SHABBAT and automatic appliances

12th day of Kislev, 5771

Last week we discussed the use on Shabbat of automatic devices or appliances that were activated before Shabbat.

Many Halakhic principles on this area are learned from the Shulchan Arukh (circa 1560) who authorized the use of a water mill -a turbine like device used to grind wheat, etc.- which was operated before Shabbat and continued grinding wheat 'automatically' during Shabbat.

The challenge for today's expert Rabbis (poskim) is to apply this principle to our modern world.

A few examples:

It is permitted to operate a washing machine or a dryer before Shabbat begins because these machines are turned off automatically (the clothes, obviously, can not be removed until Shabbat is over). Ashkenazi Rabbis will oppose this rule if the appliance makes a noise (hashma'at kol, see Penine Halakha, 17).

The Sephardic approach is more lenient in these cases. In a business, for example, Rab Obadia Yosef authorizes to leave a fax or an answering machine active on Shabbat provided one can assume that the majority of those who might call during Shabbat are non Jews.

The same principle, reasons Rabbi Yosef, is applied if one owns a vending machine. If I own a vending machine I can leave it to operate during Shabbat. Except if the machine is in a jewish area, for example: a community Jewish Center or in Israel, to avoid the deliberate or involuntary activation of it by a Jew on Shabbat.

What about a Web site? Can I have a commercial Web site working for me online during Shabbat? B'H next week.

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC 130 Steamboat Rd. Great Neck NY 11024

Waiting between milk and meat

Today is the 5th of Shebat, 5770

As we explain last week, the general Sephardic Minhag is not to requiring a waiting period from dairy to meat, you’re just required to wash your hands, wash your mouth or drink water or soda, and eat a solid Parve food (such as bread or a fruit) before eating meat. However, many families of our community still hold the original Mashadi Minhag to wait from dairy three hours before eating meat, especially after eating hard cheese. As we’ve already explained, everyone should strictly keep and follow his or her own Minhaguim.

Obviously, every Kosher kitchen has to have a total separation between dairy and meat utensils, silverware etc. For Sephardim, glassware is an exception and technically, they could be used for meat or dairy, after washing them thoroughly, taking care that no residues or even particles of any food would be left over. It is always recommended to be more cautious and have a completely separate set -even of glassware- for meat and for milk.

If one has only one sink for meat and milk, one may wash immediately one type of dishes after the other, even with hot water, as long as one is using soap. (The soap renders any residues inedible).

In following weeks we will explain BH how to use the oven, the microwave and the dishwasher for meat and dairy products.

LASHON HARA and dating

11th day of Kislev, 5771

Last week we explained that Lashon haRa, telling something negative about somebody else, is one of the most serious prohibitions and its effects could be devastating. We also mentioned that there are a few instances in which we are allowed or even required to speak up revealing certain negative information to prevent someone else's damage, for example, in the world of business. (See http://rabbibitton.blogspot.com/search/label/Lashon%20Hara)

In the area of Shiddukhim (dating) Lashon haRa could also be devastating. I know firsthand many engagements which were tragically broken because of Lashon haRa. Sometime people made negative comments 'innocently' and sometimes 'deliberately' out of jealousy, competition or resentment.

Lashon haRa in the area of Shiddukhim could be extremely destructive. So we need to act with even more caution than we do in the business world, because more (and more lasting) damage could be caused by Lashon haRa in the emotional dimension than in the financial dimension.

I would summarize the dynamics of Lashon haRa / Shiddukhim with two basic rules:

1. If you know of a 'serious/objective' matter that affects the person involved, you can reveal this information to the potential partner. For example any serious physical, mental or psychological health issues. But in other 'subjective' areas -where you apply your judgment more than your knowledge of certain facts -like 'compatibility', you should not interfere using Lashon haRa. Different personalities, for example, might complement each other and make for beautiful marriages.

2. THE GOLDEN RULE: In this matter, please, always seek the advice of an experienced Rabbi as a confidential counselor and an objective third party, who will help you to understand if the matter at hand should be considered a serious/objective matter which deserves to be revealed, or if it is a matter of your own subjective judgment, and therefore you need to let the parties decide by themselves.

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024

Milk after Meat

27 Shebat, 5770

Besides the prohibition of eating them together, our Rabbis indicated that it is necessary to wait between eating meat or a meat product and eating milk or a diary product.

