Q&A: Healthy Living
Healthy Living
Question
Hello Rabbi!
I wanted to ask whether the Rabbi perhaps knows of meat raised in the “Healthy Living” style with the kosher certification of some Badatz organization?
It’s just that the dilemma between Rabbinate Mehadrin certification and healthy meat, versus Badatz certification, isn’t simple for me…
P.S. If Badatz really is more kosher (but causes suffering to animals) than Rabbinate Mehadrin (with meat that does not cause suffering to animals), what do you think one should prefer—the moral dimension or the halakhic one?
Thank you very much,
Happy holiday!
Answer
I’m not familiar. You should ask them (Healthy Living).
I don’t see a dilemma. Clearly, Rabbinate Mehadrin with care to avoid animal suffering is preferable. I’m not at all sure about your assumption that Badatz certification is inherently better.
Discussion on Answer
The article I tried to link to is: “Genetic Engineering and Cultured Meat: Where Are We Headed?”, on the Tzohar Ethics website.
With wishes for a “healthy winter,”
S.Tz.
In the meantime, until cultured meat reaches the supermarkets, one could suggest the following: for the select few who want to be stringent both in kashrut and in preventing animal suffering—to buy from a shepherd who raises animals on open pasture, and to hire a slaughterer to slaughter the animal not on an “assembly line”; this could apparently meet a family’s needs for a few weeks or months.
You can criticize animal suffering, but to play innocent as if the kashrut of the Badatz of the Edah Haredit is not superior to that of the Chief Rabbinate?! It seems that in this area the Rabbi has no familiarity; the situation in the Rabbinate is catastrophic! I know the field from the inside. I personally documented many cases in restaurants and hotels and passed them on to the supervisors, and they promised me the matter would be handled with full stringency… It was not handled and never will be. By the way, the kashrut of Badatz Beit Yosef is also appalling; likewise the Hatam Sofer circle is a joke, Agudat Yisrael is disgraceful. I have documentation. The Israeli OU for meat and poultry is a joke. (And by the way, regarding the Rabbinate, there is no real difference between Mehadrin and non-Mehadrin apart from food cooked by non-Jews and a few minor things that in most cases aren’t really enforced.) .
There is no connection between restaurants and hotels and slaughter lines and orderly factories.
There I have no personal testimony, but I heard from Pinchasi, author of the book Practical Kashrut, about the differences between the certifications—according to him, the differences are like heaven and earth. And I also heard this from a few others who work in the field.
Differences in policy and rules (well-known things that anyone can check), or in how carefully they are implemented (things that require testimony)?
For review and clarification (and even specific guidance), you can look at the “Kashrut” website.
Best regards,
S.Tz.
Rabbi Dorfman’s video—he deals with kashrut, especially creeping creatures and parasites.
He shows a fish that was marketed in packages with Beit Yosef and Aguda certification, full of worms. He went around the whole country with this information. I personally saw him twice open fish packages before an audience and pull out worms in quantity. By the way, on behalf of Beit Yosef they claimed that this causes them enormous damage, and that therefore they continue to work with the Dalidag company because that is their condition for continuing the cooperation. He also published their scandalous response mentioned above, and received a huge defamation lawsuit from Beit Yosef. When he prepared the evidence for the defense, the lawsuit was withdrawn. You can speak with him about it; he has endless supporting evidence and documented personal testimony.
To Kosher: both and both, but mainly in actual practical implementation. In the procedures, everyone prefers to present themselves as stringent in the most stringent possible way.
Tam, I didn’t see the video,
but as far as I know there are several distinctions regarding worms in fish.
But I don’t think it is customary today to rely on them….
And in general I’d be glad to know if anyone knows where people rely on these distinctions when there is kashrut certification for food with worms, as brought in the Shulchan Arukh. I don’t know of such a food.
People also tend to say that this was a scientific error in the words of the Sages. (put delicately)
It depends whether the worms developed in the belly, if I remember correctly. By the way, you can call Rabbi Dorfman; his phone number is in the video. He is a pleasant person and will answer you in detail.
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