Rabbi Eidlitz’s integrity comes with a price. At times he is sued by angry business owners for refusing to recommend their products. For example, during a pre-Pesach tour of Ralph’s supermarket, Rabbi Eidlitz didn’t recommend using a certain cheese on Pesach. The head of the store, who was present during the tour, decided to carry a different brand of kosher cheese. The next day, Rabbi Eidlitz was facing a lawsuit.
Companies sue him for interference with commerce or for maligning character, but Rabbi Eidlitz has never lost a lawsuit. It is the business that loses out in the end, and often has to close completely.
“People ask me to recommend their hashgacha,” says Rabbi Eidlitz. “I won’t do so unless it’s something I would eat.” Every Jew is important, he explains. Not one to pursue chumros, Rabbi Eidlitz makes sure that each product on his list conforms to basic kashrus standards. He learned this approach from Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, z”l, of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel of Baltimore, where Rabbi Eidlitz received his semicha.
Rabbi Eidltiz explains, “Rabbi Ruderman emphasized that there is no mitzvah to tell people that everything is assur – any fool can do that. Instead, we need to do our research and find out if something is kosher or not.”
Another mentor who inspired Rabbi Eidlitz’s work was Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, zt”l, the Ponevezher Rav of Bnei Brak where Rabbi Eidlitz learned in the 1960s.
With the release of the new app, Rabbi Eidlitz is hoping to assist even more kosher consumers. The app makes it easier to look up information and ask questions on the go while shopping. A customer can even take a picture of a product, text it to Rabbi Eidlitz, and receive an answer on whether the product can be used.
More information on KosherQuest is available on its website, www.kosherquest.org or phone hotline at 818-262-5351.