The prevalent Sephardic Minhag is to wait six hours between meat and milk. The Rabbis gave different reasons for this prohibition, which equally applies after eating red or white meat.

There are other Minhaguim which indicate that the waiting period between meat and milk is 3 or 4 hours. This is mainly the Ashkenazi custom as well as the tradition of some families in our community. The general rule in Minhaguim is that everyone should follow the custom of his parents and families and also be respectful of other's Minhaguim.

If necessary, one could be lenient with a child, especially an infant, and allow him or her to have milk or dairy one or two hours after eating meat .

It is permissible to eat meat after eating a dairy product, with no waiting period. Yet, you are required to wash your hands, wash your mouth or drink water or soda, and eat a solid Parve food before eating meat.

List of Some reliable Kosher Symbols

FROM: http://www.crcweb.org/agency_list.php

Directory of Kosher Certifying Agencies Updated April 2010 As a public service, the Chicago Rabbinical Council is presenting a list of common acceptable kosher symbols and their agencies' contact information. The fact that a particular agency does not appear on this list does not imply that the cRc has determined it to be substandard. Note: There are more than 1000 kosher certifying agencies around the world! For a complete list of Kashrus agencies (which includes both cRc recommended and non-recommended agencies) visit Kashrus Magazine Online (or call 1-718-336-8544). Special thanks to Rabbi Yosef Wikler, editor of Kashrus Magazine. UNITED STATES and CANADA California Igud Hakashrus of Los Angeles (Kehillah Kosher) Rabbi Avraham Teichman 323-935-8383 186 North Citrus Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036 Vaad Hakashrus of Northern California Rabbi Levy Zirkind 510-843-8223 2520 Warring St. Berkeley, CA 94704 Rabbinical Council of California (RCC) Rabbi Nissim Davidi 213-389-3382 3870 Wilshire Blvd. #420 Los Angeles, CA 90010 Colorado Scroll K Vaad Hakashrus of Denver Rabbi Moshe Heisler 303-595-9349 1350 Vrain St. Denver, CO 80204 District of Columbia Vaad HaRabanim of Greater Washington Rabbi Kalman Winter 301-593-0336 11161 New Hampshire Ave. Suite #402 Silver Spring, MD 20904 Florida Kosher Miami Vaad HaKashrus of Miami-Dade Rabbi Mordechai Fried Rabbi Manish Spitz 786-390-6620 PO Box 403225 Miami, FL 33140 Florida K and Florida Kashrus Services Rabbi Sholom B. Dubov 407-644-2500 708 Lake Howell Rd Maitland, FL 32751 Orthodox Rabbinical Board of Browand and Palm Beach Counties (ORB) Rabbi Pesach Weitz 305-206-1524 PO Box 640326 Miami, FL 33164 Georgia Atlanta Kashrus Commission Rabbi Reuven Stein 404-634-4063 1855 La Vista Rd. N.E. Atlanta, GA 30329 Illinois Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc) Rabbi Sholem Fishbane www.crcweb.org 773-465-3900 2701 W. Howard Chicago, IL 60645 Midwest Kosher Rabbi Yehoshua H. Eichenstein Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Goldzweig 773-761-4878 2857 W. Pratt Chicago, IL 60645 Indiana Indianapolis Orthodox Board of Kashrus Rabbi Yisrael Gettinger 317-253-5253 6510 Hoover Rd Indianapolis, IN 46260 Indianapolis Beth Din Rabbi Abraham Grossbaum 317-251-5573 1037 Golf Lane Indianapolis, IN 46260 Iowa Iowa “Chai-K” Kosher Supervision Rabbi Yossi Jacobson 515-277-1718 943 Cummins Pkwy Des Moines, IA 50312 Kansas Vaad Hakashruth of Kansas City Rabbi