Friday, July 29, 2016

CHODOSH BULLETIN-28 JUL 16

GUIDE TO CHODOSH-YOSEPH HERMAN, 
CHODOSH BULLETIN-28 JUL 16
We have not yet received official confirmation from the US Dep’t of Agriculture of the start of the harvest of the Chodosh spring wheat and barley. However, it is certain that this has begun. We have received a message from a mashgiach that at least one mill received shipments of Chodosh spring wheat on Friday, Jul. 22 and a second mill has received Chodosh on Jul 27. These 2 mills are in the Midwest, near the harvest areas. I will not issue final Chodosh cutoff dates for the upcoming season until the official word is out from the US Dep’t of Agriculture, expected this coming Tuesday.  Meanwhile below are the updated revised tentative Chodosh starting dates.
1)       Freshly baked items using spring wheat, including breads, challahs, bagels, rolls, pizza and some cakes and cookies may be Chodosh in the Midwest after the PURCHASE DATE of Jul 29. Elsewhere in the US, this date would be Aug 12.
2)       Packaged foods from spring wheat may be Chodosh after the PACKING date of Jul 29, or the PURCHASE date of Aug 12.
3)       Noodles and pasta may be Chodosh after the PACKING date of Aug 17 and the PURCHASE date of Sept 1.
4)       Barley, such as pearled barley, may be Chodosh after the PACKING date of Aug 2 and PURCHASE date of Aug 16.
5)       Oats: Oats in all products, including cereals, may be Chodosh starting with a PACKING date of Jul 20, PURCHASE date of Aug 3. (The known exception is for General Mills cereals including all Cheerios, for which the Chodosh packing date is July 31 or later.)
6)       Barley malt (also listed in the ingredients as “malt”) may be Chodosh as of the packing date of Dec 15. Package codes should be checked after the purchase date of Dec 15 for beer made from barley malt and Mar 15 for malt in other products.
Even though pesach was late on the solar calendar this year, still almost all of the 3 crops of interest were planted after pesach and are Chodosh. The early harvest this year is due to weather conditions in the growing areas.
Those who want to purchase Yoshon items to store over the Chodosh season should do so now, as soon as possible.
The next revised update on this topic is due BE”H one week from now.
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Sunday, July 24, 2016

Meat Restaurant Nine Days

If a kosher meat restaurant will close during the nine days, and the customers will instead go to a non-Kosher restaurant,  can the Kosher restaurant remain open?

Rav Kook - yes, it is a Seudat MItzvah to save Jews from eating Treif
(source: Moadei Ha-Re'eiyah pp. 539-542)' see

http://www.ravaviner.com/2016/07/in-honor-of-ha-rav-colonel-ayal-krim.html
and http://ravkooktorah.org/TISHA_65.htm

Rav Chaim Kanievsky (I just started reading his new book http://www.artscroll.com/Books/RCKTWH.html ) and on page 23 said "keeping the restaurant open, and having a religious person serve meat during the nine days is a chillul Hashem...You should not open the retaurant.


Rav Ovadia Yosef (Teshuvot Yechave Daat 3:38)
שאלה מבעל מסעדה כשרה: האם מותר לו לפתוח המסעדה ולספק מאכלי בשר ללקוחות הרגילים אצלו, גם לאחר ראש חודש אב, אף על פי שאסור לאכול אז מאכלי בשר, שאם לא יעשה כן ילכו הלקוחות שלו למסעדה אחרת ולא ישובו אליו עוד, או על כל פנים יש בזה משום לפני עור לא תתן מכשול?
 after his discussion
סיכום: מותר לישראל בעל מסעדה כשרה לספק מאכלי בשר ללקוחותיו גם אחר ראש חודש אב, ובפרט אם יש מקום לתלות שהלקוח אינו בקו הבריאות. ואם אפשר להגיש בשר עוף, עדיף יותר מאשר להגיש בשר בהמה, כמו שאמרו (בחגיגה דף ח' ע"א) שאין שמחה אלא בבשר בהמה. וכמבואר באחרונים. ויהי רצון שנזכה לראות בנחמת ציון וירושלים בקרוב אמן ואמן.

This also needs a discussion of lifnei iver, which Yechae Daas discusses.  See a recap at 
http://www.koltorah.org/ravj/Restaurants%20Serving%20Meat%20During%20the%20Nine%20Days.htm which needs still further discussion of Lifnei Iver, and the Rabi Akiva Eiger should also depend on a Machlokes Shach and Taz abotu meisayei'a when holding your head still for someone to shave it.

Chodosh Update July 19 2016

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Chodosh Update - July 12, 2016

GUIDE TO CHODOSH-YOSEPH HERMAN, HOT LINE 718-305-5133, EMAIL yherman@earthlink.net
CHODOSH BULLETIN-12 JUL 16

The progress of the 3 crops, spring wheat, oats and barley is ahead of normal. According to the latest weekly bulletin from the US Department of Agriculture, the harvest of the Chodosh oats has just barely started. The spring wheat and barley harvest may start within 1 week. Our tentative recommended cutoff dates for packaged foods is Jul 20 for oats and July 27 for wheat and barley products (not malt, which is much later). These are packaging dates. It should take several weeks beyond that for the Chodosh packages to reach the local groceries. However, freshly baked goods in bakeries, such as bread, challah, bagels may be Chodosh (tentative) starting Jul 27 in the mid West and Aug 3 elsewhere in the US.

Even though pesach was late on the solar calendar this year, still almost all of the 3 crops of interest were planted after pesach and are Chodosh. The early harvest this year is due to weather conditions in the growing areas.

Those who want to purchase Yoshon items to store over the Chodosh season should do so now, as soon as possible.

The next revised update on this topic is due BE”H one week from now.