Behind Pesach 05
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F OUP or thatmatter, do picklesand why is af ( P= es ar amiliar oneeachy K OSHER FORP e leftemptyandbar PASSOVER 2005 PASSOVER continued onpage3 ASSO ear . A fe VER ren. w ) 1 behindnion the U symbol Special Passover from the Editor 2005 Edition RABBI ELIYAU SAFRAN KASHRUT DIVISION Silence is a great virtue, RABBI MENACHEM GENACK Rabbinic Administrator except on the night of RABBI MOSHE ELEFANT Executive Rabbinic Coordinator Director, New Company Department Passover when RABBI YAAKOV LUBAN Executive Rabbinic Coordinator RABBI DR. ELIYAHU SAFRAN Jewish families gather Senior Rabbinic Coordinator Director, Review and Update Department RABBI YERACHMIEL MORRISON around festive Seder RABBI ABRAHAM JURAVEL Ingredient Approval Registry tables to speak and tell. u STEPHEN J. SAVITSKY Chairman, Joint Kashrut Commission The very Hebrew name for the holiday, Pesach, refers to a conversant mouth. RABBI HOWARD KATZENSTEIN Director, Business Management The matzah rabbinically referred to as lechem oni, poor man’s bread, is seen not simply as a food consumed when hastily leaving Egypt, but as a medium for dis- u cussion and elaboration on countless Passover themes.The Bible instructs that RABBI EMANUEL HOLZER Chairman, Rabbinic Kashrut Commission we verbally communicate to our children on Passover night and tell them about the most consequential event in the annals of Jewish history. An actual and ORTHODOX UNION active dialogue must be at the core of the Passover experience, with the chil- STEPHEN J. SAVITSKY dren as the focus of that life experience.The Haggadah text was specifically cre- President ated as the vehicle through which all can be told and explained. There is no RABBI DR. TZVI HERSH WEINREB genuine Passover experience without adequate and meaningful conversation, Executive Vice President discussion, analysis and talking. On Passover night silence is not a virtue; as a DAVID OLIVESTONE matter of fact, the more prolonged the discussion and conversation is on this Director, Communicatons and Marketing night, the greater the reward. In short, on Passover, we talk it up.Thus, we devote this entire issue to more fully communicate the many detailed and stringent BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL aspects of the Orthodox Union’s Passover kosher supervision and certification. What becomes apparent as this rich Passover issue’s pages will be studied, is RABBI DR. ELIYAHU SAFRAN Editor–in–Chief that the prohibition of chometz on Passover is ever so much more stringent than STEPHEN STEINER any of the other food related laws with which many of you have become famil- Editor iarized through your company’s OU certification and education. For example, PAMELA WEIMAN if a tiny bit of non-kosher fat is accidentally mixed within a large quantity of Graphic Designer kosher food, so that the proportion of kosher to non-kosher is greater than 60:1, the mixture may be eaten.With chometz, this is not so. If a tiny crumb of chometz were to fall into a large vat of matzah dough, and the proportion of WE WELCOME matzah to chometz were a million to one, the entire dough could not be used YOUR COMMENTS for Passover. What is different about chometz on Passover that renders it more & CONTRIBUTIONS detrimental than other forbidden (non-kosher) foods? fax Matzah dough that is allowed to remain unbaked will spontaneously ferment 212.613.0775 and become chometz. It remains matzah only if from the very first contact of the flour with the water it is kneaded, rolled, and promptly baked. Jewish law e–mail requires continuous contact, that is, working with the mixture of flour and [email protected] continued on page 17 2 BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL SLEEPING GIANT continued from cover WHAT IS NOT KOSHER FOR PASSOVER? products are sold.This same caution is reflected in the full-time Kosher is a system of dietary laws, and during Passover there are supervisory requirements for OUP products. unique dietary restrictions. As was noted, chometz may not be Truth be told, there are some products that are deemed consumed. In addition, Jews who descend from European kosher for Passover all year round even though they are manu- ancestry do not eat certain specific vegetables on Passover. In factured without constant rabbinic supervision. Each year, the the Middle Ages, when grain flour was not readily available, it OU prints and distributes free of charge over 100,000 copies of was common to bake bread-like products from various legumes a Passover Food Guide that lists all OUP products. A special and seeds, known as kitniyos.To avoid confusion, it became cus- section of “gray pages” contains a list of items that are kosher tomary to not consume these foods in any form on Passover. for Passover year round, even when not bearing a “P” symbol. The custom has continued, even through the rationale no Some examples are specific brands of raw meat, poultry and longer applies, and Jews of European descent avoid beans, soy- fish, salt, sugar, cocoa, coffee, tea, extra virgin olive oil, water, beans, rice, millet, corn, mustard seed, sunflower seeds, sesame juices, paper goods, silver foil and cleansers.These products are seeds, canola seeds, peanuts, buckwheat, and other vegetables intrinsically kosher for Passover and require minimal supervi- during Passover. sion to guarantee the Passover status. However, the majority of Readers of this article might be aware that kosher law the entries in the directory do not restricts consumption of non-kosher food, even when they are fall in this category and require the non-primary ingredients. Cherry soda that contains castorium, intense supervision described above. a beaver extract used as a flavor enhancer, is not kosher, even though one is not eating a visible beaver steak. Kosher law on CAN ANY FOOD BE MADE Passover follows the same principle, and products containing KOSHER FOR PASSOVER? grains or legumes, even as a sub-unit, are unfit for use on Years ago, Passover menus consisted Passover.Thus, OUP soda is made with cane sugar rather than primarily of raw, unprocessed foods, corn syrup. OUP pickles contain vinegar that is not fermented such as fruit, vegetables, fish, poultry, from wheat or corn alcohol, and OUP potato chips are fried in and meat. Today, through modern cottonseed oil in place of canola oil. innovations, a wide range of prod- ucts is available with Passover super- HOW DOES A PRODUCT BECOME OUP CERTIFIED? vision. For example, the OUP In many ways, the process of certification for Passover is simi- appears on various brands of cereal, pasta, and cake. Though lar to year round kosher certification.The formula is submitted these products are made from grain, they are produced with to our office for review to determine that all the sub-units are kosher for Passover flour. Matzah is baked in accordance with acceptable. Most of the time, equipment must be kosherized Passover requirements, and is then ground into Passover flour with boiling water or with dry heat in order to prepare it for that is suitable for use in many items.As the Passover certifica- Passover service. tion programs continue to expand, manufacturers can select Nonetheless, Passover supervision is unique in one aspect. from a wide assortment of ingredients that can be used for Most non-Passover kosher certified products are not produced Passover productions. Flavors, emulsifiers, shortening, vinegar in the presence of a Rabbinic Field Representative (RFR).The and sweeteners are now readily available with OUP designa- RFR visits the plants