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Dear Reader,

As we celebrate Chanukah, theFestival of Lights, the brightlight of holiness illuminates

our dark world. After Hashem createdthe Heavens and the Earth, the veryfirst thing He said was, “Let there belight.” Hashem created light rightaway even though He did not placethe sun in the sky until the fourth day. The world and the Torahwere cre-

ated so that the light of G-dlinesswould shine. The Torah is often re-ferred to as Torah Ohr, the Torah oflight. Light dispels the darkness and the unknown; light gives clarity andunderstanding. The message of Chanukah is the same – we light up theoutside world and illuminate the darkness. One small flame can chaseaway a lot of darkness and give us clarity and understanding.Our Sages tell us that there are two ways that Hashem can become

known in the world. The first way is through consistency – the sun risesand sets each day and that is the work of Hashem. The second way isthrough a nes (miracle) or when something extraordinary happens. Forexample, the wildfires in California and the tsunami in the Far Eastshowed us the strength of Hashem through fire and water. An historicelection, an economic meltdown, an unprecedented assault on the biggestkosher slaughterhouse…events like this need a little light to give us clarityand understanding.There is a famous story told about the Baal Shem Tov. One night the

flame in his lantern was about to burn out and no extra fuel was available.Well aware that his Rebbe was exceedingly fond of light, his attendantbegan to panic. “Go outside and snap off some icicles hanging from theroof,” instructed the Baal Shem Tov, “and light them!” The attendantrushed outside, grabbing the large icicles that hung on the sides of theroof. After bringing them inside, the attendant held a match to the iciclesand watched in amazement as the frozen water caught flame and burnedbrightly!As we see, light can come from many different places. We all have to

do our part to increase light – read about Chassidus Mivueres spreadingthe light through Torah, the Sephardic Angel Fund spreading the lightthrough chessed, and see the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts, in conjunc-tion with the ~, spreading the light of kashrus to the chefs of tomorrow.At the ~, we strive to be lamplighters through our annual kashrus con-ference for ~ mashgichim. We also offer many workshops and educationclasses for children and adults.In addition, delve into the fascinating journal account of a day in the

life of ~ Kashrus Administrator Rabbi Don Yoel Levy. Like the story ofChanukah, find out what is behind the kosher seal/symbol on your fa-vorite product with Rabbi Chanowitz’s insightful article, “When the Sealis Broken”.The Torah tells us that olive oil gives off the purest light, but an olive

has to be squeezed to collect the oil. When we feel like the world aroundus is squeezing us, it helps to remember that we are being squeezed inpreparation for the ultimate light of Moshiach.

Best Wishes for a Freilichen and Lichteken Chanukah,

Rabbi Chaim FogelmanEditor-in-Chief

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:

Rabbi Chaim FogelmanEDITOR:

Dovi ScheinerASSOCIATE EDITOR:

Dina Fraenkel DESIGN:

www.SpotlightDesign.com

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SHARE YOUR SPIRIT

QUESTIONS FOR THE ~

ANGELS IN OUR MIDSTBy Sophia Franco

WHEN THE SEAL IS BROKENBy Rabbi Yosef D. Chanowitz

A TRUE BEACON OF LIGHTBy Dovi Scheiner

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF RABBI LEVY

CHANUKAH RECIPES

CENTER FOR KOSHERCULINARY ARTS

CHASSIDIC INSIGHTS THE MONTH OF KISLEVCompiled by Dina Fraenkel

~ IN ACTION

KOSHERFEST

135 WAYS OK KOSHEREDYOUR WORLD IN 2008

ODDS & ENDS

IN MEMORIUM

2 • www.OK.org

www.OK.org • 3

Share Your Spirit

FEEDBACK

We welcome your comments, submissions and letters to the editor.

MAIL: 391 Troy AvenueBrooklyn, NY 11213

E-MAIL: editor@kosherspirit.com

Readers share their thoughtsabout the last issue...

Dear Kosher Spirit,

I very much enjoyed your magazine. I havethe Elul issue and I would like to be on

your mailing list for all the publications. Pleaselet me know how we can arrange this.

Thank you,Dr. Chersky

KS: In order to educate and reach the mostpeople possible, we don’t offer a subscrip-tion or mailing list anymore. Instead, themagazine is distributed in Jewish newspa-pers and is always available at www.kosher-spirit.com.

Dear Kosher Spirit,

Iread with great interest Rabbi Chanowitz’article on Chodosh in the Diaspora and Ihave a question. Does the Bac”h hold thatChodosh is allowed in all of the Diaspora, oronly in the field of a non-Jew?.

Regards,

YB

Rabbi Chanowitz responds: Thank you forwriting. According to the Bac”h, Yoshon isonly applicable when a Jew owns a field andChodosh is permitted in the field of a non-Jew. Some even hold that this applies to thefields in Israel as well.

Dear Kosher Spirit,

I In the Chodosh article, you wrote about springwheat and why it is usually Chodosh. Can

you please explain what winter wheat is and if itis a problem for those who keep Yoshon?

Sincerely,MS

Rabbi Chanowitz responds: Winter wheat in-cludes hard red winter, soft red winter, hardwhite, and soft white. Winter wheat is plantedbetween September and December. Thewheat sprouts before freezing occurs and thenbecomes dormant until the soil warms up inthe spring. Wheat grown in the winter tends tobe softer and more crumbly, since there is alower percentage of gluten and protein. Usu-ally winter wheat is used for cookies, crack-ers, cakes, pretzels, matzos and other bakedproducts that are soft or crumbly. One wouldnot need to be concerned about Chodosh withregard to winter wheat, since it takes root be-fore Pesach and is not available to the con-sumer until after Pesach.

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The ~ receives manyletters/emails with kosherquestions...

First, let me explain what falls into the cate-gory of “pas” and is therefore subject to theclassification of Pas Yisroel. According to

most poskim, dough made from the five grains(wheat, oat, spelt, rye and barley) and then baked,and would satisfy a person as a meal (if enough isconsumed) is considered “pas” and would requireone to bentch Birkas HaMazon.1 This includesbread and cookies, cakes, pizza, etc.

On the other hand, stalks of wheat or oats havethe brocha of Ha’adama. When deshelled orcooked, they lose some of their appearance (likeoatmeal) and have the brocha of Mezonos, butthey always carry the brocha achrona of AlHaMichya, regardless of how much is con-sumed. Because these foods always carrythe after brocha of Al HaMichya, thus theyare exempt from Pas Yisroel.2

Granola is made from solid ingredients(as opposed to flour), such as oat flakes,nuts, fruits and flavorings,which are stuck together byusing hot honey, maltsyrup and liquid sugarfirst (in the case of thegranola bar are pressedtogether) and thendried in an oven, thusnot having the ruling of adough. In addition it does

not carry the appearance of bread, as it is made ofbits and pieces and thus never requires one tobentch Birkas HaMazon regardless of how muchis consumed.

In terms of the question of Bishul Akum, granoladoes not require Bishul Yisroel for numerous rea-sons, including that it is not eaten as a meal, butrather as a snack food, and is not a food that canbe classified as being of a royal nature. (It is notthe norm to eat it with bread, a person does not in-vite one’s friend to come over just to eat it, etc.)3

Dear ~, I’ve been wondering, do granola and granolabars need to be Pas Yisroel?

