Guides What Is Shechita? The Kosher Slaughter Process
Shechita is the Jewish ritual method of slaughter, and meat is kosher only when an animal is killed this exact way. It is a swift, precise cut to the throat performed by a trained shochet, followed by a careful inspection. Here is how the process works and what it means when you read a label.
Guides What Does Treif Mean? Non-Kosher Foods Explained
Treif is any food that is not kosher. The word covers pork and shellfish, a cheeseburger that mixes meat and dairy, and even a candy that hides pork gelatin in the fine print. Here is what makes a food treif, and how to catch it on a label.
Certifications What Do Mehadrin and Badatz Mean?
Mehadrin and Badatz both point to a higher tier of kosher supervision that goes beyond the basic standard. Mehadrin means the agency followed the stricter opinion at each step, and Badatz refers to a rabbinical court whose certification is usually held at that mehadrin level. Neither one means a regular hechsher is unreliable.
Certifications Glatt Kosher, Explained: What the Term Means
Glatt kosher means the lungs of a kosher animal were found completely smooth, with no adhesions that needed closer inspection. It is not a different kind of kosher. It is a stricter threshold within kosher meat, and here is what that really tells you at the counter.
Certifications Pas Yisroel Explained: Jewish-Supervised Bread
Pas Yisroel means bread that a Jew took part in baking, most often by lighting the oven. It is a higher standard than basic kosher certification, kept by some communities and treated as optional by others. Here is what the term covers and how to recognize it.
Certifications What Is a Hechsher? Kosher Certification Explained
A hechsher is the small symbol a recognized kosher agency prints on a product to show a rabbi supervised how it was made. It is the difference between real certification and a brand simply calling itself kosher. Learning to spot and read one is the single most useful habit for any kosher shopper.
