In the previous discussion, we have seen that already in the time of the Talmud, there was lack of clarity regarding the reason of the prohibition against cheese made by non-Jews. The consensus seems to be that the prohibition had to do with some sort of non-Kosher ingredient. That ingredient, according to some opinions, was related to idolatry. If this is the case, then cheese made without those non-Kosher ingredients should be deemed Kosher. As we shall see, this was indeed the opinion of leading rabbis in Medieval France, and apparently, there should be no reason not to follow their ruling today.
The authors of the Tossafot, the Talmud commentary written by the grandchildren of Rashi and their disciples, discuss the Talmudic text which suggests six reasons for the prohibition. The Tossafot show that there is no reason to declare cheese as non-Kosher other than the presence of non-Kosher ingredients. They write:
Rabbenu Tam says that now we have no logical reason to forbid cheese made by non-Jews, since the reason for the original prohibition was the fear of snake-bites.
[The Tossafot refer to the fear of snakes biting the cheese, which was left out in molds to form, and leaving venom in it.]
There is no concern that non-Kosher milk was mixed into the cheese, since the non-Jews are not such fools to do so, as it is well-known that non-Kosher milk does not coagulate.
[This comment by the Tossafot should serve as a sharp rebuke to the Kashrut Industry Behemoth which insists on labeling cheese as made from Cholov Yisroel. This labeling is misleading, because it does not apply to cheese. Cholov Yisroel means milk from Kosher animals, milked under Jewish supervision. Supervision was necessary to ensure that non-Kosher milk is not mixed with the Kosher milk, but as we see here, this fear does not exist regarding cheese, so even though it is technically accurate and the cheese was made from supervised milk, it has no added value in terms of Kashrut. It is equivalent to labeling water as fat-free.]
Also, in many places people eat [cheese made by non-Jews] because they use rennet made form flowers. The great scholars of Narbonne [Provence, France] ruled that the cheese is kosher for the same reason.
There are two conclusions in this amazing discussion in the Tossafot, which is in plain sight for all Talmud scholars, Yeshiva students, and Kashrut organizations to see: 1) the only serious reason to consider cheese made by non-Jews as non-Kosher is that they used to be exposed during the process and thus susceptible to contamination by snakes; 2) If we accept the other opinions in the Talmud, that the prohibition is because of non-Kosher ingredients, once we ascertain that all ingredients are Kosher so is the cheese, and so was the practice in many Jewish communities.
Conclusion:
We have seen that the Mishna mentions a prohibition against cheese made by non-Jews, and that the Talmud struggles to find a reason for the prohibition.
The wide common practice in Medieval France and Germany was to judge Kashrut of cheese by the ingredients. The fact that it was made by non-Jews had no weight, and there was no hesitation to overrule the ancient prohibition.
One can choose to be "strict" and to avoid "non-supervised" cheese. One could also choose to rely on the Raavad, Rabbenu Tam, and the Great Scholars of Narbonne, as well as common sense, and determine the Kashrut of cheese by its ingredients [use more caution when dealing with artisanal cheese and small dairy farms].
According to the second approach, all cheese made with vegetarian rennet is kosher. Animal based rennet which underwent the standard industrial process has lost its status as food and cheese made with it is also kosher, as we have seen in Maimonides' commentary on the Mishna.
One is also allowed to purchase cheese marked as Kosher, or Cholov Yisroel, although the labeling, as previously explained, is somewhat misleading, and the price is exorbitant.
Rabbi Haim Ovadia