Rabbi Hanoka responds:

1. Yoreh Deah siman 112 seif 6 and Pri-Chodosh, end of the Siman.

2. Shulchan Oruch HaRav, Birchas HaNe-henin, Perek 1, seif 8 & Perek 2, seif 15.

3. Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 113 seif 1and Rambam Hilchos Machalos Asurosperek 17 halacha 15

As Jews, we have been trainedfrom the beginning of time tohelp each other, guide each

other, and be there for each other.The scope of this “help” has grown ahundred fold over the generations.The Angel Fund, created in theSephardic community in 2002 as aquasi “hatzolah” for working men andbusiness owners, was visionary in itsphilosophies. In response to a desper-ate need for business advisement andguidance, Angel started out consult-ing companies in crisis, advising startup businesses, providing loans, creat-

ing partnerships and supporting people as they navigated career andbusiness options. Today, Angel still operates as a free

service and a not-for-profit organiza-tion open to everyone, but since its in-ception, several new branches havesprouted from this extraordinary tree:SCS, making successful job and careerplacements daily; Generation Angel,educating and raising the awarenessof our young people; The ExecutiveSeminar Series, tapping the resourcesof business’s best and brightest; TheMerchant Banking Group, navigating

clients through all stages of businessopportunities including purchasing,selling, investing and raising capital;and most recently, The Ladies AngelNetwork, specifically geared to helpwomen grow their career dreams.Today, The Angel Fund proudly pres-ents its newest venture, “AngelFoods,” an incubator program for culi-nary entrepreneurs.

Just Like Grandma Used to Make

We all have to eat. Not once, but

by Sophia Franco

AngelsIN OUR MIDST

www.OK.org • 5

Helping entrepreneurs,

one ladle at a time!

three times a day. The food industry isbooming. Apart from the myriad ofrestaurants stationed on and aroundevery street corner in Manhattan, thereare over 900 food production firmsemploying over 16,000 people in NewYork City alone, and another 2,500New Yorkers who are self employed inthe field. Each of those is an entrepre-neur waiting for their big break. In our community, hundreds of men

and women are preparing food to sellfrom home to bring in extra income.The Angel Fund cannot help but rec-ognize this as one of the most preva-lent business choices available today.As with every entrepreneur, we wantto help bring these enterprises to thenext level.While cooking or baking as a side

business works ideally for a stay-at-home mom, the situation is sure to getsticky as her product gains momentum,and …sells! While this is the generalidea, lack of oven space, time, organi-zation, insurance, licensing from De-partment of Agriculture and manyother logistical problems leave a girl -orguy-with nowhere to turn. Until now.

Good Enough To EatRenting a kitchen is not like renting

an office. You can’t just plug in yourMac and get started. Good kitchen

equipment is expensiveand needs constantmaintenance. Work-space must be immacu-late and insurance andhealth regulations mustbe up to date andstrictly adhered to. Inour case, an added re-quirement is the ha-lachic supervision that isrequired to sell foodand baked goods to thestores that bring bigbusiness.If you are looking for

all the above, I guesstoday is your birthday!This past July, The

Angel Fund began their kitchen initia-tive in earnest. Searching for a properkitchen to fit the bill was not an easytask. While the National IncubationAssociation includes 21 kitchen pro-grams, only a handful exist in the tri-state area. The executives at Angeloriginally set out to build their ownkitchen, but they decided that a situa-tion in which they were sharing theburden of work and upkeep withother people might benefit everyoneinvolved. When it came to their attention that

Kingsborough College’s Culi-nary Institute had a kitchen tooffer, they knew it would bethe perfect fit. Located onOriental Boulevard in lovelyManhattan Beach, Kingsbor-ough’s Rotunda directly over-looks the water. The setting isideal, the appliances andovens are top of the line, andthe staff is knowledgeable andhelpful.

Fresh From theOven

Currently there are six toeight different bakers and/orcooks using the kitchen twicea week. For an eight-hour

shift, the charge is less than two hun-dred dollars, which includes a lockedstorage space to keep utensils and sup-plies. The Angel Fund provides acleaning service to help “kosher” thekitchen and to clean up throughoutthe day, and provides the halachic su-pervision of the ~ at no charge to thechefs. Rabbi Fogelman explains ~’s pas-

sion and involvement in The AngelFund’s kitchen, “As a Jewish organiza-tion, we like to say that we are in thekosher business, not in the business ofbeing kosher. We want to help and en-courage every Jew who approaches usin any way we can. You can give aman a fish or you can teach him howto fish. Teaching him is the highestlevel of the mitzvah. We are here forThe Angel Fund and all of their clients.We want to help.”

Businesses Rising With the Dough

Once the cooking and baking arecomplete, Angel Fund’s job begins.Irwin Dayan, Executive Director ofThe Angel Fund, explains, “The prod-uct itself is only half of it. Once youare up and running we are here to helpyou with packaging, promoting and

6 • www.OK.org

marketing. We want you to succeed,and we will be with you every step ofthe way.” Angel Foods is also proudand excited to take part in Kosherfeston November 12, 2008, a nationwidefood trade show open to all kosherfood vendors and services. Response so far has been fantastic.

The food industry is a billion dollarbusiness and Angel’s clients are gettinga chunk of it. Esther Faham, baker,launched her sticky buns with the helpof the Ladies Angel Network last year.In that short time, her business has ex-ploded, “Thank G-d, since I startedcooking in the Angel Foods kitchenand got the ~ supervision, my busi-ness has doubled. My bake time isone-third and the orders have simplysnowballed. I love it!”Claudia Bildirici, of Lottie’s Biscotti,

has been selling her cookies for yearsbut is excited to present her cool newpackaging simultaneously with theopening of the Angel Foods Kitchen.“The kosher certification is incredible.I was doing great before but now thepossibilities are endless. I have alreadygotten shelf space in Pomegranate,Kosher Corner, Grace’s Marketplaceand Fairway. I also sell to two differ-

ent kosher caterers and many smallshops along Kings Highway and Av-enue U in Brooklyn. It’s been a whirl-wind. In this kitchen I can do in oneday what used to take me two, andthe people here are incredibly helpful.We are trying new recipes and perfect-ing the old ones, and still we are hav-ing fun.”

Check It Once, Check It Twice

The Angel Fund encourages all culi-nary entrepreneurs to do their home-work. Find out how much youringredients cost; your assistants, gas,traveling time, pots, pans, and trays…You will also need to factor in the costof liability insurance. Ask yourself ifthere is a need or desire for your prod-uct. Can you get shelf or freezer spacein the stores you are looking to sell to?All these factors must be consideredcarefully before starting any endeavor.Angel Fund will assist you in figuringout these costs and if the kitchen willbe a profitable venture for you, butyou’ll need to come organized andprepared. Culinary trends and market forces

have made the kitchen incubator anidea whose time is now. Current salesof specialty foods at retail were $24.7billion, and jumped 17.9% between2002 and 2004 versus a 7.7% rise forsales of all food. Over half of all theproducts sold in specialty food storesare purchased directly from the man-ufacturer. No matter the economy,people still crave the luxury of homecooked food. If you are good at whatyou do, there is money to be made inthe food industry. The Angel Fund canhelp you take the first step.

If you are interested injoining our AngelFoods CommunityKitchen and wouldlike to set up aconsultation to discussterms and fees pleaselog on to our website

www.angelfundnetwork.org and register. In24 hours you will receive a phone call to setup an individual meeting.

www.OK.org • 7

8 • www.OK.org

hen the Mac-cabees reclaimedthe Beis HaMikdash

from the Greeks, one ofthe most important tasksthey had was to light themenorah. In order to do so,the Maccabees had to find abottle of oil with the sealof the Kohen Godol still in-tact. It was essential thatthe oil was pure olive oilwith the seal.

