Vaad Pesachguide 2020 FINAL.Pdf
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בס"ד GUIDE 5780-2020 PassoverINSIDE THE PASSOVER GUIDE: Dear Fellow Community Members, CLEANING FOR We are pleased to present to you the 5780 symbols. The non-appearance of kosher symbols PASSOVER 4 Passover Guide of the Vaad Hoeir of St. Louis. on this list does not reflect upon their reliability, You will find in the coming pages much useful but only means that the Vaad does not have a PASSOVER SCHEDULE 7 information to help you relationship with those prepare for yom tov. particular agencies. LOCALLY PRODUCED PASSOVER FOOD 8 It is impossible to Much appreciation is רבנים QUICK WEB LINKS 9 properly list all suitable due to the of the Vaad for אחראים products available for MEDICINE, COSMETICS, Passover, however their continuous & TOILETRIES 10 we have endeavored direction and input to to include some of insuring the highest KOSHER FOR the most pertinent level of kashrus PASSOVER PET FOOD 18 information. Please call supervision in St. Louis. PESACH SHOPPING the Vaad office with any GUIDE 21 questions you might As well as a special have regarding specific thank you to Mr. Alan KOSHER SYMBOLS 25 products. Kandel - President of the Board and his In order fellow board members to produce a guide with the most for their continued efforts to insure the success of comprehensive information we our organization. have used the lists compiled by the Chicago Rabbinical Council. We The continuous work performed daily by the are grateful to the cRc that they Mashgichim and office staff of the Vaad Hoeir is have allowed for us to publish appreciated by all kosher consumers in the St. Louis their convenient “shopping area. guide” and “medicine list.” You will also find links to OU and Wishing you all a Chag Star-K lists. Kosher V’Sameach, As we have done in the past, we are including a list of Rabbi Zvi Zuravin accepted kosher symbols. Executive Director The list includes the most commonly seen national Rabbi Yitzchak Kowalsky and international kosher Senior Rabbinical Coordinator 1 VaadVaad Hoeir Hoeir of of St. St. Louis Louis | |4 4 Millstone Millstone Campus Campus Drive, Drive, St. St. Louis, Louis, MO MO 63146 63146 Ph:Ph: 314-569-2770 314-569-2770 | |Fax: Fax: 314-569-2774 314-569-2774 | |Email: Email: [email protected] [email protected] | | www.ovkosher.org www.ovkosher.org Passover GUIDE 5780-2020 רבנים אחראים Letter From the One of the major differences between the way the Jews brought the Korban In short, we’d like to understand the significance of the first Passover offering being required to be performed at home, unlike Pesach in Egypt, in the year of the Exodus, and the all the other Passover offerings that were performed -- and which way it was brought in later generations is that the Passover will soon be performed again with the rebuilding of the Temple offering in Egypt was performed in individual private homes, speedily and in our days. whereas later Passover offerings were all brought in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. No doubt, this question has a great deal of relevance to the extraordinary circumstances which When Moshe Rabbeinu instructed we are currently experiencing, when the Jewish people in Egypt to take Pikuach Nefesh, the paramount Mitzvah “a lamb for each household” it meant of preservation of life, is requiring us literally that the sacrifice was to be to move our prayers -- our personal performed in their homes. Indeed, on daily offerings -- from the Shul, which the first Pesach, the entire process is our present-day Sanctuary or Beit of the offering—beginning with the Hamikdash -- into our homes, very slaughtering, continuing with placing much similar to the first Pesach of the blood upon the lintel and offering which had to done at home. doorposts, and concluding with the eating of the Korban Pesach — all Let’s examine this more directly. took place inside the home. However, We know which is holier, the with all Passover offerings brought Beit Hamikdash or the home; the subsequent to that first year, the synagogue or the home. Clearly, the entire process, except for the eating, Bet Hamkdash or the synagogue is took place in the Beit Hamikdash. “The Jewish home is referred to holier. There are scores of halachic restrictions that support that. The The surface explanation for this as a “mikdash me’at” ; literally, deeper question is, however, which difference is that the first Passover a miniature sanctuary...” is more important? And that’s a very offering took place before there was profound question… a Beit Hamikdash. Accordingly, since there was not yet a designated place where the Presence of G-d The Jewish