While in most cases, bread is considered Kosher by virtue of its ingredients, a growing number of Kosher consumers are seeking bread which fulfills the standard of Pas Yisroel.
Over 2000 years ago, the Rabbis enacted an ordinance that requires bread to have a Kosher-Observant Jew’s physical participation in the baking process. Our Rabbis termed bread not having this qualification Pas Akum, and bread meeting this requirement Pas Yisroel. One of the reasons given for enacting this ordinance is as a precaution against inadvertently eating non-Kosher food were one to partake freely of the food in a non-Kosher home.
While Pas Yisroel is not a requirement for most industrial facilities, it is a recommended preference for all Kosher baked products, in addition to having strong consumer demand in the strictly Kosher marketplace.
Kosher agencies will certify a facility as Pas Yisroel only if a Kosher Supervisor is able to contribute to the baking process at all times. However, this standard is not as difficult to achieve as it might appear. Kosher Law states that the standard of Pas Yisroel is fulfilled with a Kosher Supervisor’s minimal intervention in the baking process.
How is Pas Yisroel achieved in a commercial oven? A gas oven that has a pilot light that burns continuously will produce Pas Yisroel products once the pilot has been lit by a Kosher Supervisor. If the pilot is extinguished, he must be summoned to rekindle the pilot. If there is concern of this requirement holding up production, or if the oven is lit with an electric ignition, other solutions are implemented.
For example, a bakery can install a secondary gas line which constantly remains lit or an electric heating element in the oven chamber, creating a constant source of heat in the oven; when this heat source is turned on by a Kosher Supervisor, the requirement of Pas Yisroel is fulfilled.
As in all aspects of Kosher certification, systems are necessary to verify compliance. The pilot must be relit and/or the temperature adjusted on a frequent regular basis by a Kosher Supervisor. If an electric heating device is in use to effect Pas Yisroel, this device can be attached to a fail-safe switch that can be restarted only by a Kosher Supervisor. (The oven itself can be restarted by anyone.) In any event, signage should be present notifying the staff to alert the Kosher Agency in case of a gas or power shutoff.
While the initial setup of a Pas Yisroel system requires some forethought and planning, the certification of a product as Pas Yisroel can gain it entry into an ever growing segment of the Kosher market.