The Mind of Michael

The article reprinted below highlights problems with eating kosher. Financial incentives to cut corners vs financial incentives to act improperly. emunat hakhamim vs possibility for the existence, however rare they may be, of corrupt executors of kashrut certifications. Life before certification as a forgotten memory vs life without them being unthinkable. Reliance on the halakhic knowledge and of others vs reliance on self, and responsibility to learn the laws yourself. Being unnecessarily machmir vs ‘it’s either kosher or it’s not’.

One of my favourite restaurants

In general, I’m of the opinion that having teudot today is different from having them in the middle ages, where at the time, you only had to worry about Karaites, and they were generally known and often (though not always, as when the Rambam came to Egypt) separate. Everyone else kept essentially kasher. Today, the world’s Jewish observance spectrum is obviously different. So it’s good to have them, and of course whether or not the kashrut certifiers are doing their job properly or not is not our immediate concern – if they are not, the mashgichim will have to answer to G-d, not us. Rather, the only thing we’ll have to answer for in this area is why we didn’t learn the laws ourselves so we could make our own assessments? I agree in principle with Shaulson: not having a certificate does not immediately brand a place as not kasher. However the length of time you personally will have to spend asking questions and in the kitchen checking things out is directly related to what you order.

I recently heard (and this is second hand, unverified – if anyone would like to weigh in, kol hakavod) that a rabbi who certified a sushi place in Melbourne (his own certification) has had his rabbinic credentials put into question. I recently ate from the only kosher sushi place there, and enjoyed it thoroughly. With everything involved in the preparation besides the plain white rice being cold, certifying sushi is probably the easiest thing to do. Most likely this rabbi is involved. But even with my limited study of kashrut, I would probably feel quite comfortable continuing to eat from that establishment – especially if it continues to have certification.

An interesting read.

Source: www.jpost.com

A kashrut conundrum

Jun. 11, 2009
YAEL BRYGEL , THE JERUSALEM POST
Most kashrut-observant Jews are accustomed to walking into an eatery and asking the restaurateur or waiter whether the establishment is kosher. Often the customer is told, “Yes, we are kosher but we don’t have a teudah (kosher certificate) because we are open on Shabbat.” It therefore may come as a surprise to the customer when he/she is told, “Yes, we are kosher and we are closed on Shabbat, but we choose not to have a teudah.”

The Jerusalem Marakiya is one restaurant where you will receive such a response. Owner Noam Frankforter, an observant Jew, says that the restaurant is kosher and closed on Shabbat, but he chooses not to have a teudah for ideological reasons. “Part of the point is that I am trying to break the sense of alienation, distrust and suspicion that exists among people in today’s society. I say to people who come here that if they try to get to know me, they will realize that I keep kosher.” Read More…