The following letter was written by Rabbi Shimon Raichik to members of his Congregation Levi Yitzchok and the Chabad community at-large in Los Angeles in regard to the kashrus scandal at Doheny Meats & Poultry:
I hope you had a meaningful Pesach, Zeman Cheiruanu, and I would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy summer. I would like to give emphasis to a few points that I mentioned at last night’s farbrengen:
Everything is B’hashgacha Protis. This week’s Parsha, speaks about Kashrus of meat and fish. The Rebbe answered people many times in regards to health problems, that they should be Zahir in Kashrus of Achila Ushesiya (be meticulous in the kashrus of food and drink).
For that reason, when such a thing happens in our city, it is a wakeup call that we need to be more careful with what we eat and what foods we bring into our homes. We need to not only pay for kosher; we need to actually eat kosher!
Historically, the standard of Kashrus by Chasidei Chabad was very high. The saying of the Rabbiem was: “That which is prohibited is surely prohibited; and even that which is permitted, we don’t have to have”. Chasidei Chabad refrained from eating anything which they were not 100% sure that it was Kosher to their standards.
Therefore, until this incident is fully resolved and everything is straightened out to our satisfaction, you should not buy any meat nor patronize any restaurant, unless it is from someone whom you personally know and trust that his meat has no Shailos.
In general, one should not eat from any butcher or restaurant (even with a Hashgacha) unless the owner is Shomer Torah uMitzvos and either he or the Mashgiach is present most of the time. If the restaurant owner is either not a Yid, or isn’t a Shomer Torah uMitzvos, even the best Hashgachah is not sufficient! The same standard applies for Milchig restaurants and bakeries as well.
The Kosher standards in every restaurant will only be based on the Rav Hamachshir’s standards. For example, if the Rav Hamachshir does not require Bishul Yisroel for Tuna, the restaurant will then serve any Kosher tuna, although you may want to eat only tuna that is Bishul Yisroel.
The same with Cholov Yisroel. If the Rav Hamachshir feels that today Cholov Yisroel is only a hiddur, the Rav Hamachshir will permit leniencies in many areas of Cholov Yisroel, although according to Chabad standards Cholov Yisroel is not a Chumara; it is an absolute Din.
There was a Yid, Reb Yisroel Meir Schwartz A”H, who together with R. Moshe Weiss and my father started the first cheder in Los Angeles. (R. Leibel Posner came to teach in that Cheder in the 1950’s.)
I met R. Yisroel Meir around 15 years ago in a kosher market asking for chicken with a specific Hechsher which the store did not have. The storekeeper offered another chicken with a very good Hechsher, Reb Yisroel Meir nevertheless refused, and told me “that is the chicken I buy… that is my standard. I don’t buy any other Hechsher.”
As Chasidaei Chabad, we must maintain our standards diligently!
RELATED ARTICLES:
+ Rechnitz Purchases Doheny Meats
+ RCC Addresses Treif Allegations
+ Kosher Supplier Sold Treif
The Chabad rabbonim who give supervision for non-CY products do not hold that it’s kosher! They give the supervision either because they work for organisations that do hold that way, or because there are many people who hold that way and will eat non-CY, and at least they should eat kosher leshitosom. If you don’t give the hechsher, then they may end up eating treif lechol hade’os. So it’s better to give the hechsher, but tell those who are shayach to hear it that they should not eat.
Stop bringing it up, it changed absolutely nothing. He wasn’t the first person with good credentials to cheat, and he won’t be the last. The halocho remains the same: a frum owner is trustworthy. If you don’t trust him then why would you trust a hashgocho? How is the rov better than him?
It says that the owner must shomer torah omitzvot!
HOW ABOUT THE GUY IN MONSEY? HE WAS NOT JUST A YID, HE WAS A CHOSID!!!!!
SO WE DO NEED BOTH, WE NEED A GOOD HASGOCHA WITH A GOOD OWNER!
according to the Rebbe.
It has been noted that many kashrut agencies with significant participation of Chabad rabbis approve Chalov stam products. The implication is that, at least for those who follow the opinions these individuals, Chalov stam is kosher.
Not every Jew has to be frummer than the Shulchon Oruch. A Jew has every right to rely on the din, and eat whatever the Shulchon Oruch says he can eat. There is no chiyuv to be machmir or mehader, to remain within the line of the law. A chossid, on the other hand, is one who does stay within the line of the law, one who refrains from anything that has a shayla even if the halocho permits it. Al pi din there is no reason to avoid any restaurant or store with the RCC hechsher. But Rabbi Raichik… Read more »
You’re wrong and the letter is right. A frum owner is at least as trustworthy as any hashgocho. A trustworthy owner doesn’t even need a hashgocho, if he knows what he’s doing. And a hashgocho over an untrustworthy owner isn’t worth that much, because if he wants to cheat he will find a way. So what’s a hashgocho for? First of all, it can tell you whether an owner is trustworthy, if you don’t know him yourself. Second, it can set policies; just because someone is honest doesn’t mean his standards of kashrus are the same as yours, so if… Read more »
Unless you know the mashgiach personally,it is always respect…but suspect.
The pressure sometimes makes the the Rav in charge send careless ,reckless and uninformed “frum” children or semi frum yiddin'(!) hurriedly on jobs.
So called chochamim can come up with a million ways to rationalize problems,it’s the way they make their money .
Sometimes,even their own super ” frum” mashgichim will not eat from what they supervise.