Daniel Rockoff 913-649-4300 P.O. Box 12542 Overland Park, KS 66282 Back to Top Kentucky Louisville Vaad Hakashrut Rabbi Avrohom Litvin 502-459-1770 PO Box 5362 Louisville, KY 40205 Louisiana Louisiana Kashrut Committee Rabbi Yossie Nemes 504-957-4986 4141 W Esplanade Ave Metairie, LA 70002 Maryland Star-K Kosher Certification (chalav Yisrael) Dr. Avram Pollack 410-484-4110 122 Slade Ave. #300 Baltimore, MD 21208 Star-D Certification (non-chalav Yisrael) Dr. Avram Pollack 410-484-4110 122 Slade Ave. #300 Baltimore, MD 21208 Massachusetts Diamond -K Rabbi Rachmiel Liberman 617-469-5000 100 Woodcliff Road Chestnut Hill, MA, USA 02467 New England Kashrus LeMehadrin Rabbi Aaron Hamaoui 617-789-4343 75 Wallingford Brighton, MA 02135 Michigan Council of Orthodox Rabbis of Greater Detroit Rabbi Doniel Neustadt 248-559-5005 x101 18877 West 10 Mile Rd, Suite 101 Southfield, MI Minnesota United Mehadrin Kosher (UMK) Note: unless the meat states that it is glatt, it is certified not-glatt by the UMK. The cRc only accepts Glatt Kosher meats. Rabbi Asher Zeilingold 651-690-2137 1001 Prior Ave. South St. Paul, MN 55116 Missouri Vaad Hoeir of Saint Louis Rabbi Zvi Zuravin 314-569-2770 4 Millstone Campus St. Louis, MO 63146 New Jersey Badatz Mehadrin -USA 732-363-7979 1140 Forest Ave. Lakewood, NJ 08701 Rabbi Shlomo Gissinger "CHES K" 732-364-8723 170 Sunset Rd. Lakewood, NJ 08701 Kashrus Council of Lakewood N.J. Rabbi Avrohom Weisner 732- 901-1888 750 Forest Ave. Suite #66 Lakewood, NJ 08701 Kof-K Kosher Supervision Rabbi Zecharia Senter 201-837-0500 201 The Plaza Teaneck, NJ 07666 Rabbinical Council of Bergen County Rabbi Binyomin Taub 201-287-9292 PO Box 1233 Teaneck, NJ 07666 New York-Bronx Rabbi Zevulun Charlop 718-365-6810 100 E. Mosholu Parkway South Bronx, NY 10458 New York - Brooklyn Rabbi Yechiel Babad (Tartikover Rav) 718-951-0952/3 5207 19th Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11204 Central Rabbinical Congress (Hisachdus HaRabanim) Rabbi Yitzchak Glick 718-384-6765 85 Division Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11211 Rabbi Yisroel Gornish 718-376-3755 1421 Avenue O Brooklyn, NY 11230 Rabbi Nussen Naftoli Horowitz 718-234-9514 1712 57th St. Brooklyn, NY 11204 Kehilah Kashrus (Flatbush Community Kashrus Organization) Rabbi Zechariah Adler 718-951-0481 1294 E. 8th St. Brooklyn, NY 11230 The Organized Kashrus Laboratories (OK) Rabbi Don Yoel Levy 718-756-7500 391 Troy Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11213 Rabbi Avraham Kleinman ( Margaretten Rav) 718-851-0848 1324 54th St. Brooklyn, NY 11219 Rabbi Shlomo Stern ( Debraciner Rav) 718-853–9623 1641 56th St. Brooklyn, NY 11204 Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum (Nirbater Rav) 718-851-1221 1617 46th St., Brooklyn, NY 11204 Rabbi Nuchem Efraim Teitelbaum (Volver Rav) 718-436-4685 5808 11th Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11225 Bais Din of Crown Heights Vaad HaKashrus Rabbi Yossi Brook 718-604-2500 388 Kingston Ave Brooklyn, NY 11225 Vaad Hakashrus Mishmeres L'Mishmeres Rabbi Yitzchok Zeide 718-680-0642 1157 42nd. St. Brooklyn, NY 11219 Kehal Machzikei Hadas of Belz 718-854-3711 1435 51st St Brooklyn, NY 11219 Vaad Harabanim of Flatbush Rabbi Meir Goldberg 718-951-8585 1575 Coney Island Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11230 New York - Manhattan K’hal Adas Jeshurun (Breuer’s) Rabbi Moshe Zvi Edelstein 212-923-3582 85-93 Bennett Ave New York, NY 10033 