø àìå ìå÷ùä ÷ôñ äåä ë”àà äöçîë òåá÷ ìë ïðéøîà àìå .íéøëð éàãåë á”ç ã”åé î”âàá ’éòå .ã”åãéðá äöçî ìò úåëúî éìë éáâì âù ’îò â”ç ç”åàáå î”éñåñ ’éôàå ïôé ,ïéñî àáåéîù éìëá èøôáå êøáì ,ì÷äì ããöî úéëåëæ éìëá íìåà ,ôàøåéî à”éáé ú”åùá ë”ëå .äëøá àìá íìáèé ô”äëìå

íâäå .çñôä øçà äøæç åäðå÷ ë”çàå ,éøëðì øéëùäì êéøö ÷ø åîöò éìëä øåëîì ö”éàù àåä ïëå äøéëî éøèù äáøäá íìåà ,åîå÷î ïëå“ ììëù àéðúä ìòá æ”äãà ï÷éúù øèùá øàéáå .”ïéòá õîç íäéìò ùéù íéöåîç íéìë éèå÷ìá ùèéååàáåéìî ø”åîãà ÷”ë äæá äìéáè áåéç ïéàù å”ìùú î”åèî úåçéù íéìëá ùîúùé éøëðäù çéëù ïéàù ïôåàá í”åëò úàîåè íåùî äåä äìéáèù ïåéëî åìà øàéáù êéà úåëéøàá ù”òå ,äìéáè áåéç ë”éà

There is an additional factor to consider: are these utensils solely used for business purposes and not for personal use? Some Poskim are of the opinion that the food produced in industrial manufacturing plants is not for personal use, only for business purposes, so the equipment used are not called “Keili Seudah” and does not require tevila.

There is much debate about when this can be applied.31 A relevant practical application of this question is as follows: If one were to purchase a candy dish made from metal or glass from a store with a hashgocha, one should find out if the hashgocha required the store to toivel the dishes before selling them and if the store owner actually toivels them.

If not, one can still purchase the candy dish and use it until the candy is finished. At that point, one is required to toivel the dish before it is reused.

Unfortunately this article cannot cover all the intricate details related to the halachos of Tevilas Keilim.

There are often differences of opinions in some scenarios. When in doubt one should consult with a rabbinic authority.

11 ’îò ’à úøáåç ä”ååúì óñàî õáå÷á .27 éåàø ìëåàäùë éìë úìéáèá ô”îøâä ïã éìëá áééçã ÷éñîå ,äìéáè àìá äìéëàì ùùç íå÷îáå ,(øöåà éìë åîë) úåëúî ’÷ ’éñ ã”ç î”á ú”åùáå .øéúäì ùé ìå÷ìé÷ .äìéáè êéøöã ÷ñô éøëðì åéìë øëåîä ïëìå à”ñ íù ò”åù .28 äù÷ ë”àå ,äìéáè áééç äøæçá íúåà äðå÷äå äðù ìë íöîç íéøëåî ìàøùé ììë êéà

ïåéëî ,ìîùçá ìé÷î á÷òé ú÷ìçä .26 äåä ,ò÷ùì åúñðëä éìá ùîúùäì à”àù áåøå .éìë áåùç àìå ò÷ø÷ì øáåçî åîë ’éñ ã”åé ä”ùá ’éòå .åäåîë éøáñ àì íé÷ñåôä ’éñ à”ç ã”åé î”âàáå á”òñ á”ç é”çðîáå æ”ð à”ðñ à”éô ë”ìáè øôñá äëåøàá ’éòå æ”ð .äìéáèì éìîùç éìë ï÷úì êéà úåöò äîëá æ”ð ’éñ à”ç ã”åé î”øâàä éìîùç èåç ïéðòáå øéîçî íù é”çðîäå .åìáåèì àì ìé÷î ..ë”â åìáåèì

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M f e o m e ories c i l S A n Fruit S Bosto

t is synonymous with Passover treats, an iconic Jewish dessert known to all — chewy, colorful, candy fruit slices. For over seventy years, Boston Fruit Slices has produced the sweet treat. Years ago, Passover treats were rare and we did not have the sophisticated kosher for Passover treats that you can find in the stores today.

