Thursday, December 28, 2023
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Update: Alert: "All" French Vodkas have a wine issue and may not be used, including Grey Goose- We posted this in 2021-
"Grey-Goose" at all of their affairs, even though "Grey-Goose" is not on the CRC approved list, but it's on the Star-K's list - That's good enough for Rav Ekstein, Skver, Hisachdus CRC.
Rav Padwa, banned all french Vodka because of wine issues for a few years already.
It does not appear on the CRC's liquor list as recommended or approved.
Note: The Star-K APPROVES Grey Goose Vodka, because Kashrus issues is not a concern by them. They also approve Red-Bull drinks while the CRC does not approve it.
Note: Reb Usher Eckstein Belzer Dayan- discovered America-
Interesting-he saw it on a whatsap, so he put out an alert.
Monday, December 25, 2023
Ma’aseh Shehaya – Once Upon A Time A Cautionary Kashrus Chronicle
(Dear Readers: Although at the end of last week’s article I
stated that I would delve deeper into the meaning of the Chasam Sofer’s novel
description of the events of Asara B’Teves, and how it is relevant to
unfortunate events occurring all around us, I beg the readers’ indulgence to
wait another week for that, as an event took place last week which highlights
the importance of reading these columns in Chadash and attending the
lectures that are sometimes shamelessly promoted therein.)
Way back when, when we were first getting to know each other, I
wrote a series of articles entitled “Just What Are Mehadrin Standards?”
We discussed that there are different standards for different Hechsheirim,
much as there are different standards for different qualities of anything we
deal with, e.g., washing machines, tape recorders, cars, elevators — the point
being that even if we can point to a bottom-line seeming similarity (at the end
of the day — It’s kosher, isn’t it? It gets the clothes clean, doesn’t it? It
plays music, doesn’t it? It gets you from point A to point B, doesn’t it? It
moves you up and down, doesn’t it?), there are, nevertheless, distinctions in
dependability; in ability to work under less-than-ideal circumstances; in
durability; in extra features which ensure a safer, more confident experience.
And so surely we should understand that different Hechsheirim offer
different standards to confront practical problems which inevitably arise in
the real world, especially given the sophistication and intricate reality
of the food industry and the complex halachic issues that have to be dealt
with. We concluded by making the point that as most laymen (and Talmidei
chachamim) are not up to the task of researching the standards of the
plethora of kashrus organizations, and equally not up to the task of doing the
necessary halachic research (and making halachic decisions) to determine just
what those standards should be, every person must have a rav, or some expert in
the field to be guided by, no less than we are guided by our doctors, our car
mechanics, and our Consumer Reports. To be continued:
בבא קמא נב.-כד רגיז רעיא על ענא עביד לנגדא סמותא- רש"י כך כשהמקום נפרע משונאי ישראל ממנה להן פרנסים שאינן מהוגנים-הפוך בה דכולה בה!
The word Askan/ Shtadlan, the title public servant, has referred to a person characterized by selfless love for the Jewish people who sacrifices himself for the public good. We grew up hearing stories of people ran across Europe meeting with kings and governments in an effort to avert terrible decrees against the Jewish people. All this was done at their own personal peril and their own expense. The early klal workers in this country wanted nothing more than to spread chinuch and literally were moser nefesh for that ideal.
Every good thing can be abused. This includes public service
and community service when a trust of the people with interests other than
those of the public they represent. If that happens, the people who suffer the
most are all of us, all of klal yisroel, because the true askanim /
shtadlanim-and there many out in there in the
trenches helping others lesheim shomayim will have lost the goodwill of
the public due to the indiscretions and selflessness of the abusers.
Thursday, December 21, 2023
UPDATE: Alert: Shatnez issues- The new HIS place clothing store at Evergreen South Lakewood-
NOTE: Their Bais Din Shatnez, told us themselves that they do not have a clue in the practical aspect of Shatnez.
Therefore, Only use the Shatnez Testers that are certified by the International Shatnez testers Association.
Alert: Philadelphia Shatnez lab clothing needs re-testing
The Kreitman affiliated shatnez personnel are NOT QUALIFIED and are being מכשיל את הרבים
2nd Update: Shatnez testing-who should I use?
