THE YOUNG ISRAEL OF HOLLISWOOD In Conjunction with GUIDE TO PESACH 2018 WWW.BVKKOSHER.COM By: Rabbi Moshe Taub With special additions for 2018 by the BVK’s founding Rav Hamachshir, HaRav Yirmiyahu Kaganoff shlit”a (where noted) EVERYTHING WRITTEN IN THIS ‘GUIDE TO PESACH’ REPRESENTS THE OPINION OF THE AUTHOR. ALL FINAL RULINGS SHOULD COME FROM ONE’S PERSONAL RABBI. THIS GUIDE MUST NEVER BE USED FOR ANY OTHER PESACH OTHER THAN 2018/5778 © 2018 WRITTEN BY RABBI MOSHE TAUB [ForMatted by R’ Jonathan Fruchter] ALL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS CAN BE SENT TO THE AUTHOR AT [email protected] or www.bvkkosher.coM WWW.BVKKOSHER.COM Dr. Michael Chaskes, President Rabbi Moshe Taub, Director Mark Brown Rabbi Eliezer Marcus Treasurer Regional Director 1 | Page PREAMBLE: FROM OUR INCEPTION – THE INJUNCTION AGAINST EATING FROM THE EITZ HADAAS (TREE OF KNOWLEDGE) – GD A-MIGHTY SAW THAT MAN COULD EASILY SANCTIFY HIS MOST PRIMITIVE AND ESSENTIAL NEED: THAT OF FOOD. THE TORAH DOES NOT EMBRACE UTTER ASCETICISM OR ABSTINENCE, RATHER THE SANCTIFICATION OF ALL BODILY NEEDS AND HUMAN DESIRES. WE ARE MEANT TO ENJOY THIS WORLD. HASHEM SAW TO IT THAT WE OUGHT TO HAVE AN EASY WAY TO TURN EVEN THIS – AND EVERY – MOST BASIC HUMAN NEED AND DESIRE INTO A SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. LET US ENJOY PESACH, AND THE FOOD, ALL THE WHILE FOLLOWING HALACHA – FOR IT IS NOT A CONTRADICTION. 2 | Page Table of Contents HALACHA – PAGE 5 CHUMROS (STRINGENCIES) ON PESACH ...................................................................... 6 CLEANING FOR PESACH: IN PERSPECTIVE ..................................................................... 9 KOSHER FOR PASSOVER PRODUCT LIST ............................................ 14 Recommended MEDICAL DRINKS, CHILDREN’S & ADULT CHEWABLES and LIQUIDS ... 24 Pet Food .................................................................................................................... 25 SALE OF CHAMETZ FORM 2018 - 5778 ....................................................................... 29 Kashering HOW TO KASHER –A PRIMER ..................................................................................... 30 HAGOLEH .................................................................................................................. 31 IROY .......................................................................................................................... 32 LIBUN ........................................................................................................................ 32 Common Questions ................................................................................................................ 33 Common Kitchen Appliances and How to Kasher Them ............................................. 38 Microwaves: ....................................................................................................................................... 38 Oven: .................................................................................................................................................. 38 Stove-Tops .......................................................................................................................................... 38 Warming Drawers .............................................................................................................................. 39 Pots, Pans, Silverware and other Metals ............................................................................................ 39 Countertops ....................................................................................................................................... 40 Sinks ................................................................................................................................................... 41 Tables ................................................................................................................................................. 41 Dishwasher ......................................................................................................................................... 41 BBQ ..................................................................................................................................................... 41 Water Coolers and Keurig Machine ................................................................................................... 41 3 | Page Some of the Basics of Koshering ................................................................................ 43 Tevilas Keilim Must I Toivel this? ..................................................................................................... 49 Which Utensils Must I Immerse? ............................................................................... 