[Avodah] Going to a Hotel for Shabbos/Yomtov

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Mon, Jan 30, 2017 at 1:55am EST, RnTK wrote:
: From: "Professor L. Levine via Avodah"  <avodah at lists.aishdas.org>
: The following is  from
: http://tinyurl.com/h2fgx5x

: From Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Shlita:

:> ....Prior to making a reservation in a hotel in Israel or abroad, one must
:> check a number of important things.

:> To achieve the correct level of kashrus one must inquire if the utensils
:> are toiveled (ritual immersion in a mikve). ....

:> One must check if the cooking is bishul yisrael or that of a non-Jew. If
:> they are lenient regarding bishul akum, then the overall kashrus is in
:> doubt. .....

:> One must ascertain if the greens are the special "gush katif" [insect
:> free] type or do they make do with using regular vegetables that are
:> washed and inspected by a mashgiach. .....

:> I wonder who is R' Shmuel Eliyahu's intended audience. Is he addressing 
:> the guest who relies on Rabbanut kashrus, and therefore cannot assume any 
:> given hotel is really kosher? ...

First, the theory doesn't work because of the "or abroad" in the first
quoted sentence.

I know what you intended, I think, but the truth is that Rabbanut kashrus
really is kosher. It may not enforce many commonplace chumeros, but I
would not besmirch their efforts to maximize the number of Jews keeping
iqar hadin.

Eg I would need it proven that RSE would permit someone to offend their
parents or in-laws rather than eat rabbanut non-mehadrin.

Of course, for those of us who keep more than iqar hadin at home, that's
not very reassuring. And I assume that's his intended audience.

But I must confess I don't get these examples. People who rely on the
Rama and just have a Jew turn on the gas -- "enient regrding bishul akum"
are not violating bishul Yisrael as per the first sentence. At least
not Ashkenazi people.

Or: greens washed and inspected by a mashgiach is a problem? Gush Katif
or Bodek or the like didn't even exist when I got married. (Alei Katif
started in 1990.) Of course one can keep kosher without buying them. When
R Moshe ate at a banquet or another large catered event, it wasn't kosher
because there were no pre-checked options? Nor does it even solve all
problems -- Alei Katif had their alleged thrip problem
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/kashrus-corner/161916/star-k-alert-gush-katif-lettuce.html

Side-matter:

Food cooked in a non-toveled keli is still kosher. The problem is using
the plate and silverware. But in any case, even baseline rabbanut requires
tevilah, of course. Implying otherwise is motzi sheim ra.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

PS: When I get a post written at 1:55am I feel guilty, as it is too likely
that approving the post may be enabling someone's addiction.

-- 
Micha Berger             Mussar is like oil put in water,
micha at aishdas.org        eventually it will rise to the top.
http://www.aishdas.org                    - Rav Yisrael Salanter
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