23
votes
Accepted
Is a Muslim allowed to touch a food item for purchase in a kosher bakery?
It is very considerate of a Muslim to care about helping Jewish people protect the laws of kashrut. I assume it is because the Muslim is motivated by fear of Heaven and care for a fellow human being.
...
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21
votes
Are there multiple levels of treif?
Yes, there are multiple levels.
In the Laws of Forbidden Foods 14:16-17, the Rambam writes:
"When a person is overcome by severe hunger, he may be fed forbidden food immediately until his ...
- 41.3k
21
votes
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Are all French baguettes intrinsically kosher?
That is correct and many observant Jews eat this bread (I lived in France for five years). The same is true for many sorts of plain bread, not just baguette.
However one has to check that the oven is ...
- 45.6k
16
votes
Are dik-diks kosher animals?
The animal is part of the antelope family and has split hooves and chewes the cud. I would always consult a rabbi, as this answer is not a halachic dictation. Based on the information in your link ...
- 1,936
14
votes
Is eating one whole olive considered as eating a kezayit?
The Talmud explicitly addresses this.
Berachos 38b-39a
אמר ליה רבי ירמיה לרבי זירא רבי יוחנן היכי מברך על זית מליח כיון
דשקילא לגרעיניה בצר בצר ליה שיעורא אמר ליה מי סברת כזית גדול בעינן
כזית ...
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13
votes
Accepted
Serving food at Kiruv Events and OC 169:2
R Gil Student addresses this question here and, following a recap of the gemara and Shulkhan Aruch you cite, responds the posekim have unanimously permitted this, but their rationales vary
R. Moshe ...
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12
votes
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Why if you drink water directly from a river you'd be considered pagan?
You're thinking of Shoftim 7:5
וַיּ֥וֹרֶד אֶת־הָעָ֖ם אֶל־הַמָּ֑יִם (ס) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־גִּדְע֗וֹן כֹּ֣ל אֲשֶׁר־יָלֹק֩ בִּלְשׁוֹנ֨וֹ מִן־הַמַּ֜יִם כַּאֲשֶׁ֧ר יָלֹ֣ק הַכֶּ֗לֶב תַּצִּ֤יג ...
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12
votes
Accepted
Why does my box of Matzah say "BOX SHOULD BE OPENED BEFORE SHABBOS AND YOM TOV"
There is a concern that by opening the box, a usable vessel has been completed, which can be a violation of the prohibition of makeh b'patish, one of the 39 forbidden categories of "work" on Shabbath ...
- 17.6k
12
votes
Food ‘fight’ in the Talmud
There is something like you mention in the Talmud Yerushalmi in Demai 7:1:
Rebbi and Rabbi Yossi were invited as guests to eat at the home of a certain man. However, the Rabbis suspected that he did ...
- 430
12
votes
If one makes a bracha on something not Kosher should he eat it to avoid saying G-d's name in vain or not?
He already said God's name in vain since non-kosher food doesn't warrant a blessing. Eating the food now isn't going to help that.
אכל דבר איסור, אף על פי שאינו אסור אלא מדרבנן, אין מזמנין עליו ...
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11
votes
Accepted
Is there a bracha achrona called "Al Ha'Adama"?
The Bracha Al Haadama is cited in tosfot Brachot in name of the machzor of Rabenu Tam (an annotation written by Rabbenu tam in his Machzor), Tosfot said also that Rabenu Tam further reversed his ...
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11
votes
Accepted
Wheat crackers that are ha'adama
Refer to this communication between Dayan Westheim zt"l and Rabbi Yehoshua Kaganoff here on p.64. The full letter is very enlightening and sheds light on their production/manufacture and the ...
- 27.3k
11
votes
Accepted
What is פנאד"ש?
I have found in the article (p. 8 of the PDF) of Eliezer Papo that it is
מאכל ספרדי דומה לבורקס שלנו היום – כיסנים ממולאים בבשר או בגבינה.
a Sephardic food similar to our bourekas today – dumplings ...
- 7,424
10
votes
Accepted
Is Daniel healthy and wise in spite of his diet, or because of his diet?
Ibn Ezra is of the opinion that it was the type of food they were eating that positively affected their appearance. He goes into detail inferring what exactly the food was, which would have the effect ...
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10
votes
Accepted
Does ever min hachai transfer to utensils?
This is a great question, which is debated by two of the great Acharonim. The gemara in Sanhedrin 74b considers that specific details of Jewish law might apply to Bnei Noach when they intersect with ...
