Kosher Beit Din: Mehadrin, Glatt, Chalav Yisrael — The Real Differences
Your caterer says "100% kosher." But kosher how? Mehadrin? Glatt? The simple guide to understanding the levels and picking the right one for your guests.
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You ask your caterer if they're kosher. They say 'yes, under Beit Din supervision.' But which level? Basic kosher, Mehadrin, Glatt, Chalav Yisrael? Some of your guests won't eat if the level doesn't match their practice. Here are the basic terms, so you can ask the right questions.
One point first: Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Mizrahi and Israeli customs can differ, even between communities of the same tradition. This guide does not rule on them: for anything that depends on your customs, ask your Beit Din or your rabbi.
Kosher (under Beit Din supervision)
Meat slaughtered according to the rules of shechita (ritual slaughter by a qualified shochet), checked under the supervision of a mashgiach (supervisor). No mixing of meat and dairy. No forbidden products (pork, shellfish, blood, non-kosher animals). What is enough for each of your guests depends on their customs: ask them, or ask your rabbi.
Mehadrin
Mehadrin ('beautified,' 'elevated') refers to stricter supervision, more demanding than basic kashrut. What exactly it covers varies from one certifying body to another: ask the certifying body for it in writing, or ask your rabbi. Any extra cost depends on the caterer: ask for comparable quotes.
Glatt (and halak, "Beit Yosef")
Glatt means 'smooth' in Yiddish: for beef, the animal's lungs are smooth when checked after slaughter. In Sephardic customs, meat is often described as 'halak' or 'Beit Yosef.' The exact relationship between these terms and glatt, and what your guests require, are questions for your rabbi.
Simple rule: ask the guests concerned what they eat before you settle on a level with your caterer. A guest refusing to eat on the day is easy to avoid by asking ahead of time.
Chalav Yisrael
For dairy products, Chalav Yisrael refers to milk whose milking was supervised by a Jew. If guests care about it, tell your caterer for everything dairy. Whether your guests require it depends on their customs: ask your rabbi.
Pat Yisrael
Pat Yisrael refers to bread whose baking involves a Jew. If guests care about it, tell your caterer, challah included. The details (who must do what, and when): ask your rabbi.
How to choose the level
- Ask the guests concerned (or their family) what they eat: don't guess.
- Ask your Beit Din or your rabbi which level to choose for your event.
- Specify that level to your caterer in writing, and ask for comparable quotes: the same level requested from each.
Common mistake: settling on a level without asking the guests concerned. Also check that both the venue and the caterer are certified: kashrut is judged on both.
How to verify in practice
Ask for the kashrut certificate (teudat hechsher) of the venue AND of the caterer, issued by the certifying body recognized by your community and by your rabbi. The document should state: (1) the supervising rabbi or body, (2) the kashrut level, (3) the validity date, (4) the supervision conditions on the day itself. No certificate: ask your rabbi before you sign.
To announce the kashrut level on your invitation (reassuring your most observant guests), add a note to your invitation text on Tov.events. Free during the beta, in English, French, Hebrew and Spanish.
About — Written by the Tov.events team, who build the tools Jewish families — Sephardic, Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, secular — use for their simchas.
What’s next?
One invitation per household, sent on WhatsApp.
In 4 languages, with the Hebrew date and the replies followed live.
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