Tag: Kosher

The Eighteen Minute Matzah Myth

Compared to Judaism’s regular dietary laws, the rules for being Kosher for Passover are decidedly stricter. Not only is the punishment for consuming chametz the more severe karet (Ex. 12:15, 12:19), but the chametz is prohibited even in trace amounts (B. Pesachim 30a). Considering how strict the Jewish community is regarding keeping a kosher kitchen, it should not be surprising to find even more stringencies when it comes to the laws of Passover.

One problem we find with stringencies in Jewish Law is the tendency to confuse the additions with the actual to the point where being confronted with halakhic sources can be jarring to people who might not know any better. I wrote about one such example several years ago, and I recently came across another misconception common enough to be worthy of discussion.




Ep. 138 Kosher Kitchen Crash Course 1 – Theory and Definitions

Rabbi Yuter begins his Kosher Kitchen Crash Course with an overview of the theory of how kashrut works, focusing on examples most relevant for maintaining a kosher kitchen.

Kosher Kitchen Crash Course 1 – Theory and Definitions Sources (PDF)

Kosher Kitchen Crash Course 1 – Theory and Definitions




Kosher Dishwashers for Meat and Dairy

One reason why I started this blog way back when was to post answers to frequently asked questions, and this is a perfect example. I often get asked about kashering dishwashers and how to use them for meat and dairy dishes.

I will not go into a full treatment here of the multiple opinions, but I’ve found people seem genuinely shocked when I cite the opinion of the Shulhan Aruch, a usually acceptable source which in this case is relatively lenient compared to other opinions or conventional understanding.




Kosher Cheese

By community request, my class topic for this past Shavuot was on the issues related to kosher cheese. For obvious reasons there is no audio, but for those interested in the topic I’m attaching the source sheet. If anyone is interested in the details I would be happy to discuss offline, or you’re more than welcome to book a speaking engagement :-)

Kosher Cheese Sources (PDF)

Mishnah and Babylonian Talmud translations are Soncino’s, the Yerushalmi translation is from Jacob Neusner.