Gel Caps and Gelatin
Gelatin, a relatively recent innovation (late 19th century), is made from the skin and bones of animals and is used for a variety of uses including candy, medicine, filtering impurities from apple juice and more.
Is gelatin from a non-kosher animal kosher? Is gelatin considered fleishig? Can fish gelatin be used with meat?
Since gelatin is made from bones but is inedible during the manufacturing process, it begins as edible, becomes inedible, and then becomes edible again. Does that count as halachically inedible and therefore gelatin shouldn't need to be from a kosher source? Does אחשביה apply to gelatin which is only an ingredient or does it only apply to the end product (in which case the gelatin-containing product would be non-Kosher)?
Rav Aharon Kotler, Rav Henkin, and Rav Moshe Feinstein all ruled that gelatin from non-Kosher animals shouldn't be used but for different reasons. Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank, The Tzitz Eliezer, and Rav Ovadiah Yosef took a more lenient approach.
The Chazon Yechezkel was not opposed to gelatin from non-Kosher animals in principle but since everyone thinks it's non-kosher, he ruled that permitting it will only strengthen the view of the time that "rabbis make it up as they go along".
Delivered at the OU Israel Center, February 27th, 2019, 22 Adar I 5779