ב”ה פסח תשע”ה PESACH 5775 CERTIFIED SOUL NUTRITION א כשר און פריילעכן Wishing You a פסח !Happy Pesach 3 SHARE YOUR SPIRIT QUESTIONS FOR THE ~ Dear Reader, 4 I recently returned from our Holy HEALTHY SPIRIT Land, Eretz Yisroel, where I visited the headquarters of ~ Israel. It was 5 Tea vs. Coffee so nice to meet our counterparts, the rabbis and staff, face to face and see PESACH RECIPES their wonderful operation firsthand. I 6 Coconut Clusters & Meringue Cups must say, however, that I was a bit sur- prised by the general public’s intense THE ART OF KOSHER focus on kashrus. You see, it’s only natural for people to become com- 8 CERTIFICATION placent in their everyday routine. In the Diaspora (Golus) unless your By Rabbi Yitzchak Hanoka life’s work is in the kashrus field, most kosher consumers glance at the hechsher on the label for a second or two and move on. When eating FROM THE DESK OF out, if they see a kosher certificate hanging on the wall, they are happy. 12 RABBI DON YOEL LEVY But this year is shemitta in Eretz Yisroel. It was so delightful to see people actually reading kosher certificates and questioning the differ- ent establishments about their hechsher. I saw people everywhere pay- KEEPING KOSHER IN… 14 THAILAND ing close attention to the different kashrus details. It wasn’t enough By Leigh Hershkovich that the sign said “Kosher L’mehadrin”. Was the date valid? Where were the vegetables from? Was the produce from last year (the sixth HEALTHY KOSHER year)? (Yes, there are ways to preserve sixth year produce!) Was the 16 TRAVEL TIPS produce from outside halachic Eretz Yisroel? Or from heter mechira By Rabbi Elisha Rubin (which many do not rely on)? I found it interesting that, in contrast to what most people believe, shemitta is not something only for the Israeli farmers; it turns out to be a “kosher wakeup call” for all of us. HASHGOCHA PRATIS It connected well for me as I was walking through the Old City of 19 By Rabbi Levi Klein Yerushalayim. I was told that in the days of the Bais Hamikdash some of the stairways leading up to Har HaBayis were intentionally uneven, WHO’S BEHIND THE ~ with some steps higher than the others. This forced the Yidden to focus on their steps. They needed to concentrate on the fact that they 20 Rabbi Kalman Weinfeld were now walking into the Har HaBayis. In a way, shemitta has the same effect; it forces us to focus our attention on what we are eating. CHASSIDIC INSIGHTS Now, Yidden all over the world are celebrating Pesach, the holi- The Middle Matzah 22 day of Geulah, of Yetzias Mitzrayim. We need to join our brethren in Compiled by Dina Fraenkel Eretz Yisroel and heighten our awareness of kashrus. There is no better time than now, at the Yom Tov of Pesach, and, coupled with shemitta, SOUL NUTRITION our antennae can be on an all-time high. May this intense focus on By Rabbi Chaim Fogelman 23 the mitzvah of kashrus, which feeds our physical bodies and our holy souls by giving us strength to do mitzvos, carry over and heighten our awareness and help us each experience the final Yetzias Mitzrayim out of Golus. KOSHER SPIRIT Pesach 5775 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Wishing you all a kosher and freilichen Pesach, Rabbi Chaim Fogelman EDITOR: Chaim Fogelman Dina Fraenkel Editor in Chief DESIGN: Spotlight Design We welcome your comments, Scan the QR code submissions and letters to the editor. with your smartphone to Mail: 391 Troy Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11213 receive a PDF subscription Email: [email protected] to Kosher Spirit © 2015. No portion of this publication may be reprinted without written consent from the publisher. FEEDBACK Share Your Spirit Readers share their thoughts... ~ mashgichim do more than inspect and supervise food productions. Sometimes they have the zechus of helping Jews observe other mitzvos! Rabbi Yosef Dovid Chanowitz was inspecting the bakery at a major national store, where one of the employees is a traditional Bucharian woman whose kids are frum. She mentioned to Rabbi Chanowitz that she would very much like to leave earlier on Fridays so that she can get home in time for Shabbos. Rabbi Chanowitz spoke to her boss, the bakery manager, and explained the matter. The bakery manager was quite supportive, and he rearranged the employee’s hours so that she leaves early enough on Fridays to get home in time for Shabbos. Dear Kosher Spirit, I appreciated your profile of Rebbetzin Levy. When her husband worked for the JEC in Elizabeth, NJ, I think Rabbi Levy (A’H) was Execu- tive Director for a couple of years, she