Let’s Talk Kashrus

Buying Jewish & Pas Palter In the fourth installment of the Let’s Talk Kashrus Q&A series featuring Rav Shmuel Fuerst, Dayan of Agudas Yisroel of Illinois, R' Yitzchok Hisiger presents a new set of practical shailos about supporting Jewish-owned businesses. How far should a person go to patronize a Yid when a non-Jewish store offers lower prices or greater convenience? Rav Fuerst discusses the balance between supporting fellow Yidden and the realities of price, convenience, and pas palter, including when it is permissible to purchase non-Jewish baked goods. The discussion concludes with a fascinating shailah about working as a salesman for a company that sells non-kosher products. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/l-t-k-q-a-mind-your-own-business Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

Is Your Sukkah Up To Code? You may be comfortable eating at a restaurant under a reliable hashgachah, but what about eating in its sukkah? In this special Sukkos episode, Rabbi Yosef Fund of the KCL in Lakewood joins R' Yitzchok Hisiger to explore the kashrus of public sukkos. From s’chach and sukkah walls to lavud straps, sukkah construction, and the effects of wind and weather, Rabbi Fund walks us through the practical shailos that can arise in the sukkos we encounter throughout Yom Tov. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/mind-the-gap-please Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

How did Shabbos mode come to be - and what problems was it actually designed to solve? Rabbi Shmuel Katz, Rabbinic Coordinator at the cRc, joins R’ Yitzy Hisiger for a fascinating look at the history, halachic challenges, and ingenious solutions behind the Shabbos modes in today’s appliances. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/a-mode-of-its-own Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

What does “Shabbos Mode” actually do—and what doesn’t it do? Rabbi Shmuel Katz, Rabbinic Coordinator at the cRC, joins R’ Yitzy Hisiger for an important discussion about the halachic realities, potential pitfalls, and different types of Shabbos modes found in today’s ovens. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/shabbos-mode-are-you-sure Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

Why do some Pepsi products have a K, some a Kof-K, and some no hechsher at all? Can you drink them? Rabbi Alexander Charlop, Rav Hamachshir for Pepsi, takes us behind the scenes to explain the surprising answers—including how Pepsi's secret formula stays secret while remaining kosher. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/can-you-rely-on-a-k Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

Why is there so much more Beis Yosef meat available today? What does "glatt" really mean? And are all glatt and Beis Yosef standards the same? Rabbi Zvi Fishbane - Rosh HaShochtim of the cRc - takes us inside the world of shechita, tracing the evolution of kosher meat standards and explaining what consumers should know. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/how-glatt-is-glatt Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

The ABC's of Food Delivery With recent reports of kosher consumers accidentally receiving food from non-kosher establishments, awareness of proper food-delivery procedures has never been more important. Rabbi Yitzchok Hisiger speaks with Rabbi Sholem Fishbane, Kashrus Administrator at the cRc and Executive Director of AKO, about the halachos of chasimos, delivery services, and protecting the integrity of kosher food from restaurant to doorstep. Whether you order through an app or pick up takeout yourself, this episode contains practical guidance every consumer should know. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/smash-course Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

On this episode of Let’s Talk Kashrus, Rabbi Yitzchok Hisiger is joined by Rabbi Dovi Goldstein, Managing Director of Kosher SA, for a fascinating look into the world of kosher safaris in South Africa. From luxury five-star lodges with sealed kosher kitchens and mashgichim flown in on demand, to self-drive family safari adventures with coolers and portable braais, Rabbi Goldstein explains how travelers can experience the African wilderness without compromising on kashrus. The conversation explores the unique challenges and opportunities involved in certifying safari environments deep in the jungle, far from civilization. Along the way, listeners get an inside look at one of South Africa’s most remarkable and unexpected kosher industries. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/welcome-to-the-jungle Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

Part 2 of the sous-vide, can it be used on shabbos or yomtov? Rabbi Dovid Cohen - Administrative Rabbinical Coordinator at the cRc, fills us in on potential shabbos issues with using a sous-vide. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/sous-vide-bath-a-shabbos-path Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