I

Boston Fruit Slices is a small company, with a few dozen employees, founded by Vincent Aliberti. Aliberti bought the fruit slice line from H.W. Powers Candy Co., another Boston company, in 1984. Powers Candy was the first company to produce fruit slices in the United States. Although ownership has changed twice since

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then, Boston Fruit Slices has kept the same recipe for three decades. Current owners, John Morrissey, and Rick Hiera work together to bring the delectable treat to homes nationwide.

While there are competitors, Boston Fruit Slices is the best known brand. Different varieties include mini slices, chocolate-covered slices,

lices

and unique flavors. Boston Fruit Slices’ product is superior to other brands for several different reasons: the fruit-juice flavor, the gelling agent (agar as opposed to pectin), and the egg-white fluff for the fruit slice rind.

The slices are tossed in piles of sugar and packaged in a rainbow pattern in every box.

Boston Fruit Slices is inspected year round by local, Boston-bred, mashgiach, Rabbi Yaakov Blotner, who enjoys a warm relationship with the company. “Located just down the street from where I was born, Boston Fruit Slices provides a kind of homecoming experience for me. During my many years of supervision there, I have found the management fo-

cused on kashrus concerns with the same enthusiasm they apply to the quality of their product. Whether it is a regular ingredient discussion, or the complicated transition from Year Round to Passover production, they do a thorough, competent job and hold kosher in high esteem.”

The slices are available year-round, but Passover is the busiest season for Boston Fruit Slices. “It’s a decent part of our business,” Hiera says. “The sales always stay steady.” Transitioning to Passover production comes with its own challenges and regulations. The entire factory must be kosherized for Passover and the entire production is supervised by an ~ rabbi who comes specifically to oversee the Passover production. In addition to koshering, ingredients must be substituted to comply with Passover restrictions.

Corn syrup must be replaced with tapioca or potato syrup and the number of flavor varieties is cut down from 13 to four – cherry, orange, lemon and lime.

Rabbi Zalman Borenstein, the ~’s Passover mashgiach sees firsthand the company’s commitment to high kosher standards, especially for the complex Passover restrictions. “Boston Fruit Slices is a pleasure to work for. They treat kashrus with respect and we have enjoyed a close working relationship for many years.

To prepare for the Pesach run, the employees at Boston Fruit Slices worked extensively to clean the factory of all the year-round sugars. It is especially difficult in a company like this since the sugars tend to stick to the machines. Once I was doing my

final inspections right before closing time and I noticed that the two cooling tanks still had some sugary residue. When I pointed this out to Rick and his son Mike, they agreed to stay together with the manager to guarantee the machines would be

“Boston Fruit Slices is committed to selling kosher candies, especially during Passover.

Our fruit slices are a traditional item during Passover going back nearly 60 years...”

cleaned according to Passover requirements. This cleaning took them several hours past closing time, and this was after a long hard day of koshering.”

The sweet confections have a unique production process. First the sugar and gelling mixture is boiled

and immediately cooled. Next, the flavor and color is added to the mix and the thick syrup is poured on waxed paper. Then, the mixture that makes the rind is poured on top.

More syrup is poured into wedge shaped molds, which are later put through a slicing machine.

Once the wedges are sliced, they are tossed into vats of sugar to coat each slice. Finally, the slices are dried before being packed.

According to Rabbinic Coordinator Rabbi Yitzchak Hanoka, “Boston Fruit Slices is an old-time company with traditional, time tested production methods. They excel in their unique niche and always show respect for kashrus and ~ policies.

Communication with Rick and his team is smooth and he is a pleasure to work with.”

