Pesach 5782

At the OK, we are constantly asking ourselves a similar question. “What is Hashem saying (in the Heavens) about the decisions we are making here down below?”

It is our utmost honor and privilege to uphold the standards and mission set forth by Rabbi Berel Levy OB”M and continued by his son Rabbi Don Yoel Levy OB”M. They were dedicated to high level kosher supervision, no matter the personal cost, and embodied the mission to spread the wellsprings of Torah to the distant corners for the earth [as Moshiach instructed the Baal Shem Tov] through the certification of kosher food.

Pesach is called Z’man Cheruseinu (Time of our Freedom) in honor of our redemption from slavery in Mitzrayim and our rebirth as B’nei Yisroel. One of the most significant customs at the Pesach Seder is the four cups of wine, consumed by men, women and children, representing the four words of redemption that were said in Parshas Va’eira: V’hotzeiti (I will take you out), V’hitzalti (I will save you), V’ga’alti (I will redeem you), and V’lakachti (I will take you).

Jewish homes around the world just finished a marathon of cleaning in preparation for Pesach. Although dust is not chometz, many take this time to do a deep Spring cleaning of their entire home. This cleaning spree has some health benefits that you may not realize!

Crudo, Italy’s take on raw fish, is often thinly sliced and dressed with citrus and olive oil. The key is to prepare food with fine ingredients, so you don’t need to do much else to it.

In the first installment (Chanukah 5782) we discussed the basic halachic guidelines regarding insects in produce. In this installment we will take a look at how the OK inspects a cabbage farm.

Rice is the seed of a grass species called “oryza”, which has many varieties. It is a staple food for half of the global human population, especially in Asia and Africa. Rice was initially cultivated in China and India, and later spread to the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

We are coming to the second yahrzeit of Rabbi Levy, on Acharon Shel Pesach. It is a time when we can think about how Rabbi Levy conducted himself and how we can follow in his footsteps and try to emulate even some of what he stood for.

The Receiving System developed by the OK allows us to be proactive in ensuring that only
approved ingredients will go into certified products.

Many simple nut products are processed by repacking facilities that process other products and cross-contamination can be an issue, mostly for Passover, especially when dealing with products that are packed into retail packaging.

Part of this is staying ahead of the curve and addressing challenges even before they arise by creating
contingency plans. After all, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Our Rabbis explain that chametz is symbolic of haughtiness and conceit — traits so deleterious that they are at the root of all negative traits. This is one of the reasons why even the minutest amount of chametz is forbidden — haughtiness and conceit must be completely nullified.

The Pnei Menachem of Gur would also ask Hashem to remove the chometz (Yetzer Hara) within him [and we follow his example], even though Hashem is the one that put it there.