Halocho #869 - How do I know if fruit is Kosher?

Fresh fruit is always Kosher, however it may have an Orlo problem, as per yesterday and Sunday's Halocho. 


When in doubt if the tree is less than 4 years old: 


- In Israel the fruit from such a tree is forbidden. (This is one of the reasons that fruit needs Rabbinic Supervision in Israel. Other issues include Shmita, "Neta Revo'i"  and the separation of Terumot and Ma'asrot.) 


- Outside of Israel the fruit is allowed, as long as you don’t pick it yourself. This is the way Moshe was given the Halocho at Har Sinai. 

Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 173:2, Mishna Orlo, 3:9

- Danny
Wednesday, 17 Menachem Av 5771

Halocho #833 - Transporting Kosher food

Kosher meat that is given to a non-Jew to store or transport, needs 2 seals, to ensure it's not tampered with.

The same applies to wine that is not cooked and to fish that no longer have their scales attached.

Cooked wine, wine-vinegar, milk, bread and cheese only need one seal.

The above applies whether a non-Jew involved, or a Jew who cannot be trusted to keep Kosher.

Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 46:16
- Danny Schoemann
Monday, 25 Sivan 5771

Halocho #824 - Kosher dog food?

There are 3 prohibitions regarding meat and milk:
- One may not eat them together
- One may not cook them together
- One may not derive any benefit from such a mixture

Some mixtures of meat and milk are forbidden even to be fed to one's pets.

From other mixtures of meat and milk one is allowed to derive benefit. A competent Rabbinic authority needs to be consulted on a case-by-case basis.

Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 46:5
- Danny
Tuesday, 12 Sivan 5771

Halocho #822 - When can one eat blood?

Kosher meat and fowl is kashered with coarse salt in order to remove as much blood as possible.

Since liver is full of blood, salting it is ineffective. Liver needs to be roasted over an open flame to remove as much blood as possible.

Blood spots in eggs may not be eaten, and usually the entire egg is discarded if it has a blood spot.

If a fish has fins and scales then it is Kosher, and its blood may be eaten. However, if the blood has separated from the fish and cannot be distinguished from non-fish blood then it's forbidden.

If a bowl of fish-blood has fish-scales floating in it, then it's permitted.

Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 46:1,2

- Danny
Sunday, 10 Sivan 5771

Halocho #722 - Educating children

A father must educate his children to do all mitzvos (Torah and Rabbinical) that are appropriate to their age.

One also needs to prevent a child from doing any sin which he is capable of relating to, starting with telling the truth, eating only Kosher and not carrying things on Shabbat (in areas where one may not carry, i.e where there is no Eruv.)

A child who stole must return the theft if it exists. If it no longer exists then he needn't return its value even after he becomes an adult. However, in heaven he will be required to account for the theft, so it's recommended to make amends.

Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 165:1-6

- Danny
Tuesday, 6 Shvat 5771

Halocho #666 - Must medicine be Kosher?

In order to save a life, one may take medicine that is not Kosher. One may also transgress any other Mitzva needed to save one's life, with the exception of murder, adultery and idolatry.

In non-life threatening situations:
- One should not take non-Kosher medicine, if there's a Kosher alternative readily available.
- If only non-Kosher medicine is available, it may be used. However, if it has a pleasant taste, then one should spoil its taste, for example by adding something bitter to it, or wrapping it in tissue paper.
- If the medicine is a mixture of meat and milk, a Rabbi should be consulted, since normally meat and milk mixtures cannot be used as medicine. The same applies to Kil'ay Hakerem; grains and grapes that grew in close proximity.

Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 192:5, 6, 7
- Danny
Tuesday, 4 Marchesvan 5771

Halocho #636 - Vinegar

Vinegar made from non-Kosher wine or grape juice is not Kosher.

Vinegar made from Kosher wine or grape juice that was not boiled, can still become non-Kosher if a non-Jew touches it, unless it's so strong that it bubbles when poured onto the ground.

On Shabbat it's forbidden to add liquids into vinegar with the intent of making more vinegar.

Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 80:56, 47:10

Shabbat Shalom

- Danny
Thursday, 9 Elul 5770

Halocho#499 - Educating children

A father must educate his children to do all Mitzvos (Torah and Rabbinical) that are appropriate to their age.

One also needs to prevent a child from doing any sin which he is capable of relating to, starting with telling the truth, eating only Kosher and not carrying things on Shabbat (where there is no Eruv.)

A child who stole must return the theft, if it exists. If it no longer exists then he needn't return its value even after he becomes an adult. However, in heaven he will be required to account for the theft, so it's recommended to make amends.

Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 165:1-6

- Danny
Sunday, 9 Shvat 5770

Halocho #349 - Calf and mother; can one eat them together?

It's a Torah prohibition to slaughter a calf and its mother on the same day.