Today, every Jewish home is con-sidered a Beis HaMikdash Me’at (aminiature sanctuary). Any food webring into our homes should bekosher and processed on kosherequipment. In addition, processedfood product that we bring into ourhomes may need to be sealed with akosher symbol, which remains intactuntil we break the seal ourselves.Kosher certification can be broken

down into a two-part process – first,the product has to be produced withkosher ingredients on kosher equip-ment; and, second, the product hasto be marked with a kosher symbol

to show consumers that the productis kosher certified and has not beentampered with. If the kosher symbolis missing, or the package is not fac-tory-sealed, then the consumer mustassume the product has been alteredand may not still be kosher. Some-times, stores repack bulk kosheritems without a mashgiach present orauthorization from the certifyingagency and continue to use the orig-inal kosher certificate to claim therepackaged item is kosher certified.Once an item is opened, one doesnot have the authority to use thekosher symbol, since the original

Whenthe

by Rabbi Yosef DovidChanowitz

is Broken

W

www.OK.org • 9

kosher organization does not over-see the repacking. In addition, somenon-kosher vendors buy kosherproducts and may reheat them or re-sell them alongside non-kosher fooditems and still claim the food iskosher under the original certifica-tion!The sample cases below are ex-

amples of the kosher symbol asmerely an indicator and not a seal.

At the ~, the kosher symbolis treated as a seal of ap-proval, with the koshersymbol serving as onein a series of many

safeguards, which ensure that theproducts you buy are indeed kosher.The ~ only gives its certification

and allows a company to display the~ symbol if the following condi-tions are met:

• A signed contract between the ~and the company that requires thecompany to adhere to all kosherlaws and provides legal conse-quences if the contract is breeched.

• A database of all ingredients, prod-ucts and product formulae that areapproved as kosher for the facility.Each product approved by the ~ isassigned a seven-letter kosher

identification code (“K-ID”) that islinked to the kosher certificate. Asa general rule, anyone can requesta K-ID from a certified companyand view the kosher certificate atwww.ok.org. (Due to confidential-ity, some certificates are not avail-able online.)• Many facilities have a label bookwith a copy of each label as it isdisplayed on the product. Themashgiach periodically reviews the

CASE 1:

CASE 2:

Another startling incident occurred when consumers alerted the ~ that a hotdog stand in Brooklyn was selling knishes and claiming the ~ certified

them as kosher. I was immediately dispatched to this location. When I arrivedI was shocked to see a cart filled with items as far from kosher as you can get:ham and cheese, crab slammers, etc. First, I introduced myself, without lettingthem know I worked for the ~, so that I would be able to get all the facts straight. Theworker explained to me that they were getting kosher knishes sealed in a box, and all they were doingwas slicing them, filling them with ketchup and mustard (and G-d knows what else), then warmingthem up (on the same equipment as non-kosher) to sell to the customers. I immediately got a hold ofthe owner and explained the situation to him. He answered innocently, “I especially kept the originalbox to show the consumer that the knishes were kosher.”

Aconcerned consumer once called ~ Kosher Certification regarding bakedgoods that were displayed with a small sign claiming the ~ certified the

items. However the store itself was not kosher certified. I was sent to inves-tigate. When I arrived, I indeed saw a sign advertising that the ~ certified thebaked goods. I asked the owner to show me the kosher certificate for thebaked goods. He handed me a kosher letter certifying the bakery where hebought the baked goods. I thought to myself, “How are we to know that heis buying baked goods from this vendor, and only from this vendor? Howare we to know he did not process them further? He has no obligation to

the ~ to uphold the standard of kosher that we require.” I advised him that if he continues to displaythis sign, we will immediately take legal action to protect the kosher consumer and inform the publicthat this is an unauthorized kosher claim. He took down the sign and the ~ continues to monitor thislocation to make sure that the ~ symbol is not erroneously displayed.

10 • www.OK.org

CASE 3:

CASE 4:

book to ensure accuracy. This is inaddition to having the companysend the ~ a copy of labels for re-view before printing.

• Certain industrial facilities have ad-ditional restrictions such as a kosherstamp, signature or a kosher letteraccompanying the product. We alsorecord the lot number or assign a lotnumber to be printed on the productto track what day and hour theproduct was produced.

• Each facility is assigned a mashgiachwho oversees the plant for koshercompliance. Depending on the com-plexity of the plant, the ~ deter-mines how often the mashgiachvisits; some facilities require fulltime mashgichim. The assigned mash-giach reviews all receiving and pro-duction log forms. He also fills outan inspection report at each visit,which gets processed and reviewedby the Rabbinic Coordinator, who isequipped to handle any changes orissues.

• Identifying information on remov-able stickers. The ~ does not allowa company to print a generic “~”sticker to apply to the product label.The sticker must display the com-pany name and product name, to en-sure that it cannot be affixed onanother product. The ~ sometimesuses holographic stickers, which areextremely difficult to counterfeit.The sticker contains the ~ logo, anID number and a special holographicdesign to ensure the highest level ofkosher security.

Consumers are an integral part ofthe kosher system. As illustrated

above, many times it is the consumerthat notifies the ~ when someone isimproperly displaying the ~ symbol.To further understand your role as aconsumer, it is important for you tounderstand how to read akosher symbol and toverify its authenticity.

• Each kosherc e r t i f i e dproduct is

“For example, when something is labeled “dairy,” it

must be considered Cholov Stam unless the words

Cholov Yisroel are printed on the packaging.”

Companies often use the“K” symbol to indicate

that they consider their prod-uct kosher. In contrast to thesymbol of a kosher certifica-tion agency, which is trade-marked to prevent fraud, theletter “K” is only a letter ofthe alphabet, not a distinctsymbol, so it cannot be trademarked. If a companyfraudulently uses a trademarked kosher symbol, theowner of the trademark may start legal proceedings fortrademark infringement, but there is no recourse for acompany printing the letter “K” on its product to indi-cate kosher status, therefore the letter “K” has no valid-ity to indicate kosher supervision. (Some states requirea rabbi to stand behind a letter “K,” but that is not theuniversal practice.)

There is another casewith a well-known

producer of Cholov Yis-roel cheese (not certifiedby the ~). The com-pany used stickers toaffix a kosher symbolto the individual cheesepackets. It was laterdiscovered that some-

one secretly removed the stickers from the koshercheese and affixed them on non-kosher cheeses topass them off as kosher. In light of this incident, thecompany was advised to change the way it labeledthe products with the kosher symbol. The ~ requiresall of its certified companies to print the kosher sym-bol either directly on the plastic packaging and/or onstickers that cannot be removed.

www.OK.org • 11

assigned a list of restrictions by thecertification agency, which is dis-played on the kosher certificate.Some products just require thecompany name to be displayed,some require a kosher symbol aswell, some even require a kosherstamp, kosher tape, mashgiach sig-nature or kosher letter accompany-ing the product. The koshercertificate for every product con-tains the list of its particular restric-tions.

• Certain items have additionalkosher indicators displayed on thepackaging. For example, once, Iwas inspecting packages of tilapia.I saw that under the kosher symbolwas printed (in small letters) “onlykosher when patch of skin is dis-played”. There was no patch ofskin on the fish, so it could not beconsidered kosher.

• Meat, fish and wine require twosimanim (signs) indicating theirkosher status, such as a symbol andplumba (metal tag affixed to themeat), or a symbol and skin tag (for

fish). The requirement for twoseals makes it more difficult forsomeone to fraudulently claim aproduct is kosher. In the case ofmeat, a fraud may be able to printa kosher symbol on the label, butthe meat would be missing the sec-ond sign, often a plumba.

• One should closely examine anydesignations displayed alongsidethe kosher symbol, including:dairy, meat, Cholov Yisroel, Yoshon,Pas Yisroel, fish, kosher for Passoveretc. If a kosher designation is notdisplayed, a designation cannot beassumed. For example, whensomething is labeled “dairy,” itmust be considered Cholov Stamunless the words Cholov Yisroel areprinted on the packaging. Thesame applies to Pas Yisroel. Prod-ucts are only Pas Yisroel if it isclearly written on the product.

• Often a kosher certification is is-sued only for particular products ina facility, not to the entire facility.This is common in stores that sellrepackaged bulk items with their

own label, as well as sell otheritems in their original packaging.The hechsher may only certify therepacked items, not items that aresold in their original packaging.One should always check thekosher certificate to ensure the in-dividual product is on the certifi-cate.