home is referred to as a “mikdash me’at” ; literally, a rested, neither the Mishkan nor the Beit Hamikdash, everyone miniature sanctuary, or a Beit Hamikdash in microcosm. So we could just bring the offering in his own home. Upon deeper have the “Big Temple” in Jerusalem (or at the synagogue) and the analysis, however, there seems to be more to it. That is because “Small Temple” in each and every one of our homes. the first Passover offering was not merelyallowed to be performed at home... it was required to be performed at home. It couldn’t The Big Temple that King Solomon built was a beautiful, ornately be done anywhere else. Interestingly enough, if we examine the designed structure, but its purpose was not for its own grandeur chapter in Shemot in which the Jews were initially commanded to but for the effect it had on the outside world. That is why, our bring the Korban Pesach, we find no less than twelve mentions of sages explain, the windows in the Holy Temple were built “shkufim the word “home”, or variations thereof! Surely there’s a deeper atumim”—meaning narrow on the inside and wide on the outside. significance here. 2 Vaad Hoeir of St. Louis | 4 Millstone Campus Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146 Ph: 314-569-2770 | Fax: 314-569-2774 | Email: [email protected] | www.ovkosher.org Passover GUIDE 5780-2020 רבנים אחראים Letter From the In the days before electric lighting, windows were designed to the get-go, even before we received the Torah or built the Temple. maximize the amount of sunlight entering the home. Thus, in a home with thick walls, the windows were What this means for each of us, designed to be wider on the inside. In particularly during this year with our the Holy Temple, however, the design quarantined lifestyle, is that we are was reversed. This seemingly minor given an unprecedented opportunity detail captures the underlying mission to refocus our attention inwardly, on of the Beit Hamikdash. The Temple the importance of our homes and our was not built to bring light into the families. That we realize that the goal of Temple, but to radiate the spiritual Yiddishkeit is not only what we do in glow of the Temple outward. The Holy synagogue but more so what we take Temple, as well as the contemporary from the synagogue and implement in Shul, are meant to enable Judaism to our homes and with the members of be lived and practiced in each and our families. every individual place outside of the Beit Hamikdash… In other words, Our heartfelt wishes to each of you in the individual homes where the for good health and for a safe Yom Tov Jewish people live their daily lives season. May Hashem shower upon us together with their families. his abundant blessings and protection. Just as He redeemed us from our Galus in Egyptian bondage, so Let’s now go back to our original question. Why was the first ever shall he very soon redeem us from our current Coronavirus Galus Passover offering not merely allowed to be performed at home but and from our general state of Galus with the coming of Moshiach required to be done there? The answer is now very clear. without delay! The first Passover offering sent a message about what would A happy, HEALTHY and Kosher Pesach to one and all! become our ultimate mission later on when we did have a physical place that was holy. The message was that the source of holiness RABBANIM ACHRAIM in the world would be the Temple. But the goal of that holiness Rabbi Menachem Greenblatt would be the home. And that point was made clear to us from Rabbi Yosef Landa 3 Vaad Hoeir of St. Louis | 4 Millstone Campus Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146 Ph: 314-569-2770 | Fax: 314-569-2774 | Email: [email protected] | www.ovkosher.org Passover GUIDE Cleaning For Pesach 5780-2020 These notes are compiled from Rabbi Greenblatt’s annual lecture countertop in the kitchen and your fixed stove, then you to women as a guide to properly kasher for Pesach. Any questions do not need to try to squeeze between there or move the on these halachos should please be directed to Rabbi Greenblatt. stove to clean that space. But, movable appliances (like many refrigerators) should be moved in order to clean behind and I. Cleaning for Pesach: around them. A good rule of thumb is that if you do not move • As an overall rule: Pesach cleaning ≠ spring cleaning! You can a piece of furniture during the year (i.e. a big dresser) then take this as an opportunity to clean your house/garage/car you do not need to move it to clean for Pesach. thoroughly, but that’s not the point. For instance, dusting, • Small kitchen appliances (i.e. toasters, bread makers) that one weeding out your closets, etc.