There isn't any ביטול בשעטנז anymore, because it's a דבר שיש לו מתירין-(the Kreitman group and Lee Ave, are מתיר everything)
I eat anything with a "K", I read ingredients list, then I decide if it's kosher enough, I use non- Glatt, any kosher symbol, I use $25.00 Mezuzahs, ד' מינים, חינוך,tefilin $250.00, we aren't into yoshon or infestation, there are many heteirim, etc.
Then the following Shatnez testers are for you;Kreitmans- Monsey & Lakewood-
Shatnez Maven, Shatnez specialists, Cleaning Station River Ave-Cleaners in SeaGull Mall-etc.
The following clothing stores are NOT for you;
Emporio-
Prestige-
His Place "South Side".
If you are one that has a different standard in Kashrus, then buy your clothing anyplace provided it's then checked by a qualified shatnez lab. make sure the store will allow you to return it, if it's not feasible to remove the Shatnez.
Get your Shatnez clothing at EMPORIO- with a Non-Shatnez label attached- Emporio has professional "Bouncers" in food establishments "if you question the fraud Shatnez system
ALERT: The Kreitman Shatnez checker [and their fraudulent Bais-Din] are totally unqualified, all of his checked clothing must be re-checked by a qualified shatnez mumcha!
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Monday, December 11, 2023
The unfinished battle against the modern "Misyavinim" - They are ALL our fellow Jews R"L [The רבים ביד מעטים וכו' will triumph]
Rav Shimon Schwab spoke at a convention about "The unfinished battle against the modern "Misyavinim". We think there is another modern "Misyavnim" brewing ........
The Misyavnim are your Friedlanders, Eichtensteins, Lakewood Vaad, Agudah, Members of Mo'etezes, Garry Schaer, a$$konim, Roshei Moisdois, etc.
מהרסיך ומחריביך ממך יצאו
Wednesday, December 06, 2023
NZ Government administrator who leaked data showing a one-in-four DEATH rate for some COVID jab batches ARRESTED
According to reports, the man in question was taken into custody by law enforcement for "accessing computers for deceptive purposes." This is rich, considering the New Zealand government's hiding of said data in the first place is the true deception.
Monday, December 04, 2023
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
An Email that we received
Good morning. I understand many have issues with ... .... and ... ....... Are you and others not aware of the many that have been sent for psychiatric evaluation by that Beis din. More to the point is who they send them too. I ask mechilah in advance if anything hits a sore point etc.
Friday, November 17, 2023
An Anonymous Letter to Agudas Yisroel of America
The following
anonymous letter has been circulating:
Dear Agudas Yisroel of America.
I write to you as someone who considers himself an “Agudah
Yid” even if I may be a few years behind in my membership dues! I grew up in a
household where the Agudah and the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah reigned supreme. But
it seems to be that we have reached a crossroads and that Agudah needs to make
a decision. Fast.
It is no secret that Ultra Orthodoxy today is divided into
several groups.
There are the Chassidim. Many major groups of Chassidim were
anti Agudah from the start and the ones who weren’t don’t seem to be too eager
to join right now. They are largely insular and prefer the leadership of their
own rebbes. No Rebbe of a major Chasidus is part of Agudah. And so Agudah does
not represent them nor should they attempt to.
There is “Lakewood” and the people under their influence.
(Full disclosure, I live in Lakewood) The Lakewood yeshiva community is a
right-leaning community. This means practically that the Lakewood Roshei
Yeshiva and Rabbonim will sign bans against 24/6 (and Megillas Esther), will
take strong positions against all new technology, always rule stringently in
areas of women’s modesty, and – well, you get my point. Similar to the
Chassidim, they are insular and do not have much interest in the outside world.
To date, there is no major support, respect, or interest in Agudah from the
Lakewood yeshiva community.
Then there are the others. These are the Ultra-Orthodox Jews
from Brooklyn to Passaic to Monsey and from the tens of smaller communities
across the country. They have a bona-fide yeshiva education but also look
outward. They may have gone to college, or they may not have, but they
certainly see value in a broader education and worldview. They also see
themselves as part of a larger Jewish world, at home and abroad. They do not
“support” the non-religious, but they are pained by the fact that so many Jews
do not live a life of Torah. It seems to me that this is Agudas Yisroel’s
constituency. To be fair, I think this was the dominant (non-Chassidic) view of
Ultra Orthodoxy in American since World War 2, and it is the Lakewood Yeshiva
crowd that has slowly moved in a new direction.
You may not want that or like that, but those are the facts.