was my pre- school teacher (they called it primer back then)! Happy to hear that she remains well. -Steve L. Kosher Spirit responds: Mrs. Levy was moved to tears and she appreciates your note immensely. www.KosherSpirit.com 3 The ~ receives many letters/emails with kosher questions... What kinds of store The ~ Responds: Any fully baked pie crust must be made Pas Yisroel during the bought pie crusts need to actual manufacturing process. A common example of a fully be Pas Yisroel? Are there baked pie crust is graham cracker crusts. For those who are makpid on Pas Yisroel, they should only buy a graham cracker any kinds of pie crusts or other fully baked crust that states “Pas Yisroel” on the label. that will become Pas Par baked (also known as under baked) crusts CAN be made Pas Yisroel at home when baked by a Shomer Shabbos person. Yisroel once I bake them A par baked crust is usually frozen and often says “par baked” at home? or “bake at home” on the label. This type of pie crust needs a reliable kosher symbol, but does not have to be Pas Yisroel since it can still be made Pas Yisroel when baked by a Shomer Shabbos person. A completely raw pie crust or pie dough can also be made Pas Yisroel at home when baked by a Shomer Shabbos person. This type of crust is generally frozen and includes instructions to bake fully at home. This type of pie crust needs a reliable kosher sym- bol, but would not state Pas Yisroel on the label since the term Pas Yisroel is only applicable when the product has been baked. Please note: ~ pol- icy requires a frum Jew to turn on the fire for Pas Yis- roel and Bishul Yisroel products. 4 www.OK.org STAYING UP ALL NIGHT ON SHEVI’I SHEL PESACH… VS Coffee Antioxidants in white tea may slow the Coffee drinkers are less likely to agingTea process and help prevent some suffer from Alzheimer’s disease cancers and heart disease. later in life. Black tea contains only Drinking coffee helps prevent about 65mg of caffeine type 2 diabetes. per cup. Brewed coffee contains Tea contains a large amount approximately 100-150mg of caffeine per cup. of tannin, which reduces the absorption of iron in the blood and The caffeine in coffee may lead to anemia. increases the effectiveness of painkillers. Coffee improves short term recall and reaction times. *MAKE SURE YOUR COFFEE OR TEA HAS A RELIABLE PASSOVER KOSHER CERTIFICATION! www.KosherSpirit.com 5 RECIPE INGREDIENTS COCONUT 2½ cups shredded unsweetened coconut, lightly toasted CLUSTERS ½ cup toasted almonds, cooled and chopped With barely any 7-ounces dark chocolate, baking required, chopped these clusters are sea salt or kosher salt ready in no time. DIRECTIONS Combine the coconut and almonds in a large bowl. Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Pour the melted chocolate over the coconut mixture and stir to combine. Let cool a few minutes and then form into walnut-sized balls and drop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mixture will be quite moist result- ing in clusters as opposed to round balls. Top each cluster with a gentle sprinkling of salt. Allow clusters to cool and harden at room temperature, about 2 hours, or put them in fridge for about 20 minutes. 66 6 www.OK.org www.OK.org www.OK.org MEYER LEMON AND GRAPEFRUIT MERINGUE CUPS Sweet and tart, this dessert can be creatively served in hollowed lemon halves (be sure to save them after juicing!). INGREDIENTS 6-oz walnut, grapeseed For the Curd: or cottonseed oil 3 Meyer lemons, juice 1½ cups sugar and zest only (optional) 5 eggs 1 grapefruit, juice only 2 egg yolks DIRECTIONS Whisk all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes on medium/low flame, stirring often. Meanwhile, place a fine sieve over a Tupperware. When curd thickens (it will not get super thick) remove from heat and pour curd through sieve. Allow curd to cool and then place in fridge to chill. INGREDIENTS Quickie meringue: 3 egg whites 2/3 cup sugar Beat egg whites until foamy. Add about 2 table- spoons of the sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. With machine on highest speed, slowly pour in the rest of the sugar until firm and shiny. To assemble: Fill prepared lemon or Meyer lemon halves (or small dessert cups, if using) with 2-3 spoons of chilled curd. Top with 2 heaping spoons of meringue. Sprinkle with toasted coconut www.KosherSpirit.com 7 Part II: The Art of Kosher Certification By Rabbi Yitzchak Hanoka Food production is a complex industry attention due to complexities or the sensitive nature of specific ingredients or with a vast range of production meth- production methods.