It does not matter which animal was slaughtered first.

Even if the calf and its mother belong to 2 different people, it's still prohibited.

Even though it's prohibited, the meat of both animals is Kosher.

It does not matter how old the calf is.

One may slaughter a calf and its grandmother on the same day. If later on the same day one slaughters the mother/daughter, one transgresses 2 Torah prohibitions.

It's a debate if this prohibition applies to a calf and its father - even if one is 100% sure of the pedigree of the calf.

As in most of Jewish law, the day starts at sunset and ends the following day at dark.

There is no prohibition eating meat from a calf and its mother on the same day.

Source: Rambam, Hilchot Shechita (12:2)

- Danny Tuesday, 24 Sivan 5769

Please daven for a complete recovery for Chaya Uhdel Leah bat Shayna Yenta.

Halocho #347 - Must dogs eat Kosher food?

It's a Torah prohibition to cook meat and milk together.

This prohibition is only for milk and meat originating from Kosher animals.

Non-Kosher meat from a Kosher animal is also included. (A Kosher animal has split hooves and chews its cud.)

It's also a Torah prohibition to derive any benefit from such meat and milk that was cooked together.

If the ingredients of pet food include meat and milk, one has to ascertain they were not cooked together or were not from Kosher animals. Otherwise one may not feed such food to ones pets.

One may feed ones dogs non-Kosher meat and other non-Kosher food.

Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 46:5

- Danny Sunday, 22 Sivan 5769

Please daven for a complete recovery for Nathan ben Beila - נתן בן ביילא

Halocho #161 - When can one eat blood?

Last week's Torah Reading included numerous warnings against eating blood.

Kosher meat and fowl is kashered with coarse salt in order to remove as much blood as possible.

Since liver is full of blood, salting it is ineffective. Liver needs to be roasted over an open flame to remove as much blood as possible.

Blood spots in eggs may not be eaten, and usually the entire egg is discarded if it has a blood spot.

If a fish has fins and scales then it is Kosher, and its blood may be eaten. However, if the blood has separated from the fish and cannot be distinguished from non-fish blood then it's forbidden.

If a bowl of fish-blood has fish-scales floating in it, then it's permitted.

Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 46:1,2

With wishes for a year of health, happiness and success

- Danny Tuesday, 2 Elul 5768

Please daven for ESTHER DEVORA bat MINDEL RUTH - אסתר דבורה בת מינדל רות

Halocho #104 - Are my Tzitzis Kosher?

On each of the 4 corners of a Tallis there are 4 strings threaded through the hole. The resulting 8 strings are knotted and twisted one-third of their length and two-thirds is left as tassels. If one of the 8 tassels gets cut off - even completely - the Tzitzis are still Kosher. If two of the 8 tassels get cut off the Tzitzis may no longer be Kosher. A tassel shorter than 4 "thumbs" - about 8-10 cm is considered "cut off". Each tassel of the Tzitzis is made of multiple strands of wool twisted together. If Tzitzis start untwisting then the frayed section doesn't count as part of the minimal length. If the Tzitzis get ripped out of the hole they are hanging on, they cannot be put back in; they have to be untied and then re-tied after the hole is repaired. If a Tallis rips into 2 pieces - or a corner gets ripped off - then the Tzitzis on the smaller piece have to be re-tied after the pieces are sewn back together. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 9:13, 15. - Danny

=========================

Please daven for a little girl

TAMAR bat NAAMA - תמר בת נעמה

who is undergoing chemotherapy

===========================

Halocho #77 - What's special about a firstborn Kosher animal?

If a kosher animal that has never given birth - and belongs only to a Jew - gives birth to a male, the calf has Kedusha (some holiness) and needs to be given to a Cohen, even nowadays. This first-born animal may not be used for any work, and its wool may not be sheared, nor used if it fell off. In the time of the Bet Hamikdash (Temple) the animal would be brought as a sacrifice, with most of the meat being eaten by the Cohen. Nowadays the Cohen needs to keep it until it gets a permanent blemish, at which time anybody can help eat it. The Cohen may not blemish it. It's a Mitzva to sell part of all first-time pregnant kosher animals to a non-Jew so that the calf - if it's a male - will not have any Kedusha; avoiding the possibility of it not being treated properly. Source Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 177

Halocho #34 - Educating children

A father must educate his children to do all mitzvos (Torah and Rabbinical) that are appropriate to their age. One also needs to prevent a child from doing any sin which he is capable of relating to, starting with telling the truth, eating only Kosher and not carrying things on Shabbat (in areas where one may not carry, i.e where there is no Eruv.) A child who stole must return the theft if it exists. If it no longer exists then he needn't return its value even after he becomes an adult. However, in heaven he will be required to account for the theft, so it's recommended to make amends. Source KSA 165:1-6

Help me answer Judaism-related questions on WikiAnswers