The Beginner's Guide: Where to Eat Out with Friends?

It's important to be aware that a dish that appears completely harmless may include numerous kosher-related issues. For example, a potato dish alongside schnitzel could be a violation of meat and milk laws if the potatoes were fried in butter or if the schnitzel was fried in a dairy pan. Bread baked in an oven used for both meat and dairy is not permitted to eat. Pizza may contain worms if the flour used for the dough was not sifted. A salad with fried cheese cubes could be problematic because the cheese may have been fried in oil used for seafood or other prohibited foods, and the lettuce and leaves in the salad may contain insects if they weren't from a special bug-free cultivation. These are only some of the potential issues when eating at a non-kosher establishment.

When inquiring about a kosher certificate, replies such as "we don't have a kosher certificate, but everything here is kosher" would be problematic as this indicatest that the establishment is unaware of the many kosher issues in the dishes they serve.

Observing kosher laws is one of the foundations of living a Jewish life according to halacha. Rashi explains on the divine command "And you shall be holy men to Me" (Exodus 22:30) - "If you are holy and abstain from the abominations of carcasses and non-kosher animals, then you are Mine; otherwise, you are not Mine." From this it is understand that the way to be holy and set apart from other nations, includes strict observance of kosher laws. As it is said, "Do not make your souls abominable through any swarming thing that swarms, and you shall not make yourselves unclean with them and become unclean through them" (Leviticus 11:43), implying that when a Jew eats non-kosher food, it creates a spiritual barrier that envelops his soul, preventing him from reaching holiness. This is in addition to the sin itself because it has a direct impact on the person. For this reason, much importance is placed on keeping kosher.

The Weekly Challenge

When ordering from a restaurant, always check if they have a kosher certificate. When looking for a place to eat, check for the word "kosher" on the sign of the restaurant. If it's there, don't rely on it alone- always check at the restaurant entrance for the kosher certificate. Ensure that there is a certificate from the Chief Rabbinate, and check if the date on the certificate is still valid.

The kashrut of the Rabbinate is usually at a minimum level. Always prefer one of the Badatz kashrut, which is more stringent and supervised.

This week, check which restaurants, cafés, pizzerias, and other food establishments in your area have a kosher certificate so that you can be prepared for any spontaneous outing or delivery. It's essential to know that sometimes businesses do not renew their kosher certificates, and sometimes due to kashrut problems found by the supervisor, the certificate is removed. For this reason, one-time checks cannot be relied upon, and you should always verify that a kosher certificate is present.