Haredim10 has an interesting story that raises a common debate in kashrut today.
Rav Yitzchak Levy, the Chief Rabbi of Nesher and member of the Chief Rabbinate Rabbinic Council, recently hosted a catered event. Mazel tov, whatever the event was celebrating.
The issue raised is that the caterer hired for the event bears no kashrut certification. The situation is exacerbated a bit by the fact that Rabbi Levy was one of the main opponents fighting the recent kashrut reforms proposed by Matan Kahane - Rabbi Levy believed and fought that the Rabbanut should retain all the power and control in kashrut.
And then Rabbi Levy himself goes and hires a caterer that claims to be kosher but does not have kashrut certification.
it at least looks weird, if not bad.
When asked, the caterer responded that he hires a local avreich to supervise the kashrut but he has no formal certification. Let's not forget, Rav Levy fought bitterly against the kashrut reforms that would have made what Rav Levy did for his personal event perfectly ok. Rav Levy's main opposition is that without the Rabbanut, the law will not obligate any private rabbi to express his decision that food being supervised is problematic or not kosher, and only with the Rabbanut system can the rabbis retain the power to declare something not kosher.
Rav Levy himself responded to questions saying this was a private event, a family dinner, a family event, even though there were other people invited, and and family dinners do not need supervision. Rav Levy mentioned that he just had another similar event on Shabbos and made a similar catered meal.
So according to Rabbi Levy, personal events, like wedding meals, bar mitzvahs and the like, do not need official kashrut supervision. So what does need kashrut supervision? Obviously restaurants do, but no event halls? Is every private affair a personal matter, a family dinner, no matter how many non-family members are invited so they do not need supervision? I agree that a family dinner, cooked by me or my wife, with guests, family members or other, and that dinner will not need supervision. If I invite you to dinner, or you invite me to dinner, neither of us need to hire a mashgiach. But when you hire a caterer and are not doing the cooking yourselves, does the caterer not need supervision?
Halachically, the entire kashrut requirements are based on trust. There is no real halachic need for kashrut organizations. They became a thing when restaurants and caterers basically became a common thing, so we started eating in places where we did not know the proprietor and could not just trust him - so the kashrut agencies became a thing and in place of trusting the owner, who we often do not know, we trust the reputable kashrut agency supervising. Technically Rav Levy did nothing wrong - he trusts the caterer either because he knows the fellow and trusts him or because a private mashgiach was hired. But wouldn't it behoove Rabbi Levy to adhere to the rules he pushes on society where caterers are required to get [at least] Rabbanut hechshers to be considered kosher?
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