Jewish Dietary Laws

Would there be an issue of בשר שנתעלם מן העין regarding takeout grab and go beef meals sold in supermarkets that the container is not tamper proof and does not have a seal. Mashgiach is only present during production and containers are sold throughout the day.

Hi Rabbi, I was attempting to kasher 2 kosher knives that had accidentally become treif in a pot, after waiting the requisite 24 hours and 2 boilings in the pot, but once I put the knives in the pot, I saw that the pot was too small to fit both knives. My question is now is there a problem with the pot now that had it had treif in it with hot water, or is it fine because the knives were clean and hadn’t been used for 24 hours? On top of that, is there any board rules about kashering in a pot I should know? With many thanks and appreciation.

Hello I was reading about orlah fruit which are considered un-kosher if the fruit is beared within the first three years of the fruits life. Citrus fruit such as oranges can bear fruit within the first 1-2 years of the trees life. So if I bought a orange from the grocery store (U.S),would it be considered treif?

I always thought a 6-hour waiting period before eating dairy is not necessary after eating pareve food off fleishig dishes. But I recently was over the home of a rabbi who told me a 6-hour wait is required after eating pareve food that was cooked in pots or pans that were previously used to cook meat, even if there is no meat present at the meal. What’s up with that?

I grew up keeping strictly Cholov Yisroel. My parents did and still do keep CY, and in their minds, any non-CY dairy or any kelim that have been in contact with non-CY are just as good as treif. They never ate or allowed me to eat at the homes of anyone who is not strictly CY. The local orthodox rabbi our family follows stands by all of this. At the same time, 90% of the orthodox community where I live does not follow CY, including most of my friends. I’m talking about strictly Orthodox Jews. I feel really constricted and like I am missing out on so much by this CY restriction. I’ve had enough of it and can’t take it anymore. I am a fully grown independent adult now with my own job, home, and social life. I want to give it up and eat Chalav Stam, but I know my parents would be angry at me and our rabbi would also disapprove. How terrible would it really be if, despite all this, I stopped following my family custom? Would it be a violation of Torah law? Would you, as a rabbi, apply the word ‘sin’ to the act of abandoning CY when most Orthodox Jews already don’t follow it, and when widely respected kashrus organizations like the OU approve lots of non-CY foods.

Shalom rabbi, it is necessary for a Jew to eat kosher and avoid non kosher food. So, rabbi, outside of Jerusalem there are many non-Jews and they may not know what is kosher. In this situation, can a Jew live on fruits and cooked vegetables?

I have spent the past 22 years as a vegetarian. Here is why I became a vegetarian. When I was seven, I went over a friend’s house one afternoon and they served me a snack with some meat. I didn’t think anything about eating it then. When I came home, my mother was serving ice cream to the family. But she told me I couldn’t have any because I had meat. It was the first time I ever heard of the idea of being ‘fleishig’ and not being allowed to eat dairy for 6 hours. I was upset and threw a tantrum and got spanked and sent to my room. I was so traumatized by being deprived of ice cream when my siblings all were having it that I decided I would never eat meat again. At first my parents started to force and threaten me to eat meat, but when they saw how resistant I was, they finally gave in and let me be a vegetarian and started to accommodate me. From that day on, I ate fish, but never anything fleishig under Jewish law. After I grew up, I remained a vegetarian. I now work in the plant-based food industry and travel a lot for business, which has forced me to spend some Shabbosim away from home. And when I do, I try to get invited out for meals. Wherever I go, I explain to the host that I am a vegetarian and they gladly accommodate me. Very recently, I had my Shabbos meals with someone who happens to be an ordained rabbi in the place where I was staying. As usual, I told his wife in advance about my vegetarianism. She sounded very pleasant on the phone like she would gladly accommodate me. When I got there, the rabbi told me it is forbidden to be a vegetarian for the reason of avoiding being fleishig. Not just that, but except for a slice of gefilte fish with each meal, all the food they served was fleishig. They served chicken, meatballs, potatoes with meat gravy, and rice cooked in chicken broth, to name a few. Nothing was pareve except the meager amount of fish and some snacks. And they wouldn’t give me extras of anything to make up for the meat I wouldn’t eat because they said it is unfair to others to have unequal portions. They were quite hostile to me about it. The rabbi told me that I am depriving myself of simcha by not eating meat, and failing to keep the mitzvah of refraining from eating dairy after meat by never being fleishig. He tried to convince me to eat meat by saying they would serve no dairy all of Shabbos. That still didn’t make me eat meat. As I said, I haven’t eaten meat in 22 years, and don’t feel I ever can again. He said if I ever come over his house again for Shabbos, I am required to eat meat. I was so happy to be out of there when... Why is it that he would be so insistent I eat meat?

Hello! I heard that according to the Yalkut Yosef, Sephardi Jews can't have fish and dairy together but I also heard that this was a typo by his students. Is it more along the lines of fish being cooked with dairy or also cold fish and dairy? Do these rules apply to Mizrahi Jews as well? Thank you!

I am vegan, but not for religious reasons. I have a business associate who is an Orthodox Jew. I had lunch with him recently, and considering the limited number of kosher restaurants in town where he could eat, he took me to one that he said had some vegan dishes. As I know well, kosher restaurants can only serve dairy or meat but not both, and the one he took me to serves meat. And at the entrance, there was a sign on the door from the agency of certifying rabbis stating that all cooked food served at the establishment, including vegan dishes, require a 6-hour waiting period that Orthodox Jews follow between eating meat and dairy, and the only exception was fish, which I don’t eat. I am very familiar with that waiting period. What bothers me is this restaurant is labeling some of its food as ‘vegan’ when it actually does contain some meat, albeit small traces. For me as a vegan, that is not acceptable. All I was able to eat at this restaurant was a salad.

Hello! I read on chabad.org that one needs to wait six hours after having meat to have dairy because bits of meat can be stuck in between the teeth or that the taste of the meat is still in the mouth. If that is the case, what if I just brush my teeth right after and use mouthwash to rinse out my mouth to get rid of the taste/bits of meat? Wouldn't that solve it since there will be no more remnants? Also, why do we not wait between dairy and meat if either way the dairy food will still be in the stomach when having meat (as in, I had macaroni and cheese and now want a hot dog)? They did mention its best to wait around 30min-1hour after having dairy but why isn't it six hours like meat before dairy?