The core followers of the Agudah are the non-Chassidism, non-Lakewood
communities.
And yet, your Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah is filled with people
who are often at odds with your core constituency. No one is questioning the
greatness of any member of the Moetzes (obviously), and there are legitimate
positions on many issues, but members of an organization need and deserve to
have a rabbinical board that share basic values and approaches with them. Why
should the Lakewood yeshiva world have such a strong voice in the Moetzes of
Agudah when the Lakewood yeshiva world is not even part of Agudah?
Now I know what you will tell me: “we listen to our Gedolim
and accept their words even if we disagree”. But you and I both know that is
false. To date there is no member of the Modern Orthodox world on your Moetzes
despite there being many great Talmidei Chachamim among them. There is no
member of Chabad on your board either. Clearly, there needs to be a baseline “hashkafah”
that a Gadol has to have in order to be considered for the Moetzes. And so
again, why is the Moetzes made up of so many members who are so at odds with
the people who look to Agudah for guidance?
The rally in Washington D.C. this week is a perfect example
of the problem. I am not concerned with the merits of either side; I simply
want to take a look at the disconnect here.
Many Ultra-Orthodox communities across the country were
eager to participate in this historic, and what they saw as vital, rally. And
what was the position of the Agudah? First, they sent out a timid email with
what appeared to be reluctant support for the rally. To an outsider it seemed
that the Moetzes did not want to support the rally at all, but realized that
opposing it would not sit well with their constituents and so they did not come
out against it. Their weak email created a vacuum to allow the mess that was to
follow.
The evening before the event a letter comes out signed by 4
member of the Moetzes (a 5th joined later) saying that it is assur to go to the
rally. Never mind the cruelty of the November surprise, but to our point, the
views of this Moetzes are simply worlds apart from the people who would be
Agudah members. Even before the letter came out there were almost no buses from
Lakewood going to the event. In in 5 Towns, you were embarrassed to not be
attending the rally and in Lakewood no one even knew about it! Many Rabbonim
from outside of Lakewood supported and joined the rally; are they not “chared
lidvar Hashem”?
There is a terrible divide between the ideology of the voice
coming out of Agudah and the people who are its loyal adherents. This is
leading to nothing less than the destruction of Agudah. Consider the fact that
most people would struggle to find some positive communal initiative that
Agudah has implemented for Klal Yisroel over the past few years. They are
clearly handicapped by the many voices in the Moetzes and so they take the path
of least resistance and do nothing. While their counterpart at the OU are
engaged in community changing Torah projects and initiatives, Agudah is making
grand conventions. With their AllDaf app OU is teaching millions of Yidden
Shas, while the Agudah is making millions off of Yiden with a Siyum HaShas.
(Caveat – We are talking here about Agudah as a voice and
guidance for Torah Jewry in America. There are a lot of projects that Agudah is
involved in, such as lobbying, legal/political initiatives that are
invaluable.)
The Lakewood yeshiva world has adopted very different views
then many of us. These are of course legitimate views, just as the Gedolim
purporting them are tremendous people. If the Agudah wants to appeal to these
voiced and embrace the Rabbonim who speak for them- fine. Let us know and we
will wish you well, and probably start a new organization to speak for us. I
should warn you, however, that most of the “yeshivsh” Rosh Yeshivas want nothing
to do with Agudah and most of their followers have nothing but ridicule for
you.
But if you want to continue to be the voice for what is
still the mainstream Ultra-Orthodox in the country, it is time that real change
comes to your institution. Those changes might be in who is allowed to be on
the Moetzes, or maybe what types of questions need the Moetzes approval, or
maybe who gets to have veto power, I don’t know. But I do know that you are
currently in dangerous waters. You are being dominated by voices who are
diametrically opposed to the deepest convictions of the only people who still
support you. That situation cannot last.
Posted by Dusiznies at 11:00 AM
Anonymous said...
Very well said' in a condensed article.November 17, 2023 at
12:31 PM
Sunday, November 12, 2023
KASHRUS ALERT: Very confusing alert re: Gefen ChickPeas/Garbanzo Beans
2- The notice says "THEY MAY NOT BE USED", evidently it can't be checked by the consumer and it was infested at packing, so what was the purpose of the notice on the package, just a disclaimer of sort.
3- The Notice states only those two batch numbers, but the fact is that the later ones are also infested.
4-Therefore, that brand of product and or the Hashgocha are not reliable for infestation issues.
