Question:
Would honey packaged with the bee’s wax (honey comb) be kosher? A religious friend suggested that there may be bee particles in the honey, therefore, rendering it unkosher. I have never heard of this situation and we have been buying honey for several years.
Shana Tova,
Answer:
The idea your friend brought up is mentioned in Tosefls and he says that it is permitted to eat honey from a honeycomb and even if there would be parts of the bee in the honey, it is still permitted to eat,. See Tosefos for technical reason.
As a side point, if you want to use honeycomb on Rosh Hashana itself there is something else to be careful about. Extracting honey from a honeycomb is part of Meleches Dosh, because the honey is inside the cubicles of wax, therefore it is best to avoid using it on Rosh Hashana, and buy regular honey. Alternatively, if this is what you have, then just squeeze the honey out of the wax before Yom Tov. If this wasn’t done, then even if the honey drips out on shabbos or Yom Tov on its own it shouldn’t be used, lest we come to squeeze it out on Shabbos etc. In retrospect, if the honeycomb wasn’t squeezed out before Shabbos or Yom Tov, one should pick up the honeycomb gently and place it onto the challah, so the honey will drip out directly on to the challah (similar to סחיטה which is permitted to directly drip into the food).
Have a K’seiva V’chasiva Tova
Sources:
Regarding bee parts- see Avoda Zara 69a D:H Haho. Y:D 81-8. Regarding suqeezing honeycpmb on Shabbos see Mishna Berura 321-48, The 39 Melachos pg. 329.