- 1,314
10
votes
Accepted
Who is the underlined square k certification
That's 1K Kosher, under the supervision of R' Menahem Hadad in Brussels, Belgium. They are listed on R' Eydlitz's KosherQuest as reliable, although CYLOR.
- 12.8k
10
votes
Minhag of eating jelly doughnuts on chanukah
Wikipedia brings the following quote from Rabbi Maimon, father of the Rambam:
"אין להקל בשום מנהג ואפילו מנהג קל. ויתחייב כל נכון לו עשות משתה ושמחה ומאכל, לפרסם הנס שעשה השם יתברך עמנו באותם ...
- 24.3k
10
votes
Can Jews Eat Hybrid Foods?
One is allowed to eat kilayim produce, the only exception is kilayim produce that comes from the grapevine.
Refer to the Mishna in Kilayim 8:1
כִּלְאֵי הַכֶּרֶם אֲסוּרִין מִלִּזְרֹעַ, וּמִלְּקַיֵּם, ...
- 27.3k
9
votes
Accepted
What was red in the stew that Jacob made for Esau?
I heard once, do not remember from who, questioning the word נא from הלעיטני נא מן האדם האדם הזה - since when did Eisav say please? The answer I was told was Eisav was not saying please, Eisav was ...
- 138k
9
votes
Accepted
Can the blessing She-ha-kol be used for ALL foods before eating them?
The rule about using "shehakol" for all foods comes from a Mishnah in Masechet Berachot. In the Talmud it appears on 40a as follows:
בירך על פירות האילן בורא פרי האדמה יצא ועל פירות הארץ בורא פרי ...
- 48.9k
9
votes
Accepted
What bracha does one make on injera?
There is a debate, whether its blessing should be borei peri haadamah or shehakol (see also the discussion in Berakhot 37a). The reasoning is that teff is not edible on its own, but you have to grind ...
- 7,424
8
votes
What did the Jews' animals in the desert eat?
The Yalqut Reubeni (here, s.v. מה) addresses this question and quotes from a collection ‘Sode Raza’ (attributed to student(s) of R. Yehudah HaChasid) that the layer of dew would bring forth vegetables ...
- 11.9k
8
votes
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Making a bracha on food which is normally assur, but allowed due to pikuach nefesh
The Shulchan Aruch writes explicitly in O"C 204:9 that if one eats foods that are normally forbidden but are now permitted, one does say a Bracha on it.
אכל מאכל או משקה של איסור מפני הסכנה מברך ...
- 6,753
8
votes
Why "Hamotzi Lechem" instead of "Hamotzi Chitah"?
The Bach in O.C. Siman 167 has a nice explanation of this.
He starts by pointing out that the word "hamotzi" is the preferred word for the blessing, even though the word "motzi" would suffice, ...
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8
votes
Accepted
Why isn't "Borei Minei Mezonot" the "general bracha"?
The Mishna (Eruvin 3:1) says:
הנודר מן המזון, מותר במים ובמלח
One who vows to treat "Mazon" as forbidden, is permitted to water and salt.
In other words, water is not included in "Mazon". Thus ...
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8
votes
Accepted
Regurgitating Living Forbidden Species
At the end of perek Gid Hanashe (103 IIRC) in Chullin, the gemara cites a question concerning what is considered eating. Do we say its the benefit of the throat or the digestion of the stomach? The ...
- 40.7k
8
votes
Food ‘fight’ in the Talmud
I found one mention of throwing food in the gemara - but in general there is a law not to waste food and thus the whole idea of throwing away and spoiling food goes against the Torah ethic.
The ...
- 45.6k
8
votes
Accepted
Why are shellfish not kosher?
Shellfish do not have fins and scales. As the pasuk Shmini 11:9 says
Among all [creatures] that are in the water, you may eat these: Any
[of the creatures] in the water that has fins and scales, ...
- 42.8k
8
votes
Accepted
Does adding a different liquid to a pre-existing drink require a new Shehakol?
R Yair Spolter and R Shraga Simmons discuss such a case in their series of lessons of blessings (here) and answer one does not need a new blessing.
A bracha includes whatever foods you intended to ...
- 45.6k
7
votes
Accepted
Cholov akum and cholov yisroel
I think the question confuses three different status of milk
chalav Israel: milk from kosher animals (e.g., cow, sheep) whose milking was supervised by a Jew -- and is kosher according to all ...
- 45.6k
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