Orthodox Jewish Congregations (OU) Rabbi Menachem Genack 212-563-4000 11 Broadway New York, NY 10004 New York-Queens Vaad HaRabonim of Queens Rabbi Chaim Schwartz 718-520-9060 141-49 73rd Ave Flushing, NY 11367 New York-Long Island Vaad Harabanim of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway Rabbi Yosef Eisen 516-569-4536 597A Willow Ave. Cedarhurst, NY 11516 New York-Upstate Vaad HaKashrus of Buffalo Rabbi Moshe Taub 716-634-3990 3940 Harlem Rd. Amherst, NY 14226 Rabbi Mordechai Ungar 845-354-6632 18 N. Roosevelt Ave. New Square, NY 10977 Vaad Hakashrus of Mechon L’Hoyroa Rabbi Y. Tauber 845-425-9565 ext. 101 168 Maple Ave. Monsey, NY 10952 Rabbi Avraham Zvi Glick 845-425-3178 34 Brewer Road Monsey, NY 10952 Rabbi Yitzchok Lebovitz 845-434-3060 P.O. Box 939 Woodridge, NY 12789 New Square Kashrus Council Rabbi C.M. Wagshall 845-354-5120 8 Truman Ave Suite #2 New Square, NY 10977 Vaad Hakashruth of the Capital District Rabbi Dr. Moshe Bomzer 518-489-1530 877 Madison Ave. Albany, NY 12208 Rabbi Menachem Meir Weissmandel 845-352-1807 1 Park Lane Monsey, NY 10952 Ohio Cleveland Kosher Rabbi Shimon Gutman 440-347-0264 P.O. Box 181476 Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 Pennsylvania Community Kashrus of Greater Philadelphia Rabbi Dov Brisman 215-871-5000 7505 Brookhaven Philadelphia, PA 19151 Texas The Houston Kashruth Association Rabbi Yehoshua Wender 713-398-0267 P.O. Box 35225 Houston, TX 77235 Texas-K Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc) Rabbi Sholem Fishbane 773-465-3900 2701 W. Howard Chicago, IL 60645 Dallas Kosher Rabbi Sholey Klein 214-739-6535 7800 Northaven Rd. Dallas, TX 75230 Virginia Vaad Hakashrus of Tidewater Rabbi Sholom Mostofsky 757-627-7358 420 Spotswood Norfolk, VA 23517 Wisconsin Kosher Supervisors of Wisconsin Rabbi Benzion Twerski 414-442-5730 3100 North 52nd St. Milwaukee, WI 53216 CANADA Kashrus Council of Canada (COR) Rabbi Sholom Adler 416-635-9550 3200 Dufferin St Toronto, Ontario M6A 3B2 Montreal Vaad Hair (MK) Rabbi Saul Emanuel 514-739-6363 6825 Decarie Blvd. Montreal, Quebec H3W3E4 Rabbinical Council of British Columbia Rabbi Avraham Feigelstak 604-731-1803 401-1037 W Broadway Vancouver, B.C. V6H 1E3 Back to Top INTERNATIONAL ARGENTINA Achdus Yisroel Rabbi Daniel Oppenheimer 5411-4783-2831 or 4784-6719 Moldes 2449 Buenos Aires 1428 Rabbi Yosef Feiglestock 54114-961-9613 Ecuador 821 Buenos Aires Capital 1214 Argentina BELGIUM Machsike Hadass Rabbi Eliyahu Shternbuch 323-233-5567 Jacob Jacobstraat 22 Antwerp 2018 BRAZIL Communidade Ortodoxa Israelita Kehillas Hachareidim Departmento de Kashrus Rabbi A.M. Iliovits 5511-3082-1562 Rua Haddock Lobo 1091, S. Paulo-SP, 01414-003 CHINA HKK Kosher Certification Service Rabbi D. Zadok 852-2540-8661 18 Floor, V. Heun Building 138 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong ENGLAND The Joint Kashrus Committee of England Mr. Yitzchok Feldman 44208-802-6226 140 Stamford Hill London N16 6QT Machzikei Hadas Manchester Rabbi M.M. Schneebalg 44161-792-1313 17 Northumberland St. Salford M7 4RP Gateshead Kashrus Authority Rabbi Elazer Lieberman 44191-477-1598 37 Grasmere Street West Gateshead-Tyne & Wear NE8 1TS FRANCE Rabbi Mordechai Rottenberg (Chief Orthodox Rav of Paris) 3314-887-4903 10 Rue Pavee Paris 75004 Adas Yereim of Paris Rabbi Y.D. Frankfurter 3314-246-3647 35 Rue Miguel Hidalgo Paris 75019 Kehal Yeraim of Paris Rabbi I Katz 33-153-012644 13 Rue Pave Paris 75004