In the video, he notes that it "tastes like nothing," unlike when he was at Rav Machpud's house and they were fried in oil. I'd like to mention that for reasons of kashrus and legal issues in producing food we decided that it's best for us to sell the locusts as 100% locusts without any additions. But you can certainly "flavor them up"! We'd love to hear various ideas regarding that. (But in any case, perhaps it's better for people to say that the locusts taste like nothing rather than that they taste like something!)
Anyway, we are thrilled with this video. As someone pointed out, it's like getting an OU hechsher without having to pay for it!
If you'd like to buy some kosher locusts, you can do so on our website at this link. We are amazed at how popular they are, though I am guessing that some people buy them as a curio or talking point rather than to actually eat them. You can read an extensive discussion regarding their kashrut in our Knowledge Base at this link. Bon appetit!
Well then I guess as per R Ribners remarks in your prior post R Elya Ber now hates R Schachter lol
ReplyDeleteAssuming that R' Ribner is accurately representing R' Elya Ber's opinions, he not doubt already hated Rav Schachter.
DeleteDoes Rabbi Schachter pay attention to these people you love to hate? I really doubt it. Why do you?
DeleteShimshon, pay Rabbi S no attention.
DeleteThe video seems to have been removed.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru_Rk5AEI6Q) has been made private already. Hopefully you've got a backup link.
ReplyDeleteI ate my kosher locust with a little olive oil and salt and pepper sprinkled on it. Then warmed it up in the oven. It tasted like a crunchy potato chip.
ReplyDeleteRav Mahpud's wife is clearly a better cook than you.
ReplyDeleteI plan on hopefully buying some and making garum (a sauce similar to fish sauce) out of it.
ReplyDeleteI plan on NOT buying any nor tasting any locusts as as they look totally gross to me. But then again, I also don't like beets nor eggplants.
ReplyDeletehttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g9dN7tCFfew
ReplyDeleteUm, I should give credit where I found it.
ReplyDeletehttp://lifeinisrael.blogspot.com/2022/07/rav-hershel-schachter-eating-locusts.html?m=1
"As someone pointed out, it's like getting an OU hechsher without having to pay for it!" That he ate it has nothing to do with getting a hechsher from the OU. Tha's not how kashrus organizations operate. Shocked that someone could say or believe so.
ReplyDeleteI think you missed the point. The idea of a hechsher is a person can trust the food is kosher because someone from a reputable organization ensured the process to make that food was al pi Halacha and indicates such through the application of a kashrus symbol. If Rav Shachter eats the locust, then people who are skeptical about them but trust his understanding of Halacha will be comfortable eating the locusts. Hence it is *like* getting a hechsher without paying for it.
DeleteI think the most interesting part of the video is his immediate implementation of hilchos berachos when he drops the locust. Although he is offered another one he deliberately goes to pick up the one from the floor. Given that his kavana was presumably only to have the one locust, his beracha would not have covered any others, and if he didn’t eat the one he dropped then it would have been a beracha levatala. או״ח ר״ו ו׳
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
DeleteI learned from the video 3 things:
ReplyDelete1. An ashkenazi can eat locusts;
2. You should be makpid to eat the actual item you make the bracha on (he goes out of his way to pick up the specific locust from the floor)
3. The three second rule applies to locusts
JSS
On a "min klalah" we don't make a Bracha. He should have said the Bracha on something else having in mind the grasshopper?
ReplyDeleteRabbi Yehuda in the mishna in Brachos daf 40b is indeed of that opinion, but we do not poskin like him. See shulchan aruch orach chaim siman 204 sif 1 and mishna brura there sif katan 4. (If we were worried about being yotzei all opinions of Rabbi Yehuda in hilchos brachos, we would say בורא מיני דשאים on certain vegetables, I don't think anybody does that, see mishna brachos perek 6 end of mishna 1)
DeleteThat's the opinion of רַבִּי יְהוּדָה in the משנה:
Deleteכָּל שֶׁהוּא מִין קְלָלָה אֵין מְבָרְכִין עָלָיו
But we don't hold like him. See Bartenura.
Rambam:
הפת שעיפשה והיין שהקרים ותבשיל שעברה צורתו והנובלות שהן פגין והשכר והחומץ והגובאי והמלח והכמהין והפטריות על כולן מברך תחלה שהכל.
And the שלחן ערוך:
ועל הגובאי .. מברך שהכל:
See the משנה ברורה:
ועל הגובאי - הוא מין חגב טהור ולאפוקי מר' יהודה דאמר שם במשנה כל שהוא מין קללה [שעל הקללה הם באין] אין מברכין עליו:
Locusts are kosher but NYC water isn’t. What a fardrayter religion!
ReplyDeletehttps://newsfeed.time.com/2010/08/31/drink-up-nyc-meet-the-tiny-crustaceans-not-kosher-in-your-tap-water/
What is "fardrayter" about it?
Delete"Crustaceans" are not kosher locusts. That's if we're to assume that we're supposed to be concerned about these almost invisible creatures.
However, I don't see why you seem to think these two issues contradict each other?
Yes, precisely. What does one have to do with the other?
DeleteUW, are you unaware even of Psukim in the Chumash?
DeleteIt does'nt taste like chicken ? ACJA
ReplyDeleteI don't like these videos, unless it is specially asked of the individual that they are being recording and it will be posted.
ReplyDeleteRabbi Slifkin, I respect the stances you take in order to uphold the dignity of Torah and when you highlighted that people are actually doing a negative thing by taking something a Gadol said and using it to raise money or something of the sort, I completely agreed. I think this is bordering on the same thing, unless Rav Schechter was completely aware of what these kids were doing by recording and posting it. I will assume they asked his permission
If Rav Schechter had a problem with the recording one might think he'd say something to person hovering over him and pointing the camera around.
DeleteI will assume these kids asked his permission to record and post this video.
ReplyDeleteLet's see. Rav Schachter doesn't eat Turkey because there was an apparent break in the Mesora. He doesn't eat grasshopper at home. He ate it at a Sefardi home where *they* have a Mesora. So I assume readers all checked out the Halacha regarding an Ashkenazi eating at a Sefardi home where they have a myriad of different halachos as is well known. Vice versa, Rav Ovadya has Teshuvos in the opposite direction. Then again, I imagine that some Charedi types would simply assume that unless the Mechaber was more machmir than the Ramo then they could not follow the Mechaber if they were in a Frum Sefradi house as a guest. Is that indeed so?
ReplyDeleteHi Isaac,
DeleteActually, it appears that he ate this grasshopper in no one's home, rather in a Bais Medrash. He mentions in the clip that he once ate them previously in Rabbi Machpud's home.
See https://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/1039095/rabbi-aryeh-lebowitz/ten-minute-halacha-are-grasshoppers-and-locusts-kosher/ for an explanation of the mesorah needed for grasshoppers and turkey.
DeleteRav Schachter would probably also subscribe to much of the content on this blog. For instance, he just gave a shiur bashing modern Daas Torah:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/1039579/rabbi-hershel-schachter/ncsy-kollel-leil-iyun-2022-defining-daas-torah-and-its-parameters/
Those familiar with him would agree that the above is hardly likely , though cannot speak for him
ReplyDeleteHow about:are you mostly willing to subscribe to his beliefs?