Cream Cheese (proper sequence)

Answer

Answered by Aaron Abadi

Wow! You got an earful there. The one problem that I have with Rabbi Blech's justification of this "semi-Heter," is that he bases it on the concept that, "a majority of Klal Yisroel rely on this Heter." That's a vicious cycle. which came first, the chicken or the egg? Of course the people eat cream cheese under OU supervision, because they rely on the OU. Now technically the OU is saying it is kosher because the people eat it. How absurd?! In the recent years the OU was not watching hard cheese either (as per Rabbi Young, when he worked at the OU). Why don't we cancel that Gezera, too? This is a clear case of "putting a stumbling block before a blind man." The world is being misled. Notice how the people at the OU and their Rabbanim all have different stories. Their Mashgichim are fed different stories. Lots of double-talk and confusion. One person working at Miller Cheese told me that he has Rav Moshe's Teshuva at his desk, and it says that there is a clear difference between hard & soft cheeses. When I realized he was reading it from an OU distributed photocopy, I asked him to look up the Teshuva at home. He read it from the Sefer and he was flabbergasted. They left out on the photocopy the conclusion of the Teshuva, that Rav Moshe does not hold that it is OK. I believe that everyone means well to some extent, but no-one is willing to take on the responsibility to make serious changes. It's easier to find a justification for what you have in motion, than to make major changes based on the realization that you were mistaken. When the bugs in vegetables realization was made in the early or mid 1980's, the Hasgachot went around calling Rabbanim, including even my father, to see who can give them a Heter. Why rock the boat? They finally found Rabbi Heineman from Baltimore who gave a written Heter, even before looking into it thoroughly and going down to see what they've found out. Weeks later he went down, but then he just reconfirmed his position. I'm not shocked. The OU went with that Heter for almost twenty years until they realized and accepted that this is a problem. Now they have a policy for bugs, finally, although they are lenient on many of it, defying basic logic. They allow the Masgiach to run his fingers through the broccoli and it's done. There's no way that this works. The bugs in broccoli cannot be differentiated from the little pieces of broccoli dots, and it certainly is still full of bugs when they finish. These bugs are multiple sins and an average pack can easily have more than twenty. Who is taking all that responsibility? Instead of using the study of Halachah to take what we already do, wrong or not, and justify it, why don't we do the right thing? Why don't we study to know what God's Laws are, and then adjust our lives to follow them? When did we lose the religion? In the worst scenario, these Rabbis should at least make public statements to the truth, so the people can chose. The Rabbis should say that bugs are a "real" problem. That using an Eiruv around a city street is seriously problematic, according to an overwhelming majority of Acharonim, including the Shulchan aruch himself. That soft cheese should be supervised like hard cheese, so don't eat Temptee or Philly cream cheeses. That the proper learning should be covering Sha"s thoroughly, before analyzing Sugyot (topics). That you don't really need a Hasgachah on most packaged items if you can understand the ingredients. That you are not allowed to speak in Shul between the Aliyot (readings) during Kriat Hatorah (torah readings), even in Torah discussions. That a man is not allowed to shake a woman's hand, even in social and business situations. That although there are "mass Semichas" these days, you shouldn't be deciding Halachot until you have real capabilities. That schools should not teach evolution or any religions other than Judaism, even if required by the Regents or whomever. That sitting in Kollel studying the same page of Talmud for six months, while your wife works to support the family is a crime. That women should be praying 2-3 times a day, and certainly before going to hear Shofar, shaking a Lulov, or listening to Parshat Zachor. That covering a married woman's hair is from the Torah, and a woman not wearing pants is not. That "Kol Hamosif Gore'a," one who adds (to the laws), is actually subtracting or hurting the laws. And so on....... There is always room for disagreement, that is the base of our Torah, and the concept that God gave us the Torah. But there is no basis whatsoever for dishonesty, or even for withholding information. It is my sincerest wish that these Rabbanim put their egos behind them and put out the truth, and commit to an honest and true Torah leadership. I'm certain that a move like that can bring Moshiach instantly. AA