Articles

By Rabbi Dovid Cohen, Administrative Rabbinic Coordinator

Q. Are Sephardim allowed to eat food certified by Ashkenazim?

A. Almost all the national and local hashgachos in the United States are managed by people who are Ashkenazim, and as expected, they follow halachic rulings which are correct for Ashkenazim.  In many ways, Ashkenazim are stricter than Sephardim (such as relates to kashering and which poultry is considered kosher), and that means that food certified to “Ashkenazi standards” are perfectly fine for Sephardim.  There are other situations where an Ashkenazic hashgachah will take a stance that does not affect the kashrus of the food – such as the proper bracha to recite – and Jews from Sephardic backgrounds must merely know to ask their own Rabbis for guidance on these topics.  However, there are some areas where Sephardim take a stricter stance, and this presents challenges for Sephardim who want to follow their mesorah.  Here are some of the most prominent areas where this is a concern:

If there is a mucous adhesion to an animal’s lung (i.e., a “sirchah”), the animal is often considered a teraifah and cannot be sold as kosher.  Rema/Ashkenazim allows for certain methods of checking the mucous through which it can be determined that the animal remains kosher, while Shulchan Aruch rejects these methods.  Sephardim follow the ruling of Shulchan Aruch and would, therefore, not want to eat standard kosher meat, even if it is labeled “Glatt”.  Certain hashgachos will label meat suitable for Sephardim as “chalak” (or “Beis Yosef”), but there are different standards of what qualifies as “chalak”, and consumers are advised to research this before choosing a specific brand.  [At the same time, Ashkenazim have many chumros regarding shechitah and might want to be cautious about eating meat which is (only) certified for Sephardim.]

Another set of halachic difference between Ashkenazim and Sephardim relates to bishul Yisroel, a requirement that a Jew participate in the cooking of certain foods.  Firstly, Ashkenazim take the position that even if food leaves a factory as bishul akum, it can be “upgraded” to bishul Yisroel if a Jewish person does the final cooking of the food.  For example, “raw” rice might actually be partially cooked as bishul akum at the factory, and the hashgachah will certify it as kosher, based on the expectation that the Jewish consumer will finish the cooking to make it bishul Yisroel (i.e., kosher).  Sephardim do not accept that leniency and would not be allowed to eat that rice.  Secondly, Ashkenazim rule that bishul Yisroel can be created by the Jew turning on the fire which will be used for cooking, while Sephardim require the Jew to put the food onto the fire.  This has relevance in how bishul Yisroel is created in restaurants and also in factories.

Lastly, Ashkenazim follow certain leniencies about returning food to the fire on Shabbos which Sephardim would not accept.  This means that if a caterer oversees an event for a Sephardic group, they will have to be given special instructions about warming food for Shabbos, to respect the halachic requirements of their customers.

These are some of the most high-profile areas where Sephardim take a stricter stance than Ashkenazim and must, therefore, be somewhat cautious about eating food which is certified to a different standard.

This article first appeared in the Let’s Talk Kashrus column, Yated Ne’eman, January 24, 2025.