kashrut
Question
From looking at your site, I understand that when you discuss the kashrut of some things, and discuss it via ingredient checking etc..this is all predicated on the assumption that some things- i.e.cooking meat- need hashgacha while other things do not- i was interested to learn about the issue, about what are the boundaries of what does and does not mandate hashgacha, why is it that certain foods ingredent checking suffices- and wha are those foods?
Answer
Answered by Aaron AbadiHashgachah is a new concept. It doesn't really say it in the Seforim. It's really just another way to confirm that something is Kosher. The problem is, that by the OU visiting a plant once a year, or even once a month, how does that prove anything? You still need to rely on the ingredients in order to eat it. Rav Moshe Feinstien wrote a Teshuva on the reliability of companies. It is in Yoreh Deah A #55. It doesn't need a source. The ones that created and/or accepted this "new" concept called Hashgachah, need to prove it. (Chadash Assur Min HaTorah). The whole concept of Pat Akum or Bishul Akum does not make sense if there was a need for Hashgachah. How common was it to eat food cooked by a non-jew when there was a Jew watching, being the Mashgiach? If the guy was watching the whole time, he could turn the fire on, too. The chachamim would not make Gezerot for bizarre cases. Clearly the people knew the standard ingredients in the products that they bought and they knew that in their city it was not made with non-kosher ingredients. They used to buy it from the non-Jews all the time, and without anyone watching them cook it. Then the Chachamim saw that it can lead to intermarriage, so they made a Gezera. AA