Sous-vide Bath: A Kosher Path? Continuing the technology series, we are moving on to the sous-vide and the halachik challenges that arise with it. Rabbi Dovid Cohen - Administrative Rabbinical Coordinator at the cRc, fills us in on potential kashrus issues with a sous-vide. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/sous-vide-bath-a-kosher-path Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

Glass Half Kashered Today's interview focuses on a problem that many people face when kashering for Pesach. New-age technology = new-age problems. How do you kasher glass stovetops? Can they be kashered at all? What about induction stovetops? Let's hear what Rabbi Dovid Cohen - Administrative Rabbinical Coordinator at the cRc has to say on this timely topic. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/glass-half-kashered Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

Part 3 of our Q&A series with Rav Shmuel Fuerst Dayan of Agudas Yisroel of Illinois to answer some of the recent questions that came in to us at Let's Talk Kashrus. This week's Q&A focuses on some hilchos shabbos issues. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/l-t-k-q-a-shabbos-shailos Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

So you booked a beautiful Airbnb… now what? In this episode of Let’s Talk Kashrus, Rabbi Sholem Fishbane - Kashrus Administrator at the Chicago Rabbinical Council, and Executive Director of AKO, walks us through the practical halachic realities of using an Airbnb kitchen. From stovetops and ovens to microwaves, Keurigs, sinks, and even barbecues — what can you use, what needs kashering, and what should you avoid altogether? Whether you're traveling for vacation, Yom Tov, or business, this Airbnb Survival Guide gives clear, practical guidance to help you stay kosher. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/airbnb-survival-guide Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

We have discussed party planners in the past, but this week we focus on another angle. Rabbi Yaakov Eisenbach - Rabbinic Coordinator at the cRc gives us the mashgiach's perspective of giving a hechsher to an event that is being run by a party planner, and the complexities it entails. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/the-party-planner-puzzle Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

Part 2 of our Q&A series with Rav Shmuel Fuerst Dayan of Agudas Yisroel of Illinois to answer some of the recent questions that came in to us at Let's Talk Kashrus. This week's Q&A focuses on common dining related issues. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/l-t-k-q-a-dining-dilemmas Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

When Out Of Town When traveling to small towns that have local hechsherim, how does one go about finding out if they can rely on that hechsher? Rabbi Yaakov Eisenbach - Rabbinic Coordinator at the cRc, gives us some guidance on this topic. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/food-for-thought Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

Kashrus Complication Oftentimes at high end resorts, these statements can be heard. "The chef knows kosher", or "I'm only getting fish in a brand-new pan", or "The resort has a separate kosher kitchen". Unfortunately, these statements are becoming more and more common, but it really boils down to just 1 question says Rabbi Sholom Tendler - Kashrus Administrator at the STAR-K, "Is there a mashgiach?" Are we really going to trust non-Jewish staff about kashrus now? Who ensures the pots and pans in the separate kitchen, stay separate? Let's educate ourselves about the myriad potential problems with such resorts. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/paradise-vacation Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

The Beer Balagan So much confusion in the air regarding the recent news about beer. Is it kosher? Does it need a hechsher? Is this relevant to everyone? Do I need to stock up on beer before January 1st, 2026? We interviewed Rabbi Sholem Fishbane - Kashrus Administrator at the Chicago Rabbinical Council, and Executive Director of AKO, to find out exactly what is going on with the beer. Let's listen in to this insightful conversation. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/breaking-brews Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

Kosher Breakfast Hacks So, you're on vacation and the hotel has a free continental breakfast. What can you eat? What must be avoided? Rabbi Sholom Tendler - Kashrus Administrator at the STAR-K gives us some seasoned travel hacks for our next vacation. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/suite-dreams Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR

Kashrus In The Clouds What’s really in that vape? Join us as we explore the surprising kashrus questions behind e-cigarettes — from flavorings and glycerin to halachic principles that meet modern technology. Rabbi Sholem Fishbane - Kashrus Administrator at the Chicago Rabbinical Council, and Executive Director of AKO clears up some of the fog behind this very important topic. View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/holy-e-smokes Join the Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Community for educational content and kashrus updates https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hk3SHVsBfELEgJet4ZNYDR