• All products with kosher certifica-tion should be sealed. Once theyare opened, one cannot be assuredthat the container was not reusedfor a non-kosher product, or that anon-kosher ingredient was notmixed in. This holds true for storesthat repackage products, mishloachmanos gift baskets and candies soldloosely in machines. The Mishna says that the world

stand on three things and the sameholds true in the world of kashrus.Expert rabbonim, a tight kashrus pro-tocol, and the watchful eye of theconsumer ensure that kosher prod-ucts remain kosher from the momentof production until they are served atyour table.

SYMBOLSWhat do they mean?

~ ~D ~DE ~D l`xyi alg ~M (Meat) ~F (Fish) ~P (Pesach) ~ Pas YisroelCholov Stam Dairy Equipment Cholov Yisroel Chassidishe ShechitaPareve

12 • www.OK.org

C hanukah is all aboutlight. Every night wekindle the menorah in

an effort to fill our hearts,homes, and environmentswith as much light as pos-sible. Chanukah is a timewhen we celebrate ourgood fortune in beingJews, and connect with themany lights in our lives.There is the light of thecandles, the light ofmitzvos, and of course, thelight of Torah. One great light that is increas-

ingly burning bright in our genera-tion is the light of Chassidus,Pnimiyus HaTorah, the study ofwhich has helped strengthen theconnection of many Jews, and pro-vide deeper perspective in theways of Yiddishkeit, the will ofHashem, and the very purpose ofcreation.

One daunting obstacle thatstands in the way of those whowish to study Chassidus, is the sheerdepth of its teachings, which areoften inaccessible to the layman.Fortunately, in November of

2000, an organization emerged toaddress this challenge.

Machon Eliezer Yitzchak, the pub-lishing arm of Heichal Menachem, isheadquartered in Boro Park, Brook-lyn, NY, and produces the verypopular Chassidus Mivueres series.Rabbi Yaakov Leib Altein, Editor-in-Chief of the Machon, heads up atalented team of Jewish thinkers,including Assistant Editor-in-ChiefReb Meir Kleinman, along withRabbi Dovid Olidort, who worktirelessly to render complex textsof Chabad Chassidus accessible, byway of brilliant commentary.The work of Chassidus Mivueres

is extremely important in ourtimes.We are living in a period in Jew-

ish history when the frum commu-nity is outwardly growing as never

before, and yet, inwardly, the soulof the frum community faces itsgreatest challenge, as the myriadrealities of our modern world im-pose great hardship on the effort ofthe individual to attain a significantdegree of inspiration in the serviceof Hashem.The challenges the frum commu-

nity faces in today’s day, and therole that Chassidus can play in eas-ing these pressures, is best illus-trated by the following true story.A number of young Yeshiva stu-

dents set up a mobile seforim storeon a street corner in Boro Park. AChassidishe gentleman approached,reviewed the offerings, and se-lected three copies of the exactsame sefer, a volume of ChassidusMivueres. As he paid for the seforim,the student asked him why he ispurchasing three copies of thesame volume. The man respondedsimply, “One copy is for my house,one copy is for my office, and onecopy is for my car.” This only madethe students more curious. “Why,”

Light A TrueBeacon of

By Dovi Scheiner

חסידות מבוארת

www.OK.org • 13

they asked, “do you need a copy ofChassidus Mivueres in three differ-ent locations?” The man paused fora moment, pondered, and ex-plained: “If you look at me,” hesaid, “I wear the clothing of a Chas-sidishe Yid, and you would assumethat is who I am. But inside, I havestruggled for so long. I have somany doubts, so many questions.In fact, there was a time when Inearly gave it all up. And thensomething happened. I came acrossa volume of Chassidus Mivueres. AsI read the pages of this sefer, itspoke to me as no sefer ever has.The light literally jumped off thepages.”The Chossid concluded, “I hope

this explains why I am buyingthree copies of this sefer. In a worldfull of darkness, Chassidus Mivueressheds light, and wherever I am—athome, at work, or in my car—Inever want to know darknessagain!”As this story illuminates, the

Chassidus Mivueres movement,which began in the year 2000 with

the printing of a handful of pam-phlets, and has since gone on toproduce a slew of handsomelybound and ever popular seforim.These seforimwere projected to sell2000 copies in the first year andsold out in one week, and havethus far sold more than 75,000 vol-umes. The Chassidus Mivueresmovement has had a remarkableimpact on the frum world. Indeed,it has been embraced in the mostfar ranging quarters, from BoroPark to Bnei Brak, from GererChassidim in Ashdod, to membersof Israel’s Settlement movement,from Rabbi Weinberg of AishKodesh in the Five Towns, to RabbiBentzion Twersky of Milwaukee.All have found in the texts of Chas-sidus Mivueres the very essence ofTorah, brought to life in the light ofChassidus, in a fashion that ener-gizes the soul as nothing else can.When I asked Rabbi Altein about

the secret of the Machon‘s success,he pointed to his partner in thefounding of Machon Eliezer Yitzchok,Rabbi Don Yoel Levy, Kashrus Ad-

ministrator of ~ Kosher Certifica-tion, and Chairman of the Board ofMachon Eliezer Yitzchok. “RabbiLevy was there from the very be-ginning,” explains Rabbi Altein, “infact, he was there before the begin-ning. Rabbi Levy witnessed thegood work of Heichal Menachem,and as a leading student and pro-ponent of Chassidus, he wanted toextend the reach of the organiza-tion. It was his vision and constantencouragement, guidance, and sup-port, which enabled the establish-ment of Machon Eliezer Yitzchok andhelped (and continues to help)spread the light of Chassidus to themasses.

To learn more aboutMachon Eliezer Yitz-chok, and to order vol-umes of ChassidusMivueres, includingthe latest sefer - Vol-

ume 1 of Chassidus Mivueres on Tanya,please call (718) 633-1076, or go online towww.chassidus.com.

“As I read the pages of thissefer, it spoke to me as no seferever has. The light literallyjumped off the pages...”

14 • www.OK.org

5:30 AM

My Blackberry is vibrating. I get outof bed to see what it is. It’s an e-mailfrom Rabbi Levy arriving in my inbox.No, it’s not a major kashrus emer-gency; it is a typical morning for RabbiLevy – just checking his e-mail andforwarding relevant e-mails to me.Even so, that e-mail got me wonder-ing… what time does Rabbi Levy wakeup? What is on his “To Do List” on anaverage day? Just what does it take torun one of the largest kosher certify-ing agencies in the world? What is typ-ical for a day in the life of Rabbi Levy?I asked Rabbi Levy to keep a journalfor just one day to give us all a glimpseinto the reality of life as a Kashrus Ad-ministrator.

9:20 AM

After davening Shacharis and learn-ing, I arrive at the office and meetwith my assistant to pick up phonemessages and review my schedule.

Part of Rabbi Levy’s responsibilitiesinvolve reading all reports that comein for new facilities. In order to makesure the companies are set up prop-erly, Rabbi Levy outlines exactly how afacility is set up and how a report iswritten. The report has to be written sothat any member of the ~ office staff

can pick it up, read it and understandthe production and kashrus restric-tions for the particular facility. The re-port must also include instructions forthe plant personnel and instructionsfor the inspecting rabbi. All of thesereports come across Rabbi Levy’s deskfor final approval.

9:35 AM

I read through a report and noticethat certain details, regarding theheating of the equipment need clari-fication. In the next report, I noticethat the rabbi’s instructions are in-complete. Although I knew whatthey meant, I sent the report back tothe rabbis for proper completion. Inanother report, I do not agree withthe number of visits the rabbi as-signed to the mashgiach, so I call therabbi to discuss the situation. I alsoreceive a report about a company inChina that is using alcohol certifiedby a major kashrus organization. Forall alcohol productions in China, Ilike to investigate the number of vis-its by the other kashrus organizationto the plants. To my consternation Ifind out that it is visited only once ayear!

