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Question
I cannot express to you how refreshing it is to hear a Rav who eschews the politics of the hechsher. Reading ingredient lists has been "unacceptable" for so many years. Forgive me if this is an old question; I was unable to find similar posts. How might the Rav approach the dilemma of a parent explaining to a child why he/she may eat some chocolate bar or "fast food" or snack which does not appear to be Kosher? If it is Kosher, they should be able to take it to school. If there is no hechsher, who knows what might ensue. I thank you for your time.
Answer
Answered by Aaron AbadiMy children understand this very clearly. Until your child can properly understand, don't let them risk bringing a "non-Kosher" product to school or to even show a friend. When they're old enough to understand the issues, you explain it to them. Tell them that Hashgacha, having Rabbinical supervision, is a new concept that did not exist prior to the twentieth century. If we can determine that a product is Kosher, we can eat it. We can pick fruits from a tree and catch fish from the sea, and drink water from a stream, so why shouldn't we buy fruit, fish, and water from a store?! Of course it is fine, and that's how we all did it till about twenty years ago. Unfortunately, due to good marketing, most people don't know this, so we'll keep it to ourselves. It's as simple as that. AA