Food: A Halachic Analysis
by Rabbi Yehuda Spitz (Mosaica Press, 2021)
Reviewed by Rabbi Reuven Chaim
Klein
A prominent Talmid Chacham
recently said to me that one-third of all sources cited in contemporary seforim
are either non-existent or misquoted. Many authors simply copy out lists of
sources from other seforim, but don't actually bother to look up the
sources that they cite. But—Rabbi Yehuda Spitz is different. He is a meticulous
scholar who always checks up his sources and goes well beyond that as well. After
years of in-depth research and writing, Rabbi Spitz has finally presented us
with his first English book. The bulk of this masterpiece of Torah scholarship comprises
of updated versions of various essays that Rabbi Spitz published over the years
in major Jewish publications all over the world, plus new
never-before-published articles on additional topics.
The first few chapters of this
31-chapter book discuss the laws of Basar B’Chalav (“Meat & Milk”),
focusing on various details like how long one ought to wait between eating food
of one disposition and the other, plus additional safeguards put in place to
distance a person from — God forbid! — violating the Torah’s prohibition of Basar
B’Chalav. Rabbi Spitz devotes a chapter to the requirement of waiting six
hours between eating hard cheese and meat, elaborating on what exactly constitutes
“hard cheese” vis-à-vis this Halacha. In a later chapter, Rabbi Spitz clarifies
the Halachic status of genetically-engineered meat, demonstrating a fairly
impressive understanding of the scientific processes used in its production and
offering the most comprehensive analysis of the issue to date.
Rabbi Spitz also offers
expositions that cover various historic Halachic controversies over the Kashrus
status of the Buffalo and Zebu (whether they should be classified as a chayah
or behemah), the stincus Marinus (whether it serves as an exception
to the Talmud’s assumption that every fish with scales also has fins), and gid
hanashe (whether the sciatic nerve is only on male animals or even on
female animals). Rabbi Spitz’s pop culture references, humorous subtitles, and
particular predilection for alliteration make reading this book entertaining,
and his historical tidbits and interesting side points make it all the more
informative.
In one his most entertaining and
informative essays, Rabbi Spitz also provides us with a history of the Kashrus
supervision over Coca Cola, explaining all the possible concerns and how they
were addressed, while also managing to make references to all of Coca Cola’s
various slogans. He also devotes much attention to Barton’s Candy and Jello-O,
teaching us about the various ways of producing gelatin and which ones are
considered Halachically-acceptable. In these chapters, Rabbi Spitz not only
wears the black hat of a Torah Scholar investigating Halachic conundrums, but
also dons his biologist belt and chemist goggles.
For those who think about Pesach
year-round, Rabbi Spitz offers much food for thought concerning the ban on kitniyos
(“legumes”) and whether it applies to such relatively new products as
potatoes, corn, cottonseed oil, and quinoa. Like all of his other essays, Rabbi
Spitz quotes from the leading Halachic authorities of our generation and even
corresponded with various Kashrus agencies around the globe.
Of course, no contemporary Halachic
work on food would be complete without chapters on Chalav Yisrael, Pas
Yisrael, and Chadash. Have no fear, Rabbi Spitz’s respective chapters
on those topics do not disappoint! He does not shy away from controversy, but
tackles these topics head on, offering an honest look at the relevant sources.
Other chapters in this book discuss various intricacies of the rules of bittul
(“nullification”), kashering, pasteurization, and even mayim
acharonim.
Rabbi Spitz consistently presents
multiple sides to every issue, yet one can often discern his own final opinion
on the matter. He generally presents his own conclusions with a soft tone and
does not typically discredit those with whom he ultimately disagrees—a rare
sign of humility in our combative times. Rabbi Spitz further shows his humility
and openness to learning from others by mentioning the random people who
provided him with the various sources or pieces of information that he adduces.
At the same time, when accepted works like the Badei HaShulchan or Chelkas
Binyamin come to mistaken conclusions, Rabbi Spitz is not afraid to point
out their mistakes.
If I had to criticize Rabbi
Spitz’s work, I would make an issue of him using technical terms or quotes from
Halachic works transliterated from Hebrew without always clearly defining them.
He doesn’t do this too often, but in some ways, it still makes the book a bit
too complicated for the novice reader who is not already familiar with the
various Halachic principles in play. Additionally, Rabbi Spitz’s carefully-crafted
footnotes sometimes contain long lists of sources and authorities that read
like name-dropping and do not really offer anything extra. That said, most of
the time, his lists of sources do add to the discussion at hand.
Rabbi Spitz was clearly
influenced by his illustrious rebbeim. For instance, his use of humor in
helping his readers and students digest the loads of information that he
presents mirrors the inimitable teaching methods of his mentor, Rabbi Yosef
Yitzchak Lerner (author of Shemiras HaGuf VeHaNefesh). Rabbi Spitz's
inquisitive methodology follows that of his teacher Rabbi Yonason Wiener (posek
for Yeshivas Ohr Somayach and member of Badatz She’aris Yisrael), who has scientific
inquiry in his blood. And finally, Rabbi Spitz’s impatience for excessive
stringencies and unjustified leniencies matches that of his rebbi, Rabbi
Yaakov Blau (a prominent dayan on the Badatz Eidah Chareidis), who
always provided a balanced voice on any subject he weighed in. Needless to say,
Rabbi Yehuda Spitz is also influenced by his esteemed father, renowned Kashrus
expert, Rabbi Manish Spitz, whose opinions and insights are quoted on a variety
of topics.
As Rosh Chaburah of the Ohr
LaGolah program at Yeshivas Ohr Somayach in Jerusalem, Rabbi Yehuda Spitz
helped trained a generation of frontline professionals involved in kiruv,
chinuch, rabbonus, and kashrus. He is often consulted as an
expert in various Halachic topics, and has been interviewed as an authority on
such radio shows as Kashrus on the Air with Rabbi Yosef Wikler and Halacha
Headlines with Mr. Dovid Lichtenstein. This reviewer looks forward to
seeing future books by Rabbi Spitz on the rest of Yoreh Deah, Orach
Chaim, Even HaEzer, and other areas of Halacha.