Rabbi Levy is also responsible forsetting policy on daily operations and

adapting policies due to ever-chang-ing food production issues, such as therecent problem of tainted food prod-ucts from China.

10:00 AM

I have to revisit the ~’s policy re-garding dairy products from China.Many kosher consumers in Americause Cholov Stam, based on RavMoshe Feinstein’s heter. The heter isbased on government controls in theUnited States. Recent food produc-tion scandals confirm that my long-standing policy to accept only dairyproducts with a mashgiach temidifrom the milking process (Cholov Yis-roel) from China is correct. The mostrecent issue in China is the contam-ination of Cholov Stam products withmelamine (a chemical used to en-hance the proteins in milk), whichhas caused death in infants. There-fore, the ~ policy remains to rejectall non-Cholov Yisroel products origi-nating from China and certified byother hechsherim. In addition, theUnited States has now banned manydairy products originating in China.Furthermore, the ~ policy remainsto certify products (such as candy,etc.) in China only with a mashgiachpresent.

LIFEof Rabbi LevyJournal by Rabbi Don Yoel Levy

Commentary by Rabbi Chaim Fogelman

A DAY in the

www.OK.org • 15

Rabbi Levy often has to decide the~’s response to problems in thekosher world, including tightening re-strictions to prevent problems andworking out solutions for affectedcompanies.

10:30 AM

I have a meeting with our Restau-rant and Catering department re-garding the recent closings of majorkosher slaughterhouses. We discussinstalling extra precautions to pre-vent any non-kosher meat from“slipping in” to our facilities (G-d for-bid). (On top of the fact that we al-ready require a mashgiach temidi withsole control of the meat in ALL meatfacilities, even if the owner is a reli-gious Jew.) Since the challenge ofgetting acceptable meat is so great,extra precaution has to be taken.

12:30 PM

I receive an e-mail from one of the~’s top rabbis in China. It appearsthat someone is producing fish prod-ucts in China, stamped with anunauthorized ~ and, of course,without using a mashgiach temidi asrequired by the Shulchan Oruch. Anerve-wracking ninety minutes goby as we investigate this matter. Theramifications are enormous. ThankG-d it turns out to be a misunder-standing and the product is actuallyfrom Thailand and the production isauthorized and done with twomashgichim present. However, untilwe verify these facts my blood pres-sure goes through the roof!

It is essential that kashrus organiza-

tions have interaction with each other,so Rabbi Levy makes an effort to reg-ularly meet with rabbis from many dif-ferent certifying agencies. Today,Rabbi Levy meets with a rabbi fromone of the major kashrus certificationsin Israel.

2:00 PM

Rabbi Avrohom Rubin from EretzYisroel visits the ~. We meet to dis-cuss the latest kashrus issues in Israel.Since our capable Israeli regional co-ordinator, Rabbi Haskel, from EretzYisroel, is also in our New York officetoday, he is present at the meeting.One of the topics we discuss isshmitta, since shmitta produce is stillin circulation during the year aftershmitta. This is especially true regard-ing fruit, which of course includeswine. (The ~ certifies the majorityof the prestigious wines in Israel, sothis is an important issue for us!)

Rabbi Levy takes a break to davenMincha with the office minyan beforeresuming his intensive schedule ofmeetings.

3:45 PM

Rabbi Rubin and I continue ourmeeting to discuss kashrus issues ofingredients and plants around theworld, since Rabbi Rubin and the ~both permit the use of ingredientscertified by each other’s agencies.

4:15 PM

With Rabbi Haskel in town, I takethe opportunity to meet with himand discuss many kashrus issues andcontinue the discussion started over

a month ago when Rabbi Steigmanand I traveled to Israel to meet withhim. Since ~ Israel is closer to theFar East than America is, many rele-vant responsibilities are delegated toRabbi Haskel. We discuss makingcommon policies, among all hechsh-erim for kashrus in the Far East. Thisis sorely needed. Instead of compet-ing with other agencies that may nothave the highest kashrus standards, Ifeel that the correct direction to takeis to try to institute a common min-imum standard that all hechsherimmust meet in the Far East. This is al-ways better for kashrus and onlybenefits the consumer in the end. Ischedule a meeting with some of themajor agencies that certify compa-nies in the Far East to discuss this atlength. After this meeting, I amheading home. It is almost 6:00 PMand it’s been a long day.

It’s been told that many great peo-ple, from the holy Rambam to thebusiest executives, somehow find timeeach day for some physical activity tostay healthy. Before he arrives to the~, Rabbi Levy manages to get in athree-mile constitutional almost everymorning after learning and Shacharis!Rabbi Levy is also very tech savvy —if you need advice on the latest cellphone, or a quick tip for your Black-berry, he’s the go-to rabbi.

It takes a certain kind of person torun a large organization with ever-changing issues, a certain kind of per-son to shoulder the responsibility forhundreds of thousands of kosher prod-ucts. It takes a certain kind of personto run the ~, and that person is RabbiLevy.

1-1/2 pounds potatoes

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup EACH choppedonion, coriander, tomatoes,cashews

2 tablespoons EACHchopped green, red bellpeppers

1 teaspoon EACH salt, currypowder, minced ginger,jalapeno

Olive oil for frying

Cucumber Raita

Spicy Potato Patties

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender.Cool under cold running water. Peel whencool enough to handle. In mixing bowl, mashwith fork or masher. Blend in egg, flour, andbaking powder. Add onion, coriander, toma-toes, cashews, peppers, salt, curry, ginger, andchile. Mix well.

Shape into 8 balls; form into patties in onelayer on a platter. Cover and refrigerate untilready to fry. In large non-stick skillet, heatenough oil to cover bottom of pan overmedium heat. Cook two at a time, until crispand golden brown on one side, about 2 min-utes. Turn and cook on other side, adding oilas needed. Remove to platter and keep warmin 200° oven until all patties are fried. Servewith Cucumber Raita. Makes 8 servings.C

han

ukah

Rec

ipes

16 • www.OK.org

www.OK.org • 17

A t last, the professionalculinary world has risento the challenge of serv-

ing an increasingly sophisticated,demanding – and hungry – Jewishpopulace. In July 2008, The Cen-ter for Kosher Culinary Arts(CKCA) in Brooklyn, NY becamethe only venue in the UnitedStates for “Professional Trainingin Kosher Culinary Arts”.

Many others have tried and failedto establish such a program. So, whatmade CKCA different? A bit of his-tory: CKCA Founder, Dr. Elka JacobsPinson, a psychologist, saw the op-portunity to develop the school froman original base of activity in HappyHome, her husband’s cookware/bakeware store, which had an ongo-ing program of cake decorating andfruit and vegetable garnishing classessince its opening in 1993. She re-

cruited CKCA Director Jesse Blonderto make her vision a reality. Jessestudied Communications at CornellUniversity, apprenticed at the NewSchool Culinary Center of New Yorkand later served as kitchen manager,and worked at Macy’s DegustibusCooking School, Saffron 59 cateringcompany, and as a freelance caterer.Dr. Pinson and Jesse have weatheredtheir first year of operations withsuccess well beyond expectation.

Center for Kosher Culinary Arts

AT LAST!

