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A hechsher (he: הכשר) (plural: hechsherim) is a marking on products (generally foods) certifying that the item is kosher.
In halakha (Jewish law), the kashrut, or dietary laws, specify food items that may be eaten and others that are prohibited. Observant Jews generally will only eat permitted foods. To assist Jewish consumers, rabbinic authorities allow manufacturers to place their certification stamps (hechsherim) on foods that they have inspected and found to contain only kosher ingredients and produced in accordance with halakha. Some mistakenly believe that a rabbi merely blesses food for it to be considered kosher.
Rabbinic authorities and their hechsherim
Further designations contained in hechsherim
Passover (P)
The observance of Passover (Hebrew: Pesach) entails additional rules of kashrut. Near the holiday, foods that are kosher for Passover (Hebrew: kosher l'Pesach) may carry a "P" near the hechsher, standing for "Passover" or "Pesach".
Dairy (D)
Observant Jews do not eat dairy products with meat. To ease identification of dairy products (like chocolate, which may or may not contain milk), a "D" or the word "Dairy" accompanies the hechsher.
Pareve
Some foods may be eaten with meat or with milk. These foods are called pareve and may carry this term near the hechsher.
Legal issues regarding hechshers
External link
Urban Legends Reference Page on the Jew Tax conspiracy theory (http://www.snopes.com/racial/business/kosher.htm)
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