re pat akum

Asked by tuvia · January 21, 2004 · Kashrut

Question

dear rabbi abadi I love your website and your honesty in the area of kashrut. could you please clarify these issues for me. if there is no such thing as bishul palter why is packaged food not in the category of bishul akum? Also isnt pat palter mutar only beshat hadechak according to most rishonim? If I am in a posistion to buy pat yisrael should I lechatchila? Also is it best not to go to a bar because of Shechar Akum or any other reason? Thanks as always Tuvia

Answer

Answered by Aaron Abadi

Pat Palter (Bread from a Bakery) is OK LeChatchilah, even without a special need, as long as the bread does not contain any non-kosher ingredients. Bishul (cooking) has no such category, but packaged items bought in the supermarket are not included in the restriction of eating items cooked by a non-Jew. Restaurant food is a problem. AA