18 • www.OK.org

Founded in mid-2007 and initiallyoffering a recreational program (themotto is “We cook and bake, then eatwhat we make.”), Blonder brought inhighly trained chefs each offering aclass in their specialty. Classes haveincluded diverse offerings such asKnife Skills; a wide array of ethniccuisines such as Provincial and Clas-sical French, Rustic Italian, Greek; aswell as techniques such as Challah-baking and chocolate-making. Notsurprisingly, the exotic Orientalmenus (such as Thai and Japanese)have consistently been the most pop-ular. The cake decorating and gar-nishing programs have expanded,advanced Master Classes added andappearances by international foodcelebrities and demonstrations bypopular cookbook authors roundedout the curriculum.Initially, the plan was to just ex-

pand the recreational program, butthe phone rang frequently with callsfrom people who were searching forkosher professional training. Untilnow, US culinary students could onlyattend non-kosher programs; wherethey were not able to taste the food

they prepared and all of their expen-sive knives and equipment becametreif and unusable. Yes - they spent$40,000 or more to attend top-level,prestigious culinary schools andwere never able to eat!Fortuitously, CKCA received a call

from Professor Jon Deutsch of theDepartment of Tourism and Hospi-tality at Kingsborough CommunityCollege of The City University ofNew York, located in Brooklyn. Him-self a trained chef, he proposed ameeting to discuss the developmentof a kosher version of an existingKBCC culinary arts course. Theunique collaboration between publicand private institutions has provedfruitful and the first CKCA Pro classgraduated in August 2008. Students

hailed from as far away as California,Toronto, and Florida to take part inthe 6-week program. A part-timenight program is now also being of-fered as well. A “Professional Bakingand Pastry” specialization program isslated for later this winter.CKCA students earn academic

credits upon enrollment at KBCC.With a curriculum modeled on thoseof established culinary schools, stu-dents learn skills and techniques usedin a professional kitchen. They learnhow to obtain important food safetycertifications, such as ServSafe (Na-tional Restaurant Association) andNYC Food Handler’s Certificate.Upon completion of the program,students can consolidate their skillsin the professional world through

Until now, US culinary students could only attend

non-kosher programs; where they were not able to

taste the food they prepared and all of their expensive

knives and equipment became treif and unusable.

www.OK.org • 19

placement in apprenticeships and jobreferrals are in the works. Graduatesof culinary programs may becomeprofessional chefs, choosing to workin restaurants and catering compa-nies, but many become personalchefs, or go into food production,food styling, and other creative culi-nary fields. Naturally, the larger part of the

Professional Training Program is inactual cooking skills. However, thekosher culinary professional must betrained to maintain kosher integrityin all stages of work: purchasing,preparation, handling, even serving.Not only do ingredients need to bekosher-certified, so do techniques. Inaddition, kosher chefs must gain ex-perience in running a professional en-vironment that may includenon-Jewish workers.Therefore, another unique collab-

oration was developed – betweenCKCA and ~ Kosher Certification.Under the direction of Rabbi ChaimFogelman, Rabbinic Coordinators atthe ~ and experienced mashgichim

lecture culinary students on a varietyof topics, such as the general tenetsof kashrus, checking fruits and veg-etables for infestation, the laws ofCholov Yisroel and Pas Yisroel, andworking with a mashgiach. This con-stitutes the first “kashrus curriculum”developed for kosher chefs. ~ Rab-binic Coordinators, Rabbi Marrus,Rabbi Gornish, Rabbi Hanoka aswell as Rabbi Fogelman, have partic-ipated in this, offering both halachicdirection and practical guidelines andadvice borne from extensive experi-ence in real-world kitchens. The CKCA has already become

the “go-to” resource in the Jewish

world. At Kosherfest, the premierkosher trade show, their exhibit her-alded numerous services in additionto the cooking school. They show-cased a referral service for personaland professional chefs, as well as aservice that provides “kitchen sup-port” personnel for demonstrationsand events. Also available fromCKCA were privately hosted classesand consultations on program devel-opment including developing voca-tional education programs for Jewishhigh schools.Even “gastronomic tourism” plans

are in the works. Visits to wineries,trips to local farms to handpick freshproduce, and even vacations focusedon various cuisines! With theCKCA’s top-notch culinary curricu-lum and ~ Kosher Certification’stop-notch kosher curriculum, aspir-ing chefs have found a winning com-bination at CKCA. B’teavon!

The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts1407 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn, NY718.758.1339www.KosherCulinaryArts.com

The CKCA hasalready become the“go-to” resource inthe Jewish world.

20 • www.OK.org

Every month in the Jewish cal-endar represents a uniqueway to serve Hashem. This is

exemplified in its central theme andits numerical place in the order of theyear.The central theme of the “third

month” is Matan Torah, the giving ofthe Torah to the Jewish people. Thereare two ways to count the months ofthe Jewish year – beginning withNissan or beginning with Tishrei. Bib-lically the first month is Nissan, andSivan is the third month. Whencounting from Tishrei, Kislev is thethird month of the year. In Sivan, on Shavuos, we received

the Written and Oral Torah throughMoshe Rabbeinu on Har Sinai. Ac-cording to the Talmud, the three partsof Tanach (Torah, Nevi’im and Kesu-vim) were given to the nation of threepeople (Kohanim, Levi’im and Yisroel),through the third person (MosheRabbeinu was the third child in hisfamily), on the third day of prepara-tion for receiving the Torah.In the month of Kislev, the other

“third month,” the Jewish people re-ceived the hidden Torah, the well-springs of Chassidus. AlthoughChassidus, the secrets of Torah, wereincluded in Matan Torah, they werenot revealed to the people at large.On the 19th of Kislev, with the libera-tion of the Baal HaTanya, RabbiSchneur Zalman of Liadi, the light ofChassiduswon out over the darknessof the Soviet empire and was al-lowed to be freely spread across theworld. Thus, the 19th of Kislev wasthe Matan Torah of Chassidus.The festival of Chanukah occurs in

the third month for a reason. It iswritten in the Midrash that theMishkan was finished in the monthof Kislev, but it was not erected untilNissan. Since Kislev did not get therecognition for the completion of theMishkan, G-d promised to give Kisleva dedication of its own, and He madethe Chanukah (dedication) of the BeisHaMikdash by the Maccabees occur inKislev. This dedication was therededication of the Second BeisHaMikdash, which is actually the

third Sanctuary if you count theMishkan built by Moshe Rabbeinu,connecting it to the number three. The rededication of Chanukahwas

necessary, because the Greeks defiledthe Beis HaMikdash. When the Mac-cabees restored the Beis HaMikdash toits glory, they enabled the revelationof G-dliness, the eternal illuminationof the darkness through theChanukah lights. This is the centraltheme of Kislev. This illumination isalso linked to the revelation of Chas-sidus in the month of Kislev, becausethe light of Chassidus came out of thedarkness of exile in Russia.Just as we light the Chanukah

menorah at the entrance to our homesto light up the darkness outside,Chassidus illuminates the darkness ofour world through the Baal ShemTov’s promise: “Your wellsprings willspread forth to the outside.” Whenall of the darkness has been con-verted into light, the illuminationwill be so great that the world willshine with G-dliness and Moshiachwill bring us into Geulah.

The Month of

KISLEV

Chassidic Insights:

Compiled by Dina Fraenkel

www.OK.org • 21

in Ac-

Rabbi Chaim Fogelamn

2008 ~ Mashgichim Conference

Rabbi Shlomo Horowits – Kosher Education

~ Mashgichim Conference

Rabbi Leibel Altein – Heichal Menachem

Rabbi Ahron Haskel

Rabbi Levy presents an award to FeaturedMashgiach Rabbi Dovid Feder

1 Mashgiach Conf. Pictures

22 • www.OK.org

Ardalin Foods

Golden Taste

Sabra Foods Haggada P assover Bakery

Weberman’s Traditional Foods

Setton Farms

www.OK.org • 23

Beigels Bakery

Kleins Natural

Rabbi Levy with Menachem Lubinsky

Prigat

L,chaim!

Golan Heights Winery

Tiv Tirat Tsvi

Anderson Cheese

24 • www.OK.org

135WAYS

~ Koshered yourworld in 2008!

