Pas Yisroel | Imamother

miriam

Sun, Sep 11 2005, 1:48 pm

I recently decided that our family should become Pas Yisroel. Reason I wasn't before, I couldn't find healthy pretzels and bread. Now that I am making bread and graham crackers, I figure there is no reason to not be Pas Yisroel. There is pretty good bread at the bakery, if I need to buy it. My question is, what do I do with the bread I already have in the house, that's not Pas Yisroel? Someone suggested toasting it all ans then I am cooking it.

TzenaRena

Mon, Sep 12 2005, 10:07 am

About discarding questionable items (Kashrus- wise), it does not go under the category of Bal Tashchis. You can, and should just chuck it. (unless your non- Jewish maid wants it! but only if you give it to her right away.)

From experience, I have learned not to keep food items that [came into the house by mistake but] are not the hechsher we use, around the house, till I find someone to give it to; sooner or later an unsuspecting child or family member will just find it and eat it. In this case bal tashchis does not apply.

I once heard the Rebbe mention this concept of throwing out something you are not sure of its Kashrus. in a sicha to the women*, (this could include anything varying from questionable to something below your standard).

* the Rebbe adressed the women downstairs in the main shul of 770 several times during the year. [this is from memory, if someone would like to find and post the exact sicha and quote, so much the better]

TzenaRena

Mon, Sep 12 2005, 10:59 am

miriam wrote:

But Pas Yisroel isn't treif.

Of course not. I thought you were talking about Pas Akum... or Pas palter Confused

Quote:

I once heard the Rebbe mention this concept of throwing out something you are not sure of its Kashrus. in a sicha to the women*, (this could include anything varying from questionable to something below your standard).

not sure of its Kashrus means 1) there is even a possibility that it is kosher, you are just not sure. 2)not sure of its Kashrus doesn't only mean bottom line chazer treif . there are many levels of unsuitability in food that are substandard and against halacha and Shulchan Aruch. All of these are forbidden.

For example here in chu"l we may not have the awareness that anyone who lives in eretz yisroel must have about fruits and vegetables, which must be properly tithed for trumos and maaseros, and not produced during shmitta etc. Even Fruits and veg. can be just as forbidden as treif meat.

Similarly, baked goods are forbidden as well, when it is pas akum.

TzenaRena

Mon, Sep 12 2005, 11:28 am

Something one could compare this to: If you discover some rotten, moldy vegetables in your refrigerator, do you throw it out, or save to give someone. Or chicken that was left out too long and smells bad. Would you save it to give to someone, or get rid of it before someone eats it and gets food poisoning? Would you think there is a problem of bal tashchis to get rid of that?

Substandard Kashrus is also a health hazard: a spiritual one.

miriam

Mon, Sep 12 2005, 12:48 pm

supermom wrote:

a little bit off topic but how do you make graham crackers I love them but I can't find them in stores here.

Here's the recipe I use but I am sure there are many more out there on the web.

3 cups graham flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 TB butter/margarine/soy (fake) butter
1/2 cup honey
3/4 milk/h2o/rice milk/soy milk

Mix altogether. Roll out on board and use cookie cutters or cut into desired shape. After placing on baking sheet, make fork holes over most of the cookie.Cook on ungreased baking sheet @ 350 for 12-15 minutes.
Enjoy!!

613

Mon, Sep 26 2005, 3:42 pm

HELP! we're keeping pas yisroel for aseres yimei teshuva and I have no clue what pas yisroel is!
I mean, I know what it means, but practically... I'm clueless. like, do my bread crumbs and matza meal have to be pas yisroel? or since I'll be baking them (as chicken topping and matza balls) that'll make them into pas yisroel?
my mil told me she making these "cookies" that I love- it's a graham cracker w/ a coconut/brown sugar topping. I know she bakes them. so do the original graham crackers have to be pas yisroel?

willow

Mon, Sep 26 2005, 4:07 pm

0613 wrote:

Yes, bread crumbs and matza meal must be pas yisroel. And, being that pas yisroel during Aseres Yimei Tshuva is not a chumra but rather the halacha (except for extreme sha'as had'chak when there is nothing else), even if you already made chicken breaded with pas palter (translation: non pas yisrael) bread crumbs, you would need to throw it out (or freeze it until after yom kippur). However, bidei eved, if you accidentally put breadcrumbs into a stuffing (or inside of something, rather than as a coating), my husband says that it can be used (but should not be done lichatchila).

Additional tidbit/background: Pas Yisroel was originally a g'zeira to keep yidden and non jews from fraternizing, and the g'zeira forbade even pas palter (bread baked in a non jewish bakery). When it became apparent that this was too much for the small communities that did not have Jewish bakeries, the g'zaira was scaled back to only forbid pas akum (bread baked by a non-jew in his/her house), but allowed pas palter (unless the exact same thing is available in pas yisroel). However, this "scaling back" of the g'zeira only applied to weekdays during most of the year. For Shabbos, Yomim Tovim, and Aseres Y'mei Tshuva, there is not really so much room to be lenient (unless it is an extreme circumstance).
[This is what my husband told me and believes to be true. Confirm this with a Rov before making decisions based on this]