Approximately 5,000 pounds of fruit slices are produced each day of operation! The slices are packed in bulk packages for wholesale clubs, and smaller packages for grocery stores and specialty shops.

General Manager, Rick Hiera, places kosher high on his list of priorities. “Boston Fruit Slices is committed to selling kosher candies, especially during Passover. Our fruit slices are a traditional item during Passover going back nearly 60 years. Working with a nationally recognized rabbinical service like the ~ offers our customers the confidence that our fruit slices and other candies meet the highest kosher standards.”

Enjoy your Boston Fruit Slices this Passover with the confidence that they are kosher without compromise.

www.Kosherspirit.com 17

DID YOU KNOW...

River Facts As part of the Exodus from Egypt B’nei Yisroel walked through the sea to safety. Here are some facts about the earth’s bodies of water…

• The longest river on our planet is the Nile…it flows through 11 countries, beginning in Lake Victoria and winding about 4,160 miles until it empties.

• The Amazon River is shorter than the Nile but is known as the largest because it carries the most water.

• Some say the Roe River, near Great Falls, Montana, is the shortest river in the world (200 feet). Others say it’s the D River in Oregon, which is sometimes only 120 feet long depending on the tide.

• Angel Falls in Venezuela (pictured) is the tallest waterfall, with a height of 3,200 feet.

• The deepest part of the world’s oceans is the Mariana Trench, located in the Pacific Ocean, which reaches a maximum known depth of 6.8 miles.

• The Pacific Ocean is the largest body of water, covering 1/3 of our planet.

• The Yam HaMelach is the lowest and saltiest body of water at 1,340 feet below sea level.

Gnocchi with Beef Cheek Sauce Gnocchi is a light, versatile, potatobased pasta or dumpling. Attempts to make it kosher for Passover proved challenging because simply substituting potato starch for the flour resulted in a gummy texture. The trick to achieving a light kosher for Passover gnocchi is decreasing the amount of potato starch and beating the egg white until frothy.

There are two types of gnocchi: one that is dough-like and can be rolled out like pasta, and one that is more delicate and is portioned out using a piping bag.

A potato ricer is an inexpensive kitchen tool that ‘mashes’ the potato while keeping it fluffy and starchy.

Tip: It is important to rice the potatoes and make the gnocchi while the potatoes are still hot.

Recipe submitted by Joy of Kosher Magazine.

Subscribe or Give the Gift of Joy of Kosher at www.joyofkosher.com/subscribe. Download their new iPad app on the App Store.

18 www.OK.org

PESACH RECIPE

Basic Potato Gnocchi:

Beef Cheek Sauce:

2-3 large russet potatoes

1 pound beef cheek

6-8 tablespoons potato starch

1 egg white Preheat oven to 375°F. Pierce the potato all over with a fork. Place potatoes on baking sheet and bake uncovered for about 45-60 minutes, until potato is fully baked. Using an immersion blender, regular blender or standing mixer, beat egg white until it quadruples in size and becomes white and frothy. Set aside.

While still hot, peel potato and mash using a potato ricer or masher. Add the potato starch to the potatoes and mix until combined. Add the egg whites and mix until just combined. Divide ‘dough’ into two; roll out and slice into 1½ inch pieces. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook gnocchi until they float to the top. Remove from boiling water and add to desired sauce.

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 Spanish onion, finely chopped 1 large carrot, finely chopped 2 celery ribs, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 large tomato (about 1 cup chopped) ½ cup good-quality red wine

1½ - 2 cups chicken stock Note: You can omit the garlic if you do not use garlic on Pesach.

In a medium saucepan (3 or 4 quart), heat oil on medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add meat and cook for about three minutes per side or until meat develops a brown sear. Remove meat from pan and lower heat to low-medium.

Add onions and cook for ten minutes, until onions are translucent. Add the carrots, celery, and garlic and cook for another ten minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for five minutes. Add the ½ cup of wine, raise heat and simmer for five minutes. Add the reserved beef cheek meat and enough chicken stock to just about cover the meat. Lower heat to the lowest possible, and cover pot.