CALIFORNIA NUGGETSRIPON, CA USASnack Foods

PROMIND AGRO-INDUSTRIAL, S.A.DOMINICAN REPUBLICColoring

MACOLIVE S.A.LAMIA, FTHIOTIS GREECEPickled Products & Olives

AEB GROUP - SPINDALGRETZ, FRANCE

NUTKAO S.R.L.CANOVE DI GOVONE, ITALYCocoa Products

ROLADINKADIMA, ISRAELFlour

MENDY’S PASSOVER BAKERYFLUSHING, NY USA

VEGETABLE JUICES, INC.BEDFORD PARK, IL USA

CODY KRAMER IMPORTSORANGEBURG, NY USA

SUDSPRIT GMBHSCHROBENHAUSEN, GERMANYGlycerine

WESTLAKE VINYLS, INCCALVERT CITY, KY USA

THAI OLEOCHEMICALSBANGKOK, THAILANDFatty Alcohols, Glycerine, MethylEster

HYDROTEXFARMERS BRANCH, TX USA

THAI FATTY ALCOHOLSBANGKOK, THAILANDFatty Alcohols

HUFF HISPANIC HOLDINGS,LLCMORRISTOWN, NJ USA

KARN CORN COMPANYTHAILAND

ZOOP SDN BHDMALAYSIAFatty Acids, Methyl Ester, Glycerine

TERRAFINA LLCBROOKLYN, NY USAFruit (Dried), Legumes, Nuts &Seeds, Organic Foods, Rice & RiceFlour

VANDA PRESERVED FOODCO., LTD.THAMAKA, THAILAND

VANDA FROZEN CO, LTD.BANGKOK, THAILAND

VITA FOOD FACTORYKANCHANABURI, THAILAND

MOLKEREI ALOIS MULLERGMBH & CO. KGBAVARIA, GERMANYFruit (Fresh Packaged)

BARBER MILK COMPANYBIRMINGHAM, AL USA

PERFECTION FOODS CO.PHILADELPHIA, PA USA

YAEYAMA SHOKUSAN CO.ISHIGAKI, OKINAWA JAPAN

THE GIFT OF GAB LLCNEW YORK, NY USABaked Goods, Cereals, OrganicFoods, Snack Foods

BLUE SEASON INT. LTDMOSHAV BEIT ARIF, ISRAEL

MILL CREEK CHEESEARENA, WI USA

P.T. LAUTAN OTSUKACHEMICALJAKARTA, INDONESIAFood Additives

EMPIRE GOURMET SNACKSBAYONNE, NJ USANuts & Seeds, Snack Foods

TORKELSON CHEESELENA, IL USA

HILL COUNTRY BAKERYSAN ANTONIO, TX USA

WISKERCHEN CHEESEAUBURNDALE, WI USA

CARR VALLEY CHEESE .LA VALLE, WI USA

CHALET CHEESE COOPMONROE, WI USA

NORTH AMERICANBIOPRODUCTS, INCDULUTH, GA USAChemicals

KLONDIKE SPECIALTYFOODSMONROE, WI USA

ZIMMERMAN CHEESE SOUTH WAYNE, WI USA

SHANGYU YONGJIA FOODSHANGYU, CHINAVegetables (Frozen)

BLETSOE’S CHEESE INCMARATHON, WI USA

CHULA VISTA CHEESE COBROWNTOWN, WI USA

NORTH HENDREN CO-OPERATIVE DAIRY WILLARD, WI USA

NEW COMPANIES

www.OK.org • 25

Visit www.ok.orgfor a complete list of certified companies and their products.

WHEY TO GO LLCARENA, WI USA

ARENA CHEESE INCARENA, WI USA

ZILA LAGUNADAUGAVPILS RAJ., LATVIAFish Products, Pickled Products &Olives, Salads & Salad Spreads

W & W DAIRY INC.MONROE, WI USA

FOSTER FARMS DAIRYMODESTO, CA USA

SHANGHAI AGRO FROZENFOOD ENTERPRISE CO. MEGIDO, ISRAELFish Products

CARUSO’S COFFEEBRECKSVILLE, OH USA

XUWEN TONGDA FRUIT JUICE& BEVERAGEZHANJIANG, CHINAFruit (Canned), Fruit Concentrates,Juice & Juice Concentrates

URUMQI SUMMERINDUSTRIAL CO.,LTDURUMQI, XINJIANG CHINAJuice & Juice Concentrates

SHANDONG YONGKANG FOODCO., LTDYANTAI, SHANDONG CHINAFish Products

KUKU FASHION ACCESSORIESEIN VERED, ISRAELCosmetics

PT. SORINI TOWA BERLIANCORPORINDOPASURUAN, EAST JAVA INDONESIA

PETER CREMER (S) GMBHSINGAPORE

BGL, LLCWISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI USA

SIME DARBY BIODIESEL SDN.KUALA LANGAT, MALAYSIAEsters, Fatty Acids, Glycerine, Oil &Shortenings

SWEET-NES ENTERPRISE, INC.BROOKLYN, NY USA

NEXSOL PTE LTDSINGAPOREGlycerine

INTEGRATED FORMATION KAMUNTING, MALAYSIAOil & Shortenings

GLICK’S BAKERY AT EMPIREKOSHERBROOKLYN, NY USA

MOZART COFFEE SHOP LLCDANIA, FL USA

AGUR WINERYEMEQ HA’ELLA, ISRAELWine

OURI’S SUPERIOR CATERERBROOKLYN, NY USA

PAGODA 770SUNNY ISLES, FL USA

SHILANG PHARMA (NANJING)CO.LTDNANJING, JIANGSU CHINASweeteners

THE KOSHER FRESH DIETBROOKLYN, NY USA

CHINA SHAANXI DACHENGINTERNATIONAL TRADE CO.LTDXI’AN, SHAANXI CHINAJuice & Juice Concentrates

MR. WHEATBROOKLYN, NY USA

SOYAWORLD INC.BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

DAICEL CHEMICALINDUSTRIES,TOKYO, JAPAN

WEINAN UPRISING FOOD CO.WEINAN, SHAANXI CHINAJuice & Juice Concentrates

SHAANXI SHIJI MINGDA JUICEXIANYANG, CHINAJuice & Juice Concentrates

PRODUCTOS QUIMICOSGALLEGOS PROQUIGA SABERGONDO, SPAINCultures & Rennets

LAIWU MANHINGVEGETABLES FRUITS ANDPROVISIONS PROCESSINGLAIWU, CHINAVegetables (Fresh)

DAVIDOVICH BAGEL & LOXFACTORY INC.JAMAICA, NY USA

MARUBENI AMERICACORPORATIONHOUSTON, TX USA

LIONSING (GROUP) FOOD CO.GUIYANG, GUIZHOU CHINARice & Rice Flour

SUN UNION INC.VERNON, CA USAVegetables (Fresh)

DANISCO SUGAR A/SCOPENHAGEN, DENMARKSugar

MR. BAGUETTE RESTAURANTBROOKLYN, NY USA

TRIGO L.L.C.NORTH MIAMI, FL USA

HIGH DESERT MILKBURLEY, ID USA

N.K. HURST COINDIANAPOLIS, IN USA

SEPHARDIC ANGEL FUNDBROOKLYN, NY USA

SYMRISE, INC.TETERBORO, NJ USA

CAGLIFICIO CLERICI S.P.A.CADORAGO, ITALY

GOURMET EXPRESSFOLCREST, PA USA

NIKUY HAGALIL 91 LTDAKKO, ISRAELBeverages

SASOL YIHAI (LIANYUNGANG)ALCOHOL INDUSTRIES CO.LTD.LIANYUNGANG, JIANGSU CHINAFatty Acids, Fatty Alcohols, Oil &Shortenings

