Question
We have become vegetarians (who eat cheese, eggs, fish) and would like to use our fleishig dishes, pots, and pans with milchig recipes. We have incomplete sets of both fleishig and milchig dishes and cookware, so we thought it would be much more economical to combine both sets. We know that we can can boil the silverware, but what about dishes, pots, and pans?

Question
Traditionally, tips in a restaurant are not legally required, but it is rude not to pay them. Common etiquette says if you can’t afford to tip, don’t eat at that restaurant. I find that hard because of social pressure. What does Halacha say about tipping? I am not well off, but I often find myself forced by social circumstances to eat in a restaurant and pay for my own meal. Affording a tip no matter how small is a struggle for me.

Question
If a Jew were to eat at a non-kosher restaurant, is it preferable that he not wear a kippah while doing so in order to not mislead others? The reason I am asking is because I personally know a couple like that. They wear the costumes of Orthodox Jews (the husband wears a kippah and the wife wears an orthodox style hair covering and long skirts). But they dine out at non-kosher vegan restaurants. They are not intentionally being rebellious. This is just the level they are at. The first time I met them, I saw them entering a non-kosher vegan restaurant in a shopping center I frequent. Seeing what appeared to be an orthodox couple entering this restaurant, I asked them if the restaurant was kosher because I wasn’t familiar with it being on the list of kosher restaurants in town. They explained to me that it has no supervision, but they are comfortable eating at almost any vegan restaurant. This encounter led to a friendship with this couple in which I learned they also drive to synagogue on Shabbos when the weather is not conducive to walking. When non-orthodox Jews enter non-kosher restaurants, we think of this as normal behavior on their part. But the very sight of a man in a kippah entering a non-kosher restaurant might confuse others into believing it is kosher. So wouldn’t it be better if a Jew who plans to eat there remove his kippah before doing so?

Question
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.

Question
A number of companies are coming out with lab grown meat including beef and chicken. What is the status of these products with regard to kashrut?

Question
If I move into an apartment that does not have a gas stove how can I prepare fresh kosher liver so that it stays kosher? I have always prepared it in a flame broiler. Thank you. Shabbat Shalom.

Question
Dear Rabbi, At the pool where I take my kids in the summer, there is a juice and smoothie stand. They are not under any kashrut supervision. They only use fresh fruits and milk, coconut milk, sugar, and honey with kashrut symbols and equipment such as knives and blenders that have never been used anywhere else. They are very nice and will openly show you how their operation works if you ask. Lots of Orthodox Jews come to this pool and say it’s kosher because there can’t possibly be anything wrong with it. What’s the scoop on that? Thank you

Question
A lot of produce sold in stores have identification stickers attached. From a health standpoint, the gluey residue is perfectly safe and it is even safe to eat the whole sticker! But this does not answer kashrut questions. There is no way of knowing what the sticker or the ink printed on it or the glue are made of. Do these pose kashrut issues in any way? Should the area of the skin of a fruit or vegetable where the sticker was attached, which contains traces of the adhesive after removal, be discarded?

Question
I met a nice Jewish guy on a Jewish dating site and he and I very much want to get married. We love each other and both agree we are a perfect match. My parents think highly of him and his family and are hopeful we will get married. I am modern orthodox and he is not orthodox at all and has no desire to become orthodox, but he has a strong Jewish identity and some orthodox relatives he is close to. I am fine with that. I can accept him regardless of his level of observance. He is willing to move to the eruv area and let our home be kosher if we were to marry and send any kids we have to orthodox schools. The issue I am wondering about is he owns a well known non-kosher restaurant and his clientele is largely non-observant Jews. He also caters weddings and bar mitzvahs of non-orthodox Jews, some of them being intermarriages. If I were to marry him, I would benefit from the income he makes from his non-kosher business that is his livelihood. Is there a problem with me marrying him then? I don’t make enough money to sustain a household myself, and most of our income would come from his restaurant.