Kashrut: Fact, Fiction, and In Between part 9

At the end of my last post, I mentioned that a huge portion of the bug problem is alleviated by the simple fact that a bug, unless whole, is not a problem in most cases. The exception would be if one were to eat an entire bug, without any other food accompanying it. (YUM!) Let me explain. There is no question that eating an entire non kosher creature is Biblically forbidden. However, there are extensive laws regarding "Bittul" (nullification). Let's say a small piece of pork somehow fell into my steaming hot glatt kosher beef stew. If the pork was less than one sixtieth of the mixture, the mixture is kosher! If we can still see the pork, it should be removed. If it is no longer visible, it too becomes kosher. If, however, the pork was more than a sixtieth of the mixture, the entire pot of stew is not kosher. In fact, neither is the pot. (The laws of nullification are complex, and a qualified rabbi should be consulted in each case. In fact, it is in these laws that one is tested in order to become an Orthodox rabbi. I get several phone calls a day in this area). Now, this rule would apply in most cases. But bugs are an exception. An entire creature is never nullified. But if the bug is missing a wing, a leg, an antenna, it is nullified. However, this rule is of rabbinical rather than Biblical origin. Biblically, the bug would also be nullified, unless eaten by itself. So, contrary to my friend's wife's statement to Sima, if inadvertently there had been a bug in her salad, she would have violated one rabbinic law, rather than five Biblical laws. OK,, but rabbinic law is also binding! However, there is a difference. Where there is a doubtful case of a Biblical prohibition, we are required to be strict. A doubt in a rabbinic prohibition, we may be lenient. Theoretically, I should be able to down a head of lettuce without a second thought. But there is an issue of "Hazakah" (a legal assumption). Leafy lettuce usually has bugs. It has a hazakah of being buggy. Therefore, I need to check. Apples, at least in the U.S., are very rarely buggy. They do not need to be checked...unless I see a hole. Now, many rabbis rule that in the case of a vegetable that has been boiled, it can be assumed that any bug that was present, most likely is no longer whole. One should not rely on this in the first instance, as the laws of bittul deal with B'diavad (ex post facto) (Ashkeanzim usually say "B'dieved" which is a linguistic crime against nature and makes me cringe). Therefore, if I see that the produce is buggy, I cannot rely on boiling to solve the problem. However, if a cursory look shows no bugs, this may be relied upon. Also, in a restaurant, or in the home of a not-so-careful friend, boiled vegetables may be seen as non-problematic regarding the bug question. Frozen vegetables are likewise blanched in boiling water for several minutes, and are therefore permissible.In fact, freezing alone will usually result in the destruction of bug limbs. Could a whole bug have survived the boiling water intact? Of course. But now I have a doubt on a rabbinic law, which is permissible. An individual may be so strict about not eating bugs, that he may not wish to rely on this. But he would be acting on a stringency, which is above and beyond the law; meritorious, but not required. Local climatic and storage conditions can also be a factor. When we lived in Israel, Sima would always check through a box of oatmeal, and find a few bugs. In the U.S, we have never experienced that. When she would bake, she always sifted the flour, and almost always would come up with a worm or two. Again, we never experienced that here. Since oatmeal is cooked, and dough is kneaded, the likelihood of a bug surviving whole, is close to nil. But in a place where infestation is likely, one needs to check first. Where unlikely, there is no need. In my next post, I will deal with the controversy concerning worms in fish. Then on to other issues in Kashrut.