MILCHVEREDELUNGNIEDERGRAFSCHAFT EGUELSEN, GERMANY

SPICE HOUSE INT’LSPECIALTIES, INC.HICKSVILLE, NY USACoating Mixes, Flour, Fruit (Dried),Herbs, Legumes, Nuts & Seeds, Pasta& Grains, Potato Products, Rice &Rice Flour, Seasonings & Spices,Snack Foods, Soup & Soup Mixes,Sugar, Vegetables (Dried)

BARNEY’S PREMIUM FOODSFRESNO, CA USA

AMYEL LLCSURFSIDE, FL USA

ACEITUNAS TORRENT S.L.CORDOBA, SPAINPickled Products & Olives

KESHMESH LTD.RISHON LE ZION, ISRAELBeverages

LAMBOURI WINERY LTD.PLATRES, CYPRUSWine

MONARCH CATALYST PVT.LTDTHANE, INDIA

GANSU XUEJINGBIOCHEMICALLANZHOU, CHINAFood Additives

HAMSATENAFLY, NJ USA

XINJIANG LUYUAN TOMATOPRODUCTS CO., LTDKORLA, XINJIANG CHINAVegetables (Canned)

SONS OF HANNA SHAMSHOUMNAZARETH, ISRAEL

UNISERVIS LTDGEDERA, ISRAEL

FUJIAN DONGSHAN HAIKUIAQUATIC PRODUCTS GROUPZHANGZHOU, FUJIAN CHINAFish Products

ANTARES HEALTH PRODUCTSBATAVIA, IL USAPharmaceutical, Drug & PersonalCare Products

HAITONG FOOD GROUP CO.CIXI, ZHEJIANG CHINAJuice & Juice Concentrates,Vegetables (Frozen)

PROLIANT, INCANKENY, IA USADairy Products

B2B ECUADOR S.A.GUAYAQUIL, ECUADORFruit (Dried)

CAFECO VIETNAM LTD.LONG THANH, DONG NAI VIETNAMCoffee

EQUINOX CHEMICALSALBANY, GA USAEsters

POST FOODS LLC.ST. LOUIS, MO USACereals

MEYTIN IC VE DIS TICARET TORBALI, IZMIR TURKEY

SPEEDY CHEFMONSEY, NY USAFrozen Foods

LEBANESE CUISINEBROOKLYN, NY USA

XICHANG FOVALLEY FOODXICHANG, SICHUAN CHINAJuice & Juice Concentrates

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26 • www.OK.org

ChanukahIn Kabbalah it is taught that the decrees of

Rosh Hashanah are not fulfilled until the endof Chanukah. There are hints to this in theChumash as well.

Parshas Vayeshev is always read in closeproximity to Chanukah. There we read thestory of Yehuda and Tamar. The scene inheaven is played out this way: Yehuda repre-sents Hashem and Tamar represents Klal Yis-roel. The Satan tells Hashem that Tamar/KlalYisroel sinned, so Yehuda/Hashem decrees wemust be punished. Tamar then says, “To theone who owns the seal, cord and staff - that’sthe one who is guilty. Pardon me on accountof these 3 things.” Klal Yisroel also asksHashem to pardon us on the account of those3 thing: the seal - we went the extra mile tofind oil with a seal; the cord - the wicks forthe Chanukah candles, and the staff - thewalking stick representing our difficult pathin life. Yehuda/Hashem says, “She is right,”and exonerates Tamar/Klal Yisroel. There is another hint to this concept in

Parshas Noach. It says in Bereishis (8;6),“Vayehi mikeitz arbaim yom...” (And it was atthe end of 40 days). This can refer to the 40days from Rosh Chodesh Elul to Yom Kippur. Ifone hasn’t done proper teshuva yet and thinksit’s all over… “Vayiftach Noach es Chalon” canbe interpreted to mean “Hashem opens a win-dow of opportunity to do teshuva on NoachNun-Ches] ”(נח) = Neiros Chanukah] When theword Chalon (חלון) is broken down into twoparts: Ches-Nun = Chanukah Neiros andLamed-Vov = 36 candles, the equivalent of allthe candles lit on Chanukah.

ODDS & ENDS

Q.Did you know that many Jews don’t say theblessing over the Chanukah candles “L’hadlik nershel Chanukah,” rather they say “L’hadlik nerChanukah“?

A. This is because the candles of Chanukah are different fromShabbos candles (where all say “L’hadlik ner shel Shabbos“),since one cannot benefit from the light of the Chanukahcandles.Therefore, the candle is not a candle for Chanukah(ner shel Chanukah), it is a Chanukah candle (ner Chanukah).

How are Chanukahand Purim different?On Chanukah the nes (miracle) was an open and revealed miraclefrom above (l’maalah) while on Purim the nes was hidden andseemingly natural (l’matah). To commemorate the way themiracles happened, on Chanukah we spin the dreidel from the top,while on Purim we spin the gragger from the bottom.

גהפ

נ

גהש

נDid You Know:In the Diaspora, on Chanukah we spin a dreidelthat has 4 Hebrew letters on it: Nun Gimmel Hey andShin (which stands for Nes Gadol Hayah Sham; Agreat miracle happened there). The gematria(numerical value) of Nun-Gimmel-Hey-Shin is thesame as that of the word Moshiach (358).

In Israel, the dreidel has the letters Nun GimmelHey and Pey (which stands for Nes Gadol HayahPoh; A great miracle happened here) Thegematria of Nun-Gimmel-Hey-Pey

is the same as that of theword Menachem(138). Menachem isone of the namesfor Moshiach. – Maharsha”hPesachim, Daf Hey

~ In Memorium ~

RABBI GAVRIEL & RIVKAHHOLTZBERG s”hv

www.OK.org • 27

~ Kosher Cer-tification, along with

Klal Yisroel, are numb andheartbroken upon the news

from Mumbai where our col-leagues, our brothers and sisters,

Hakedoshim Rabbi Gabi and Reb-betzin Rivka Holtzberg, Rabbi

Leibush Teitelbaum, Rabbi Ben-zion Kruman, Yocheved Orpazand Norma Schwartzenblat-Rabi-novitz, were murdered in the terror-ist attack on the Chabad House there. Gabi and Rivka gave up the com-

forts of life in the West to share theirlove of Judaism and the warmth oftheir family with people of all back-grounds in India. With lots of hardwork and dedication, they opened theChabad House in Mumbai — a hometo thousands of Jewish tourists, Israelibackpackers and international busi-ness-travelers.

Not only did Rabbi GabiHoltzberg work hard for the peoplewho lived in and visited India, hewas a dedicated rabbi who mademany regular and unannounced

kashrus inspections on behalfof the ~ to ensure that peo-ple all over the worldwould have kosher ingredients withoutcompromise.

The Holtzbergswere a ray of Jewishlight in Mumbai, and likedirectors of thousands ofChabad centers worldwide, theyproudly served on the frontlines of a

raging spiritual battle—spreadingJewish knowledge and obser-vance to the far-flung corners ofthe earth. Gabi and Rivka made the ultimate

sacrifice for their faith and their com-munity. They lived and died as exem-plars of the Jewish people. Two brightlights have been extinguished. We have no words; we have no an-

swers. We do not begin to understandG-d’s ways – and are not expected to.We only know that we must continuetheir life’s work; they deserve no less.A special fund has been set up forChabad of India and for Moshe, theirtoddler son who just marked his sec-ond birthday. You can contribute tothe fund at ChabadIndia.org aswell as to TeitelbaumOrphan-Fund.org, and KrumanFoun-dation.comDuring this Chanukah, the

Festival of Lights, we remem-ber the lights that were ex-tinguished in Mumbai andpray for the ultimatelight of redemption.

28 • www.OK.org

Kosher Without Compromise.

KOSHERCERTIFICATION

~

Kosher Spirit, 391 Troy Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11213

718-756-7500 • info@ok.org • www.ok.org