[Avodah] Kashrus of a Restaurant Under the Supervision of its Owne r

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Yitzchok Levine asked:

> Just because someone is G-d fearing does not mean that he
> or she has extensive kashrus knowledge. Not all G-d
> fearing people have the same kashrus standards. How does
> one know what these are without investigating?

I understand that you would prefer not to eat there unless they have "extensive kashrus knowledge." But I began to wonder -- is this really required by halacha?

I happened to look at the Chochmas Adam 1:3, and I recommend that others should at least skim over it. He provides a very interesting contrast between the ikar halacha (which appears quite generous in presumptions of who can be relied upon) and the situation "nowadays" (i.e. over 200 years ago) -- when all sorts of seforim and publications are very easily easily obtained. If I understood him correctly, he lists certain halachos which would *not* have been required for a shochet to know in previous generations, but if a shochet *today* doesn't know them (when they are so easily learned), it suggests that this shochet is negligent to the point that we should not rely on him.

To me, it does not seem like much of a stretch to extrapolate from his description of what was expected of a shochet 200 years ago, to what we should expect of a mashgiach today.

Akiva Miller

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