Cook for 2 hours until beef cheek is tender. Let sauce cool. Remove beef cheek and shred the meat.

When ready to serve, heat a frying pan on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the shredded meat and cook for three minutes until meat gets golden brown.

Pour reserved sauce and cook for two minutes. Add the gnocchi and cook for three minutes on medium heat.

Serve immediately. www.Kosherspirit.com 19

~ BEHIND ME ET OU R STAFF:

whO’s behind the ~

Interview with

Rabbi Avraham Rapoport Rabbi Avraham

KS: Where did you grow up? Where did you go to yeshiva?

RAR: I was born in Liverpool, England, and grew up in the Geula neighborhood in Yerushalayim. I went to the Knesset Hizkiyahu Yeshiva and later to Ateret Yisrael.

KS: What did you do after yeshiva?

RAR: I got married and then learned in kollel for a few

years, and then went on to work as a tutor and mentor in Netiva HaTorah Yeshiva. Later I became a maggid shiur in Lev Arye yeshiva in Jerusalem.

KS: What is your current position at the ~?

RAR: I head the ~ India department and I am also in

charge of new accounts for ~ Israel.

KS: What prepared you the most for your current position at the ~?

RAR: Since my marriage, even while working in other fields, I worked from time to time as a mashgiach for various Israeli kosher agencies. Of course, I started by supervising simple productions, which didn’t require much experience. With time, I learned a lot, accumulated experience, and started dealing with more complex projects. Later, I started going to visit production sites abroad. When I began working for the ~ I was already an experienced mashgiach, with good knowledge of the kosher food industry.

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Rapoport

KS: What is best thing about working at

the ~?

RAR: The ~ is an organization that teaches you every day that size doesn’t have to come at the expense of quality. Rabbi Levy keeps our standards high; we always marvel at how easy it is for him to give up a project or a plant because they can’t quite measure up to his kosher expectations. His committed leadership, his vast experience, and, of course, his siyata d’shmaya, makes the ~ such a respected kashrus agency.

The best thing about working in the Israeli office is working under Rabbi Aharon Haskel, who somehow manages to let the rabbinic coordinators run their departments independently, while still staying involved and aware of every detail. He is like the angel who commands the plant to grow, and we constantly take advantage of the way he makes himself and his knowledge available to us when we need advice and guidance.

KS: How would you describe the ~ today?

RAR: The ~ is probably the most technologically

advanced kosher agency in the world, something that affects both the kashrus level and the customer service level. We are definitely the biggest mehadrin kosher agency in the world, and we are here so more Jews will have access to more food which is strictly kosher.

“His enthusiasm and Ahavas Yisroel give away his Chabad ancestry...”

– Rabbi Don Yoel Levy Kashrus Administrator

“

“

What Other People Say

About Rabbi Avraham Rapoport

ombining the energy of youth and the meticulousness of a well-seasoned rabbinic coordinator, avi, as he is fondly called, excels in his endeavors to literally bring kashrus worldwide. his enthusiasm and Ahavas Yisroel give away his chabad ancestry. rabbi rapoport works exactly according to ~ guidelines, which ensures his success in his quest to spread kashrus. we are fortunate to have avi with us as the ~ and it would not be the same without him.”

“C KS: Can you share an interesting

experience that you had while working at the ~?

RAR: One of the hardest things to explain to factories is the issue of “blia’a bekelim” – why equipment might be non-kosher even after cleaning. When I first came to India, one of the factories invited me for lunch with the senior staff and the owners. I started explaining that unfortunately I wouldn’t be able to eat the food served, but I would be happy to sit down with them and eat my own food. The owner couldn’t agree; he told me that they belong to a religion which demands a vegetarian diet, so actually all the food is kosher. I explained that “kosher” is a more complex description than “vegetarian”. I offered him a piece of a cake I brought along and he refused outright, explaining that he must not eat things without being certain about the ingredients. Of course that was all I needed to explain that it is best if everyone keeps to their own food…

We had a very interesting conversation over that meal, and it turned out that their religion also has a “blia’a bekelim” prohibition – a dish in which meat was cooked, for example, is forbidden for use – forever.

