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<font size=3>At 03:37 PM 12/9/2013, R. Meir Shinnar wrote:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">However, today, normally the
issue is not whether I believe that the host follows my specific humra -
but that I don’t believe him (or the mashgiach) that they actually do
follow my standards - regardless of what they say - and that IS
halachically problematic - the halacha against being hoshed biksherim
applies also in the areas of kashrut. There are tshuvot of rav
moshe where he talks about the bizayon of telling a talmud chacham that
you don’t rely on him……It is one thing to say I will only eat a hashgacha
with mashgiach tmidi, yashan, glatt bet yosef, etc, etc etc -
another to refuse to eat a hashgacha given by a known rav who claims to
follow your shittot because you don’t believe (or rather, don’t
know enough whether to believe…) in him.. (or your
host…)</font></blockquote><br>
Sadly we have seen all too often that hashgachas given by those who are
supposed to be reliable turn out not to be. The money issue is a
real one. I personally am not comfortable relying on any private
hashgacha save for two that I have been told by sources I trust are
reliable. I am not saying that this is halacha, but I am
uncomfortable with a rov being paid directly by the person he
supervises. It just does not sit well with me.<br><br>
<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite=""><font size=3>I would add that I
remember (although can’t find now ) in the Kuzari, that one of the proof
of the validity of torah shebealpe is its uniformity - that a Jew can go
anywhere in the world and eat at the house of a fellow Jew.
the price of the extra humrot and caution is the undermining of the torah
shebe’alpe - creating multiple different torot - and on a communal, not
theological level, undermining the sense of community ( RSZA also held
that on Purim, for mishloach manot, precisely for the reason that they
are supposed to promote a sense of community, that one is meikil on the
kashrut issue).</font></blockquote><br>
Kashrus today is much more complicated than it was in ancient
times, even than it was 20 years ago. Ask those involved in
hashgachas. I sent out something about whey and orange juice
manufactured on dairy equipment not long ago. My understanding is
that these items were not problematic 20 years ago. <br><br>
<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite=""><font size=3>Therefore, someone
who is reluctant to be nehene mishel acherim, tavo alav bracha.
Someone who has special humrot - is another issue. But someone who
just doesn’t trust the reliability of the majority of th community -
seems to be a major halachic issue of hoshed biksherim and
bizayon.</font></blockquote><br>
Today one needs access to and technical knowledge to give
supervision. Sadly, not everyone involved in kashrus has this
expertise. <br><br>
<font size=3>The following is from page 89 of Timothy Lytton's book
Kosher. (Dr. Avram Pollak is President of the Star-K. See
<a href="http://www.star-k.org/cons-abou-support.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://www.star-k.org/cons-abou-support.htm</a>)<br><br>
Furthermore, Dr. Avrom Pollak of Star-K doubts that Hasidic rabbis who
are granting superkosher<br>
certification actually have such high standards to begin with.<br>
"Sometimes we'll ask them questions, and it's very evident that all
they're<br>
doing is certifying the owner of an establishment that they
personally<br>
may know. And they've agreed to give him a certification based on his
say-so.<br>
But the rabbi has very little independent knowledge of what goes on<br>
in the company."<br><br>
My understanding of someone being considered reliable when it comes to
hashgacha is that he has the necessary knowledge to make informed
decisions. If he does not, and one does not rely on his
hashgacha, then I do not consider this to be hoshed
biksherim, because they have no business giving hashgacha.
<br><br>
Yitzchok Levine<br><br>
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