Student Q: Can I use Lactaid on Passover?

Here is a question about using Lactaid milk/pills on Passover. My answers includes a lot of information about why we can eat some foods without Kosher-for-Passover symbols as long as they are Kosher and bought before Passover.

Since many students have medical issues, are lactose intolerant, or are not that familiar with the rules of Passover, I was given permission to share this with you.

Rabbi Bruce,

So I have a few questions regarding food that is kosher for Passover. I've become lactose-intolerant and soy-intolerant in the last year, and know that soy milk isn't kosher for Passover which is fine. I've been trying to research what is kosher and what isn't, but want to get a Conservative rabbi's view on the matter. The Orthodox Union says that lactaid milk is kosher as long as it is bought before Passover, do you think ___ stash of lactaid milk would have been bought beforehand? Is this a stringency or something you would hold to? Are lactaid pills kosher for Passover? The OU said that chewable pills aren't, but are the non-chewable ones? I've never been too stringent about this, but am trying to be more stringent. Thanks for your help!
Sincerely, R

R,
Thanks for writing. First, the only dairy meals we will have will be
student-cooked breakfasts in Dawes Kosher K. There will also be some
dairy products out at breakfast in Cutter-Ziskind.
Do you mind me posting your question and my answer on my blog (w/o
your name)? it may interest other students.
RB

I will start with my answer and then give you an explanation (that has
to be fairly long).
If you buy Lactaid yourself, you should follow what the OU says. If I
buy Lactaid for use of Jewish students, I would do so as well. Smith
Kosher dining would do so if it bought milk for Passover (it may buy a
small amount but the meals are all meat/pareve). People often forget
that Smith is not Jewish and the campus is not a Jewish home (although
your room and the Kosher K are considered to be Jewish spaces).
Unless you have reason to believe that Lactaid has Chametz (and not
potential or accidental Chametz--see below) as an ingredient, then it
should be fine for you to drink. I will see what we can do to have
enough in advance.
Pills often contain non-listed ingredients used to make the shape,
capsule, etc. If a pill is important, necessary, etc., I take it on
Passover regardless of the ingredient. I would not advise taking
vitamins, minerals, unless you have a serious issue that requires it
daily. lactaid pills are complicated. If you don't eat dairy, you
don't need to have them. Even at most dairy meals, you can avoid it
by eating other foods.
Do you eat meat, chicken, fish? If not, I can see where you would
need dairy for protein. If that is the case, let me know.

Let me explain to you why the OU said what they said about Lactaid.
First the basics and then the Passover differences. Regarding
year-round (ie. non Passover) Kosher items, there is a difference
between accidental and intentional mixing of kosher and un-kosher
items (kosher meat and pork) or kosher items that are not permitted to
mix (such as milk and meat).
Any intentional mixing is not permitted. For unintentional mixing,
you have to remove anything visible (ie. a visible piece of shrimp in
a fish stew) but can use the rest as long as the forbidden is 1/60 or
less (remember that in the ancient world they counted in 60ths--we
still do for time).
We are not allowed to eat, cook, or derive benefit of mixtures of milk
and meat. We are allowed to possess it.

Regarding Chametz on Passover, the Torah uses the language of removing
Chametz from your possession: " by the first day all chametz shall
have been removed from your home." This adds a few stringencies to
Chametz which does not exist with other non-Kosher foods: in addition
to the three prohibitions above, we can not possess it. To accomplish
that, one searches for chametz, donates or uses it, puts aside
anything not being donated, and then sells the rest to no longer have
ownership. In many haggadot, there is a prayer to say during the
search for chametz and a different version during the burning. This
nullifies any chametz you do not know about, missed, etc. It does not
apply to actual chametz you might eat (you can't do this and then have
a bagel on Passover) but it applies to non-listed Chametz in items
such as milk, sugar, pure juice, etc. If you buy something before
Passover and nullify the Chametz (which I usually do for Smith's
Jewish community), those items are fine for Passover since any
accidental crumbs or unlisted ingredients are nullified. Once
Passover begins, we can no longer nullify such items. The sources say
Chametz found on Passover is Chametz even to the smallest possible
amount imaginable.

Rabbi Bruce

First Week of Kosher/Halal Dining at Smith

Tonight will finish the first week of meals of Smith's Kosher and Halal dining.

The great food has attracted lots of different students to try kosher (or halal) food. The staff have been great and are working very well with Joe Morse (kosher supervisor). Rick Rubin and I have helped out a bit with serving. (check out smithkosherdining.blogspot.com for pictures.)

I have eaten there two nights for dinner and three times for lunch. Even though it is a very crowded place, it is nice to see Jewish and Muslim students congregating at Cutter-Ziskind. Some of them are students who ate this way in the past and others are students who are trying it out for the first time. What is especially nice about this set-up is that no one has to feel excluded in any way because they are eating a special diet. They can still eat with their friends and/or try the special food without committing to a special meal-plan or to come at any particular meal.

In all, I see it as a wonderful addition to Smith's diversity resources and an unqualified success at making our current students feel at home. It will all work even better when the last construction glitches are finished and additional seating is added (counters in the lobbies).

I look forward to dining with you a Cutter Ziskind some day soon.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Bruce

Common Calendar Forms Community

This summer I have busy preparing Kosher Dining at Smith, rearranging my office at Smith since I got new furniture, spending time at Camp Ramah New England, and getting ready for the upcoming academic year.

Although the summer has been busier than most and my reading pile remains higher than I would like at the end of July, I have had some time for learning.
On my own, I have been learning the first tractates few tractates of Mishnah. The first Seder (Order) of the Mishnah, Zera'im, deals with agricultural and tithing in the Land of Israel during the time of the Holy Temple. The very first Tractate, Brachot, deals with prayer and blessings and sets the stage for the rabbinic reinterpretation of Biblical Judaism.

This week, the Talmud hevruta (partnered--or in this case group--text study) I participate in resumed our study of the first chapter of Gemara Sanhedrin (Jews of Paradise contains a picture of us learning). This chapter deals with the types of courts that existed in the Jewish legal system of the Rabbinic era and why different types of courts need particular numbers of judges. The section we have been learning recently examines the Beit Din (rabbinic court) needed to intercalate the calendar (declare a leap year by adding a second month of Adar in the spring). Note: I am oversimplifying these complicated topics. Factors such as allowing time for rebuilding bridges and roads, making sure people in transit can complete their journey before Pesach, and that the proper grains can be prepared determine whether the Beit Din declares a leap year. The power given to groups that set a calendar is huge (witness the power school districts have on shopping and travel).

In Zera'im, the intricate laws of tithing and sanctity reinforce the elite status of the Rabbis. If you don't tithe properly and observe laws of sanctity, you are not able to eat with them or have them eat with you. But when it comes to exercising one of the greatest powers (ie., setting the calendar), the Rabbis take on a populist approach. They go out of their way to ensure the greatest number of people can observe Passover in Jerusalem.

I take that as a tremendous lesson: the way people mark time creates community. More than what we do with our own lives, how we interact with individuals, it is how we structure our lives through time that informs our identity.

I will continue to ponder this as we get closer to the High Holidays.
And now, I say goodbye as I join Jews the world-over in celebrating Shabbat tonight!

B'shalom,
Rabbi Bruce

Kosher Dining Project Blog

I created a basic blog so you can see the progress on Smith's Kosher dining project.

We are finishing the third week of the project. For now, the blog contains pictures. Soon, I will add posts from people involved in the project (from RADS, the Architect, myself, Ruhi who is working with me on kashrut standards/training/education, and more).

Check in each week to see how the project is going.

B'shalom,
Rabbi Bruce