55 Where do I Toivel my Keilim? .................................................................................... 61 Articles THE SALE OF CHAMETZ: SUBTERFUGE? ...................................................................... 68 The Second Day of Yom Tov:Visting Israel ................................................................. 76 ‘MIXED’ MARRIAGE: Who Keeps Whose Minhagim? ................................................. 85 THE MACHINE-MATZAH CONTROVERSY: A HISTORY .................................................. 90 ‘LOCAVORES’ & SHECHUTEI CHUTZ: SUPPORTING LOCAL ESTABLISHMENTS ............. 126 SUGAR, SUGAR: INNOCUOUS INGREDIENT? ............................................................. 137 FROM THE WILD WORLD OF KASHRUS: AKO – THE MOST IMPORTANT ORGANIZATION YOU MIGHT HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ........................................................................ 142 “FROM EGYPT WITH LOVE” MY SEDER WITH AN EGYPTIAN TERRORIST .................... 147 The Real ‘Kosher Blech’ ............................................................................................ 153 The Beads That Bind ................................................................................................. 160 Styrofoam, Tallow and Your Hot Cup of Joe ........................................................................ 160 Is Honey Kosher? ...................................................................................................... 166 HAVE A HAPPY, RESTFUL & KOSHER PESACH! ......................................................... 182 4 | Page HALACHA Ø CHUMROS (STRINGENCIES) ON PESACH Ø CLEANING FOR PESACH: IN PERSPECTIVE Ø KOSHER FOR PASSOVER PRODUCT LIST 5 | Page CHUMROS (STRINGENCIES) ON PESACH “A PERSON IS OBLIGATED (BY TORAH LAW)1 TO BE HAPPY AND IN GOOD SPIRITS ON THE YOMIM TOVIM; THE HUSBAND, HIS WIFE, AND THEIR CHILDREN…” - SHULCHAN ARUCH ORACH CHAIM 529:2 Unfortunately, not only do Many woMen not enjoy Pesach, they dread its arrival. The sad irony is that chazal teach that Pesach and the exodus it comes to celebrate are owed specifically to the Jewish women and their Merits.2 Rabbis have seen all too often the joy of Pesach sullied, the anticipation for this holiday frustrated by unnecessary behavior done in the naMe of halacha. We Must put Pesach chumros in perspective. It should be said at the outset that there are various wonderful chumros relating to Pesach, as well as innuMerable minhagim, all of which must all be observed in their respective homes. We all know the words of the Ari Z’L that he or she who is careful for even a trifle of chometz will be protected from sin throughout the year.3 6 | Page NEW CHUMROS We Must reMeMber that chumros do not exist in a vacuum bound by no rules whereby they can potentially Metastasize into adversities that are unrecognizable even to their creators. Chumros too are restricted by rules. In fact, we need to be machmir regarding chumros, to learn when chumros are unnecessary and, sometiMes, even forbidden. In addition, by confusing chumros with real halacha we can create an atMosphere where what has to be done is eclipsed by what one desires to be done, leading to undesired consequences. In the words of the Netziv, “…we run away froM the fox but into the Mouth of a lion.”4 What follows is meant as informational; all final ruling must come from one’s own personal Rav.5 RULES RELATING TO CHUMROS 1) A chumrah must have a source - All chumros, aside for one’s personal / group’s minhagim – must have a source – a singular opinion, for instance – found in the poskim and it certainly cannot go against a ruling of chazal. A stringency made up out of whole cloth is not 7 | Page acceptable unless it is a specific tradition or minhag that one has (by tradition, we don’t Mean “well, I did it last year”).6, 7 2) A chumrah cannot conflict with a clear halacha - If a newly decided- upon chumrah would be in direct conflict with a clear halacha, like simchas YoM Tov (enjoying the holiday – a mitzvah itself), it often needs to be abandoned.8 (Unless this is a faMily minhag. In such a case, a rav would need to be consulted and hataras nedarim perforMed). 3) Chumros relating to medicine in pill form - All Medicine in pill form, in the opinion of the BVk, is allowed on Pesach.9 While at first the BVk was nearly alone in this public pronounceMent, as of the past few years Most kashrus agencies are publicly ruling the same. 4) Taking on a chumrah for someone else – One cannot take on a chumrah for soMeone else – or for one’s wife.10 Indeed, if a husband desires to take on chumros in cleaning for Pesach he is more than welcome to do so, and his wife should show him where the cleaning supplies are kept. Yes, we must be vigilant, machmir even, when it coMes to the laws of Pesach. Yet let us remember