Since then, I use this story often when visiting plants in India, and I find it very effective in clarifying this kosher issue.

Rabbi Don Yoel Levy Kashrus Administrator

abbi rapoport is a rare combination of a talmid chacham, an exemplary mentsch, and a highly intelligent professional with profound knowledge of the food industry. we are very proud to have a man of his level at the ~. his dedication to kosher work is absolute: he works closely with people in very different time zones – india and the us for instance – so for him this is really a 24/6 job. i always get enthusiastic feedback about rabbi rapoport – not only from our clients but even from other kosher agencies, which hold him in a very high esteem.”

“R

Rabbi Aharon Haskel Director of ~ Israel

www.Kosherspirit.com 21

CHASSIDIC INSIGHTS

Pesach Sheini

Compiled by Dina Fraenkel

esach Sheini represents the second chance, available to every Jew, to reach one’s spiritual goals. The year after the Exodus from Egypt, the Jewish people were commanded to bring a Pesach offering on the 14th of Nissan.

The sacrifice was incumbent on every male, but some were not ritually pure and, therefore, were unable to bring the sacrifice.

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“There were some men who were ritually unclean from contact with the dead, and were unable to prepare the Pesach offering on that day; and they came before Moshe and Aharon that same day. Those men said to him: ‘We are ritually unclean from contact with the dead. Why should we be deprived of bringing the offering of Hashem at its appointed time among the Children of Israel?’ Moshe said to them: ‘Stand by, and I will hear what Hashem will command concerning you.’ G-d spoke to Moshe… ‘If any person of you or your future generations shall be ritually unclean from contact with the dead, or be on a distant journey, he shall still make the Passover-offering to the L-rd. He shall make it on the 14th day of the second month [Iyar]…’”1 As the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, explained, “The idea of Pesach Sheni is that nothing is irretrievable; we can always rectify our behavior. Even one who was ritually unclean or who was on a distant journey – even willingly – can still rehabilitate himself.”2 The Rambam writes that even a Jew who intentionally (i.e. was tahor and not

22 www.OK.org

on a journey) failed to offer the Pesach sacrifice and was subject to the punishment of kareis (spiritual excision of the soul) did teshuva and offered the sacrifice on Pesach Sheini he would be forgiven.3 This is the power of Pesach Sheini.

Although we no longer have the Beis HaMikdash in our midst, the concept of Pesach Sheini applies to all Jews in all times and we observe it by eating a kezayis of matzah on Pesach Sheini.

A Jew, who is far from Torah and mitzvos, even if he has intentionally strayed from the path of his parents, can always return to Hashem and to his real essence.4 No omission in one’s service to Hashem cannot be rectified; no sin cannot be repented. A Jewish neshama remains a cheilek Eloka mi’ma’al mamash (an actual spark of Hashem), no matter how far it falls Torah from observance.5 For a Jew who observed Pesach properly the first time, Pesach Sheini seems unnecessary. Why does a Jew who brought the Pesach offering need to mark Pesach Sheini? B’nei Yisroel is

always awaiting Moshiach’s arrival and the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash.

If the Beis HaMikdash is rebuilt during the time between Pesach and Pesach Sheini, we will have to bring the Pesach offering on Pesach Sheini.6 The mitzvah of awaiting Moshiach’s arrival obligates all of us to prepare for Pesach Sheini immediately after Pesach.

