Chasamos - Two Seals

Q. I understand that some foods require two seal to guarantee that they were delivered from a kosher source, while one seal is sufficient for other items. Can you please elucidate?

A. The Gemara (Avoda Zara 39a) writes that filleted fish, meat, wine (non-mevushal), and techeiles (tzitzis strings dyed blue) require two seals. Bread and cheese require only one seal. There are three explanations for these distinctions:

The Shach (YD 118:5) rules that we should be strict and require two seals if any of these three reasons apply.

• Shulchan Aruch writes that whenever there is a possible Torah prohibition, as is the case with meat and fish, we require two seals. In contrast, gevinas akum (cheese made by a non-Jew) and pas akum (bread baked by a non-Jew, even though all the ingredients are kosher) are rabbinic prohibitions, and one seal suffices.
• Rashi explains that expensive items such as meat and fish require two seals because the incentive to misrepresent the product as kosher is greater. Inexpensive items such as cheese and bread require only one seal.
• The Ran maintains that items which may be completely non-kosher, such as meat and fish, require two seals. Foods that, at worst, would have a mixture of non-kosher ingredients, require only one seal.

The Shach (YD 118:5) rules that we should be strict and require two seals if any of these three reasons apply.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.