by Rabbi Yaakov Luban
Executive Rabbinic Coordinator
Every profession has its hazards, and Kashruth is no exception. In an earlier issue of the Daf, the issue of personal safety in the plant environment was addressed. In this essay, I would like to discuss another occupational hazard which is often given little or no thought and consideration.
As kashruth professionals, we are often called upon to evaluate other hashgochos. Every supervisory agency must establish standards of acceptability for source materials, and RFR's and RC's are regularly asked to render opinions based on their personal experiences. Furthermore, we, who work in the field of kashrus, are assumed to be experts about the entire universe of kosher certification, and our views on other supervisions are eagerly sought by the general public.
Judgments and pronouncements about reliability and competency have widespread ramifications. A person can easily lose a job or an account because of opinions rendered by "mavinim." As professionals, our views are widely repeated and disseminated. A member of my community once asked my opinion about a certain hashgocho, and I responded that I had no information to share. Six months later, the supervising rabbi called me and asked why I was maligning him and destroying his reputation. Taken aback, I asked why he thought I was guilty of such misconduct. He reported that he read at a certain web sight on the internet that "Rabbi Luban doesn't recommend Rabbi Ploni Almoni." Apparently, someone thought they would be �?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?� by making my opinion (actually, a distortion of my opinion) available to 50,000 people who frequented that web sight. The possibility of being quoted on the internet lends new meaning to the statement of �?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?�.
Before rendering life and death judgments about our fellow colleagues, it would be worthwhile to review carefully the parameters and criteria set forth by the �?��?��?��?��?��?� for speaking �?��?��?��?��?��?��?�
�?��?��?��?�. Many of these halachos are recorded in �?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?�and �?��?��?��?��?��?��?�
�?��?��?��?�. A full halachic analysis is far beyond the scope of this article, but some basic principles follow:
1. The information must be carefully thought out and one may not jump to unwarranted conclusions. No one leaps off the diving board unless he is sure there is water in the pool. �?��?��?��?��?� people would be so careful before deciding �?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?� for other people.
It is not uncommon to visit a plant which is supervised by a colleague and find a problem with the hashgocha system. Through the power of irresponsible extrapolation, one single situation is often used to prove general incompetence. An honest person recognizes that almost every hashgocha can be made better, and we should judge others with the same tolerance that we hope �?��?��?��?��?�
�?��?��?��?��?��?��?� exercises when judging us.
2. Exaggeration is not permitted. Food for thought: "You can't trust him" or "he is not reliable" may lack the precision which the halacha demands.
3. One's motives must be only to prevent a negative impact on others. Saying �?��?��?��?��?��?��?�
�?��?��?��?� as a way to gain a competitive edge or to express personal disdain for someone we don't like is improper. (If one's motives are not pure, he is not freed from the responsibility to protect people's interests by sharing the information. Nonetheless, he must attempt to overcome and blot out ulterior motives. �?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?�)
4. The�?��?��?��?��?��?� is uncertain if one can share second hand information even if it is �?��?��?��?�. After a lengthy discussion, he concludes that one may only do so by making it clear that his facts come from other people's comments and observations �?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?�). (�?��?��?��?�Much of our information about other hashgochos is second hand and should be presented as such.
In addition to the above principles established by the �?��?��?��?��?��?�, I would like to add one further recommendation of caution, based on a famous thought of the Alter of Slabodka, Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, �?��?��?�. �?��?��?�relate that Yaakov suffered the abduction of Dinah by Shechem because he sinned by hiding Dinah in a box when introducing his children to Aisov. Had Aisov seen Dinah, he may have chosen to marry her and become a ba'al teshuva (Rashi, Bereishis 32:23). How can Yaakov be faulted for protecting Dinah from Aisav? Is it not possible that Aisav would have corrupted Dinah rather than the reverse occurring? Furthermore, Chazal say that marrying one's daughter to an �?��?��?��?��?� is tantamount to tying and placing her before a lion (Pesachim 49b). What did Yaakov do wrong? The Alter responds that it is true that �?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?�Yaakov acted appropriately by protecting Dinah from Aisov. Nonetheless, Yaakov was punished because he should have been more pained and troubled that he must take that course of action. Yaakov's hand should have trembled more when he covered the box and denied Aisav an opportunity to dramatically change his life by marrying Dinah(�?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?��?�).
There may be legitimate reasons to share uncomplimentary information, but it must be provided with a heavy heart when people's reputations and livelihoods hang in the balance. One significant reason why people are insensitive is the tendency to villainize someone whose supervision is found to be wanting. A lack of professional skill does not necessarily invalidate a sincere person who tries to do the best he can. We ought to also remember that there are divergent opinions in halacha, and our standards of supervision may not be the only ones that deserve legitimacy. If we showed greater tolerance of human shortcomings and avoided attacking the individual, we would feel greater pain when banging the nails into someone else's coffin. By having greater empathy, we might rethink our positions and realize that perhaps our evaluation is unfair and unwarranted.
As in many areas in life, the key lies in maintaining the proper balance. Certainly, we must be vigilant and uphold the highest standards of kashruth, but at the same time we must always be sensitive to the far reaching consequences of our comments and evaluations.