Kashrus of Scotch

Question: I have noticed that certain Scotch whiskies now have a hechsher on them. Does whisky need a hechsher?

Answer: The poskim agree that ordinary Scotch whisky (whether single malt or blended) which has no mention of any wine casks is perfectly Kosher. The question arises when whisky has been matured in wine casks, such as the Macallan Sherry Oak. R’ Moshe Feinstein famously addresses this issue in 2 responsa: Igros Moshe YD 1:62-63. While the Shulchan Aruch (YD 134:13) forbids drinking a gentile’s beverage when it is customary to add non-Kosher wine to it, R’ Moshe follows the more lenient Rema. Providing the wine is nullified against 6 parts whisky (as opposed to the usual 1:60 ratio), the wine is Kosher. While R’ Moshe advises that a baal nefesh should best avoid such whisky, seemingly he was specifically referring to a scenario where wine had actually been added to whisky. As Scotch Whisky Regulations dictate that Scotch may only contain water, grain yeast and caramel colouring, we can be assured that wine is not added.

Many American poskim are concerned that as the entire sherry (or port, Madeira, etc.) cask is saturated with non-Kosher wine, the wine is no longer battul 1:6 in the whisky. Others, including R’ Akiva Niehaus (Sherry Casks, A Halachic Perspective) argue that R’ Moshe wasn't referring to Scotch, but to American or Canadian whiskey. Accordingly, they forbid Wine Cask Finishes, arguing that the wine adds a recognizable taste to the whisky.

Nonetheless, Rabbanim in the UK (including the London Beis Din) maintain that R’ Moshe’s rulings apply to Scotch, and follow R' Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss’s permissive ruling, too (Minchas Yitzchak 2:28).

Note, that distilleries outside of Scotland (including Ireland) are not bound by the same regulations, and their whiskies may be problematic. Thus one must consult their Kashrus authority.

Repeating Words in Davening

Question: I recently davened in a shul where the chazan repeated several words during chazaras hashatz. Should I have said something to him?

Answer: The Mishna (Berachos 33b) instructs us to silence someone who repeats the word modim. The Gemara explains that doing so could create the impression of addressing two authorities, G-d forbid. Similarly, the repetition of shema is prohibited (see Shulchan Aruch, OC 121:2; 68:9).

The Maharam Schick (OC 31) extends this prohibition to other parts of davening and provides five reasons why repeating words is problematic. These include the potential violation of bal tosif, adding to the mitzvos. Furthermore, inserting additional words can amount to falsehood and cause a hefsek (interruption). He also highlights how the Tur (OC 51; 113; 114; 582) often underscores the deliberate number of words in various tefillos.

R’ Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe OC 2:22) emphasises that a chazan must refrain from repeating words during chazaras hashatz, even if the repetitions do not alter the meaning of the tefilla (see Shemesh Marpei OC 4).

The Aruch Hashulchan (OC 338:8) notes that this issue has persisted for generations and recognises the difficulty in eradicating entrenched practices. However, he cautions against harshly criticising widely accepted Jewish customs.

In conclusion, repetition of words in davening, particularly in berachos and pesukim, should be avoided. While it may be appropriate for the Rabbi of the shul to address this issue with the chazan, it is generally not advisable for others to criticise him directly.