Is he wrong?

I’m afraid you’ll have to consult Wikipedia. I offered you the opportunity to contact me off-line. You have not done so. I asked for the courtesy of knowing to whom I was speaking. You have not afforded me the same. Accordingly, I question whether this is truly a “machlokes l’shem shamayim” or something else. Moreover, given the injunction of “da mah shetashiv” – “know how to answer appropriately” — since I don’t know to whom I am responding, I am unable to respond to your query.

Chai Elul is also the birthday of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi – the founder of Chabad chassidus. He once told his followers “they are are those who say “that which I am permitted to do, I do, and that which I’m not permitted to do, I will figure out a way of doing it” and then there are those who say “that which I am prohibited from doing I don’t do and that which I’m permitted to do, I ask whether I need to do it or not.” I suspect that to a large degree in fact that aphorism crystallizes much of our differences. Unfortunately we’ll never know.

A guten, gebentsched and zeesen yohr.

I don’t know who you are and I am sure your knowledge of kashrut is as deep as the strong roots of your maple trees. My posts were not meant to chas v’shalom disparage or insult your beliefs in any way.

Aside from your idea of the “gold standard” of kashrut or your issue with bees, let me ask you this:

Does 100% pure maple syrup require hashgacha?

Looking back at the other posts, it seems that everyone seemed to have gotten the joke except you. Since this is the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov, perhaps we should consider his words “the evil things we see in others is shown to us as a reflection of those very traits in ourselves”. That being said, if I’ve done something to offend you in the past, then I offer my most sincere and humble apologies.

One of the reasons I disassociated formally with HAZON, is to avoid engaging in diatribes such as these (you’ll note that the post upon which you commented is a year old). I used to conduct a “maple tisch” at the food conferences on Shabbos night where dozens of us would sing, farbreng, share the sweetness of Hasidic stories and some of my finest private stock syrup. Given your background, you might wish to apply for the position.

Hatzlacha Raba and Shana Tova

With all due respect, you are new to the maple syrup industry. Ten years is still a sugaring newbie. The gold standard of Kashrut is to buy products that have hashgacha ONLY when they need Hashgacha. A few years ago, I saw toilet paper with Hashgacha. Does it need Hashgacha? Certainly not. Are people thinking they become a Baal Nefesh if they are Machmir and buy the “gold standard” of toilet paper with Hashgacha? Gimme a break. The kashrut industry has become a big business today.

As far as your tonhue in cheek description of hashem’s creations, I suggest learning from Rav Yehuda HaNasi. He made the mistake of not showing compassion to Hashem’s bria and suffered terribly. In our attempt to emulate Hashem’s ways we don’t mock His creations.

For anyone not familiar with the story, Wikipedia describes it as follows:

Various stories are told about Judah haNasi to illustrate different aspects of his character. One of them begins by telling of a calf breaking free from being led to slaughter. According to the story, the calf tries to hide under Judah haNasi’s robes, bellowing with terror, but he pushes the animal away, saying: “Go — for this purpose you were created.” For this, Heaven inflicted upon him kidney stones, painful flatulence, and other gastric problems, saying, “Since he showed no pity, let us bring suffering upon him”.

The story remarks that when Judah haNasi prayed for relief, the prayers were ignored, just as he had ignored the pleas of the calf. Nevertheless, it goes on to describe him subsequently preventing his maid from violently expelling baby weasels from his house, on the basis that “It is written: ‘His Mercy is upon all his works.’” For this, Heaven removes the gastric problems from him, saying, “Since he has shown compassion, let us be compassionate with him”.

Rabbi Judah HaNasi also said, “One who is ignorant of the Torah should not eat flesh” — possibly as a result of these experiences.

I wish you a sweet year in which you produce lots of sweetness for all to share.

this is not the forum for a detailed discussion of the minutiae of Isur V’Heter or hilchos ta’aroves but I would certainly welcome your comments off-line at swfarms@together.net.

And have a sweet, sweet new year no matter what your choice of sweetener may ultimately be :-)

Relax. Take a deep breath. Can you say “tongue in cheek?”

As far as the kashrus issues or additives involved in maple syrup production I must respectfully disagree based on my own empirical observations as an industry producer for over a decade and not merely in reliance on rural legends. I personally have seen both of those practices. Concededly, they are not done on a large industrial scale, but given that the demand for syrup invariably outstrips the supply, many, if not most of the larger producers supplement their own production by buying the entire output of small backwoods producers (who by the same token, love to make syrup I do not know your involvement either in the maple industry (I don’t recall ever seeing a meeting you at VMSMA events or IMSI events or Maplerama) or the Kashrus industry but I see nothing wrong in advocating a gold standard of kashrus just as those who advocate a gold standard of local and organic