Know your mashgiach.
forgive me if im speaking out of ignorance, but aren’t most kosher restuarants and bakeries across CA owned by non frum jews (except for a few in the LA area.) does this mean we can’t eat out anymore? ps. the restaurants have a good hashgacha
rabbi rachick is just saying to be more careful
That’s the point.
You either trust every good hashgocha or you trust no one.
The article seems to imply that you can not trust the hashgocha but you can trust a frum individual.
As if that means you can’t trust a frum person, you’re going against the Torah. The Torah says you can trust a frum person. If once in a while a frum person cheats, that is an aberration, and it does not change the halocho, and it does not change how we must behave in the future. If the Shevach criminal’s identical twin brother were to set up exactly the same business in the same way, and act publicly in the same frum way, we would be right to trust him because the Torah gives him ne’emonus. Do you think that… Read more »
The idea of a Hechsher is not when all is on track, the question always is that when something goes wrong how they would aproach the problem.
It is very easy to set general rules and standards. But what happens when there is a glitch
As a kashrus mashgiach of reported to major organizations, I feel that the bigger orgs are more strickter in policy then the smaller ones
To Rabbi Raichick Kol Hakovod for publicly taking a stance and speaking your mind, not being afraid to speak out and say how you feel and tell the community what they should do, finally a rabbi who is not afraid he may offend a supporter, a rabbi who is not for sale. To the editor of this blog The title should be ALL JEWS not only chabad kashrus yes the rabbi’s letter was his community and he did write “Historically, the standard of Kashrus by Chasidei Chabad was very high” but don’t limit his reach and influence on others by… Read more »
I have been here in LA for over 20 years…This place has had problem many times over the past 20 years…We never buy meat without the original packaging….
no offense #16, but your informed party sounds like they have no clue about what’s going on. Doheny is a distributor and probably sells the meat to Ralphs as well as a lot of supermarkets and restaurants. That Ralphs is not large and their meat section is pathetic and not something a lubavitcher should be buying in the first place.
Rabbi Raichick as a Rabbi of a kehillah in LA, in service to his community, must make a statement.
On a side note, This scandal has to do with a non-Chabad hechsher. From what I hear from an informed party, this whole this is pretty dirty politics having to do with the large Ralph’s taking away the business from the smaller meat markets in LA, by selling the kosher meat at a very competitive price. The scandal is targeted at the hechsher of the meat. Jews fighting over business. Old news. 🙂
That’s #8’s point. You believe that Hashgacha and trust them. When he said “let’s not be delusional” he was talking about how the real world is, not as you expect that it is. (remember the similar story in Monsey? That was a “frum” yid).
The CHK should take over all hecsherim in any place Anash eat!!!
I have been involved in kashrus in Johannesburg for many years. R Raitchik is 100% correct when he talks about relying on the balla boss being trustworthy. A frum guy I used to work with said to me that you can have as many mashgichim as you wish,but if the owner is not straight,you can be sure he will find many ways to do things which are not good. I fully agree that le chatchila one needs to put in systems which are good and tested so that things do not go wrong. Of course mashgichim and workers and owners… Read more »
The monsey butcher was a frum Yud that gave a daf yomi sheer everyday
That is ridiculous, and it’s kefirah. A frum person is NOT just as likely as anyone else to cheat. A frum person has ne’emonus, and that is the entire basis of kashrus. If you can’t trust a frum person, then on what basis can you trust the OU or the OK or any other machshir? And on what basis can you eat in anyone’s house, including your own? How can you trust your own spouse? You can only do that because the Torah says “vesofroh loh”, that a husband can trust his wife when she says that she is tehorah.… Read more »
The title of this article is bothersome.Chabad “kashrus” like it’s any better then the rest.
eat at your own risk…
Yes we have to be careful.but let’s not add extra stringecys that are unnecessary (sorry to say but just because someone who owns a food store look frum doesn’t mean anything ) let’s not be delusional “frum” people could cheat on kasherous just as likely as anyone else
There are too many fine lines that are tread upon when dealing with kashrut and the attempt to maintain those standards. By coming out publicly, Rabbi Raichik is giving over a very crucial message: we have to be careful and maintain our integrity in our standards of kashrus. FYI that also means knowing what to adhere to and why. It’s not a game.
What Rabbi Raichik is saying is don’t just rely on the hechsher. There are many restaurants here in CA that are owned by non frum people. And although they might have a hechsher and a mashgiach, this story came to teach us that we have to be more careful. Obviously you can’t avoid ALL problems and need a Siyaata Dishmaya, But we shouldnt just think oh they have a hechsher now I can eat anywhere. Even if you trust the hechsher. And unfortunately hechsherim are far from perfect, So at least the owner should be trustworthy.
no it’s not boycotting;it’s being careful. we can look for all the excuses but the bottom line is that those who want to cheat can often find a way .
I can understand where the Rabbi is coming from, after a crisis we want to anything to avoid a similar situation (like after Sandy Hook, many would like to ban all guns. But the fundamental question I have after reading this letter is this “is he saying that we can no longer trust any Hashgachos?” Nothing is perfect. It’s possible that the person that you “know” and “trust” is not as trustworthy as you think. When you have a trustworthy Hashgocha that puts their name a restaurant or a product, you should look no farther than the Hashgacha and it’s… Read more »
Thank you Rabbi Raitchick for your words of clarification.
Rabbi Raichik I love you and I’m not from California but thanks for being strait and to the point we need hadracha and you give it to us
Rabbi Raichik your father is proud of this article.