Whole wheat flour- seperating Challah
KEMACH FOOD PRODUCTS CORP.
9920 Farragut
Road Brooklyn,
NY 11236-2302 (718) 272-5655 (718) 272-6226 Fax
HAFRASHAS CHALLAH (SEPARATING CHALLAH)
& WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR
Here are some important bullet
points taken from this P’sak (halachic ruling) from our Rav
Hamachshir, Harav
Nusson N. Horowitz regarding the
laws pertaining to
being
“Mafrish Challah” (Separating Challah) when using
Kemach Whole Wheat
Flour.
A special Thank
You to Rabbi
Avrohom Chaim Young
for all the time and
energy he put into researching the calculations and measurements
that were used
in this P’sak.
When in the process of milling whole wheat
flour, the bran is removed from
the flour and then
mixed back, the
halacha (in
Shulchan Aruch) states that it no longer is
counted towards the
shiur (measurement)
needed to be mafrish challah.
Most manufactured whole wheat flour, and specifically Kemach Whole Wheat
Flour is manufactured
that way.
Based on this
Halacha one must factor
that (l’chumrah) up to
27%
of the Kemach Whole Wheat Flour might be bran that was mixed back in.
It is
important
to note
that this must be relied on only as a chumrah
(stringency) and not
a Kullah (leniency), i.e. one may not make a
Brocho on hafrashas challah without
factoring in the extra 27%. However, when
taking challah on smaller amounts
of flour upon which a brocho is anyway
not
said, the 27% is not a determining
factor if hafroshas
challah is
needed at all.
PRACTICAL MEASUREMENTS
(adding 27% by
weight
and proportionately
by volume)
o When measuring by weight we need to
multiply by 1.37. For example, one’s Rov
holds that one should make the brocho on
hafroshas challah only if the amount of
white flour in the
dough is at least 5 pounds. Multiplying 5 by
1.37 comes
to 6.85. Accordingly, the amount
of
Kemach Whole Wheat
Flour
one needs to use in order
to make a brocho would be almost 7 lbs. (More precisely, 6.85
lbs.
which is 6 lbs. and
13.6 oz.).
o When measuring by volume we
need to multiply by 1.52. For example, one’s
Rov
holds that one should make
the brocho on hafroshas
challah only if the amount
of
white flour in the dough
is at least 18
cups (for less than
18 cups but at least 9 cups one
should take challah but without
a brocho). Multiplying 18 by 1.52 comes to
about 27.5. Accordingly, the amount of Kemach Whole Wheat
Flour one needs to
use in order to make a
brocho would be
27.5 cups.
o However,
if as
stated above, one uses less than 18 cups
but at least 9
cups (e.g. 10 cups of flour), one
should not multiply by 1.52. Instead
in this
case he should take challah from the 10-cup dough, but
without
a brocho.
Please note that all of the above is only applicable to
Kemach Whole Wheat
Flour. (Other companies might
not remove
and mix
back in the bran,
and/or might have different
percentages).
אם ראית דור שצרות רבות באות עליו - צא ובדוק בדייני ישראל. שכל פורענות שבאה לעולם לא באה אלא בשביל דייני ישראל, שבת קל"ט - א
Friday, November 10, 2023
After a Bankruptcy, it's common to change the name, Why did KCL change their name, still without any basic kashrus reliability
In other words, every agency, organization, and individual out there giving hashgacha should be doing a proper job.
Unfortunately, many are not, even to the point that one cannot eat at
establishments that they certify or eat the products that they certify unless
the kashrus system is independently verified.
Ubiquitous under-performance, even in bastions of holiness, does not make it
more acceptable to do a sub-standard job, but it allows us to be more kind in
considering that a deficient agency, organization, or individual is not a
standout, but one of many.
The reasons vary: lack of expertise in kashrus systems, lack of
management skills, lack of budget, lack of the community’s willingness to
properly fund a top-notch, or even Halachically acceptable, kashrus program,
misplaced compassion towards unqualified staff, turf wars, negligence, and
sometimes even avarice and lack of yir’as Shamayim.
But the consequences are the same: a community unknowingly eats that which
is Halachically prohibited, and the knowing of the community are left with no
good options and are frowned upon by the unknowing.
May Hashem protect all His children and grant us all to eat properly kosher
food.
The following article appeared in the past in KASHRUS
Magazine (reprinted with some clarification.)