Introduction
One text that gets mentioned in conversations I have with fellow whiskey-drinkers is the responsum or responsa of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. Commonly referred to as Rav Moshe, he was an important 20th century rabbi with a significant impact on the practices of Orthodox Jews, in general, and American Orthodox Jews, in particular. In a trilogy of three responsa, with questions posed to him by Rabbi Pinchas Teitz, Rav Moshe responds to him regarding the kashrut (kosher-ness) of blended whiskies that might have some wine in them. Primarily responding to his queries in one responsum, he also answers follow-up questions by Rabbi Teitz. In the 159th episode of The Jewish Drinking Show, Rabbi Dov Linzer guides us through the salient points of this trilogy (Iggeros Moshe, YD 62-64), primarily focussing on this first responsum (Iggeros Moshe YD 62).
Biography of Guest
Rabbi Linzer is the President and Rosh HaYeshiva of YCT Rabbinical School. Having served as YCT’s Rosh HaYeshiva for over 20 years, Rabbi Linzer became its President in 2019 and assumed both the institutional and Torah-based leadership of YCT. In his capacity as a mentor, Rabbi Linzer provides religious guidance to the yeshiva’s students and the over 150 YCT-ordained rabbis who are serving in the field. An acclaimed Torah and halakha scholar, Rabbi Linzer has been a leading rabbinic voice in the Modern Orthodox community for over 25 years.
He has published over 100 teshuvot (responsa) and scholarly Torah articles, and hosts a number of highly popular Torah podcasts, including Iggros Moshe: A to Z, the 42nd episode of which he discussed our episode’s topic – blended whiskey in Rabbi Moshe Feinstein’s teshuvot. He is co-author, together with Abigail Pogrebin, of It Takes Two To Torah: An Orthodox Rabbi and Reform Journalist Discuss and Debate Their Way Through the Five Books of Moses and will soon be coming out with The Rosh Yeshiva Responds, a collection of his scholarly, halakhic teshuvot to the yeshiva’s hundreds of rabbis in-the-field.
Episode
In addition to being available below in video format, the episode is also available in podcast format on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you prefer listening to podcasts:
0:00 Welcome
0:27 Introduction to Rabbi Dov Linzer
1:36 Introduction to Rav Moshe and his responsa
5:17 Starting off with the question in Iggeros Moshe YD 62
14:03 Rav Moshe’s first argument for permitting whiskey that may have 2% gentile wine within it
23:31 Sneak peek at next week’s episode on drinking in the Guide to the Perplexed
25:00 Rav Moshe’s subsequent three arguments for permitting such whiskey
34:11 Rav Moshe’s arguments on why someone seeking to act stringently (בעל נפש) has a basis for avoiding drinking such whiskies
38:12 Any further salient elements in the subsequent responsa out of the trilogy (IG YD 63-64)?
41:12 Considering subsequent impact and legacy of this trilogy of teshuvot, including sherry casks
48:37 Anything to promote?
49:55 L’chaim