This is a parallel for our personal Divine service. Hashem commanded: “They shall make a Sanctuary for Me and I will dwell within them [within each and every Jew7].”8 The cheilik Eloka mi’ma’al inside every Jew can never be destroyed and today, when the Beis HaMikdash is unfortunately not in our midst, we still perform all of the proscribed rituals through our tefillah and observance of mitzvos. Just as some men were not able to make the Pesach offering on the 14th of Nissan, sometimes each of us fails to perform a mitzvah or serve Hashem to the best of our ability, either intentionally or accidentally. Just as Hashem is infinite and without constraint, so is the Divine service of a Jew. We can always reach a higher level; there are always new levels of service that we can strive for. Therefore, Pesach Sheini is applicable to every Jew, every day, every year. There is always a need, and an opportunity, for a second chance in our Divine service, either to rectify an omission,

SOUL NUTRITION

or to increase the level of our service.

“Pesach means ‘leaping over’ and Egypt in Hebrew is Mitzrayim, which is cognate to the word meitzorim, which means limits. A person’s character, his upbringing and mode of life, indeed nature itself, act as constraints on his cleaving to G-d with unbounded enthusiasm, preventing a person from climbing higher in Divine worship. The exodus from Egypt in spiritual terms means a Jew must leap out of the limits of his previous level of service and enter a hitherto inaccessible plane of sanctity….His observance of Pesach, although complete at the time, has now become inadequate. He becomes obligated to observe Pesach Sheini.”9 May we all jump to take our “second chance” and increase the level of our own observance, bringing more Divine sparks into the world and adding the final brick to the Beis HaMikdash HaShlishi, ushering in the Final Redemption bimheira v’yameinu.

1. Bamidbar 9:6-11.

2. HaYom Yom 14 Iyar.

3. Rambam, Hilchos Korbon Pesach 5:2.

4. See Likkutei Torah, Parshas Ha’azinu, p. 142.

Days of Destiny, Teshuvah, Tefillah, Tzedakah, p. 9ff.

5. Tanya, ch. 2.

6. According to most opinions. See Minchas Chinuch, Mitzvah 380.

7. See Reishis Chochmah, Shaar HaAhavoh, ch. 6; Shaloh, Shaar HaOsiyos, Os 30; Likkutei Torah, Parshas Nasso.

8. Shemos 25:8.

9. Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XII, pp. 216-220 Shabbos Parshas Emor, 5738.

, ‫ר̇אשׁ‬ ‫כּרעיו ִ ְוקרבּוֹ‬ ָ ְָ —Parshas Bo 12:9 hy did the Korbon Pesach need to be roasted in this particular way, the head, legs and stomach together? What can we learn from this today?

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Chassidus explains: in general, there are three things that can cause obstacles in a person’s relationship with Hashem.

His head (knowledge) — if he doesn’t understand things, his feet (desire) — if he is willing to step on anything (people, principles, Torah) to get what he wants, and his stomach (satisfaction) — his internal desire to fill his hunger at any cost. The lesson of the Korbon Pesach is that, even today, these three qualities must be brought as an offering to Hashem.

Similarly, it says a person’s essence can be defined through three things: B’kiso, b’koso, u’v’kaaso (his wallet, his drink, and his anger) – how a person spends his money, how he behaves when he is drunk, and how he acts in anger. These three things are actually the same as the three qualities mentioned above.

The wallet (which enables you to get what you want) = feet, drink = food, and head = anger.

THE THREE NAMES FOR THE YOM TOV There are three names for this holiday:

‫חג המצות‬

The Feast of Matzos

‫זמן חרותנו‬

The season of our freedom

‫פסח‬

Passover

According to Chassidus, these names are interrelated.

Matzah represents bittul, selflessness. This quality leads to true freedom, and allows for Pesach (literally, “a jump”), a radical leap forward in our Divine service.

www.Kosherspirit.com 23

Is it Kosher for Pesach?

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It’s like having a rabbi at your side whenever you go shopping...

Best wishes for a Kosher and Freilichen Pesach from ~ Kosher Certification

~

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