Kashrut in the Workplace
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Coffee
Standard Milk
- Many are lenient to allow buying milk in America even though it isn't Chalav Yisrael. See the discussion here: Kosher Milk.
Storing Food in the Refrigerator or Cabinets
- One may store kosher food in a sealed package with a hechsher in a refrigerator or cabinet even though there are non-Jews in the office.[3]
- If someone has an open package of kosher food, or food in a bag, or in a container with a lid that could be opened and resealed there is something to rely upon after the fact to allow eating the food. Those who would be lenient would argue that nowadays there's no concern that a non-Jew switched the food with non-kosher food since there is no incentive to switch the food.[4]
See the Kosher_Food_Left_with_a_Non-Jew page.
Using non-Kosher Utensils
- It is permitted to use a clean non-Kosher utensil to eat cold food on a one time basis. See here for the discussion: Koshering_a_Kitchen#Using_Non-Kosher_Utensils
Microwaves
- A microwave can be used to heat up kosher food even though the microwave is non-kosher if the kosher food is double wrapped. Some allow using the microwave with a cover that has small holes to let out steam. See discussion here: Milk_and_Meat_in_the_Kitchen#Microwave_for_Meat_and_Milk
Sources
- ↑ Yedey Moshe siman 1 writes that it is permitted to go into starbucks for a regular coffee. He explains that it is based on stam kelim eino bnei yoman. Even though it is questionable in a store that uses the kelim all the time, he adds several reasons to be lenient. The only reason that te kelim would have become non-kosher is through the dish sanitizer because the milk is only added after it is in disposable cups. 1) The water in the santizers is an iruy and according to Rama YD 95:3 can't mess up another kli. 2) Even according to the Shach it isn't an issue since the iruy is broken (nifsak). 3) Regarding the concern that the beliya of non-kosher is reinvorated when washed that isn't an issue according to Shulchan Aruch 103:7 that there is no chanan by prohibitions other than meat and milk. Also the Shach is lenient once there is a night in between. See there further. 4) The soap in the sanitizer might make the non-kosher food in the santizer pagum (Shulchan Aruch 95:4). 5) The taste of the non-kosher meat is pagum in coffee (Yavetz). 6) We know that we don't taste non-kosher in the coffee. He quotes Rav Shlomo Miller as holding that this is a valid factor. 7) Not every cup in the store is really used every day. He concludes that it is forbidden to ask them to add a flavor to the coffee because that is relying upon stam kelim are eino ben yomo and asking a non-Jew to cook in an eino ben yomo pot for you is forbidden (Shulchan Aruch 122:6).
- See the CRC's thorough analysis of the topic here: CRC Starbucks Article
- ↑ CRC (June 24 2019) is comfortable recommending buying any drink from kosher ingredients in a Starbucks kiosk that do not sell hot sandwiches or put their dishes in a sanitizer.
- ↑ Igrot Moshe 1:56 writes that a seal which isn't possible to forge is considered like a double seal and even if it is left in the company of non-Jews there is no concern that it was switched for non-kosher food.
- ↑ Minchat Asher 2:51
