The Halachic Questions Behind Every Listerine PocketPak

Listerine Strips in Halacha

Let’s talk about something unexpected: Listerine PocketPaks—those tiny, powerful breath strips that dissolve on your tongue in seconds. I’m a big fan and always have one on hand. But surprisingly, these minty strips raise some real halachic questions.

Years back, there was quite a stir when Listerine PocketPaks lost their hashgacha. Listerine, it seems, decided it wasn’t necessary to keep paying for certification, so the Kof-K stopped giving its hashgacha for a while. This led to a lot of debate—could we still use them or not? Ultimately, enough voices spoke up, and the hashgacha was reinstated. But the incident brought up three core halachic questions that still surround Listerine PocketPaks.

Do Breath Strips Need Hashgacha?

First, do these products even need hashgacha? Other companies also make similar items that may not have hashgacha, or at least did not at one point. A key ingredient in mouthwash, toothpaste, and Listerine strips is glycerin, a compound derived from fats and oils. Glycerin in Listerine strips helps them dissolve and provides a smooth texture. However, it may come from non-kosher sources, such as animal fats, and manufacturing processes might not be supervised, risking cross-contamination. While glycerin can be made from kosher sources, the possibility of non-kosher origins raises the need for hashgacha.

Does Flavor Require a Bracha?

The second question is, if you’re going to put one of these in your mouth, do you need to recite a bracha before consuming it? Normally, if you’re tasting something to enjoy its flavor, one does recite a bracha.

Using

Listerine Strips on a Fast Day

The third question is whether Listerine strips can be used on a fast day. When referring to a ‘fast day’ we are discussing typical fast days like Tzom Gedaliah, Taanis Esther, and the Tenth of Teves, known as “tzomot d’rabbanan” ( ןנברד תומוצ) in the ארמג, with fewer restrictions than Yom Kippur or Tisha B’Av. The ארמג in Rosh Hashanah 18b discusses these “minor fasts,”

BY RABBI ARYEH LEBOWITZ

indicating that while they are days of repentance, they do not carry the full prohibitions of eating and drinking found on the more stringent fasts. Thus, using something like Listerine strips on such days could be permissible, depending on whether they are considered food or simply for freshening the mouth.

Yom Kippur, however, is more than a fast day; Tisha B’Av, though distinct as a day of mourning, is treated similarly to Yom Kippur, with a full day of restrictions on eating and drinking. For these more stringent fasts, even minimal consumption, including dissolving products like breath strips, is generally prohibited - though some may allow it under certain conditions where it clearly does not resemble typical eating or drinking.

Are Breath Strips Food or Mouthwash?

Now, for the most part, these are three distinct questions, but they’re really related to one core question. And that is, what exactly are these? Are they mini candies, just very tiny and dissolving immediately, or should we view them as mouthwash? In other words, are they just mouthwash in a convenient, portable form—mouthwash you don’t have to spit out because there’s so little of it? If they’re mouthwash, and not a food, it would make sense that perhaps they don’t require a bracha, hashgacha, and could be permissible on a fast day.

However, this isn’t necessarily so straightforward, because says one is allowed to rinse their mouth on a fast day with water. Yet, water requires a bracha, and there’s a question regarding whether non-kosher liquid consumption applies here. That presents a potential issue.

Understanding the Halachic Limits of Mouth Rinsing on Fast Days

However, a fast day might be different. The halacha regarding what’s permissible on a fast day may vary. It’s worth noting that in the

, it states that rinsing one’s mouth on a fast day is allowed only

(in a case of discomfort), and this leniency does not apply to

Additionally, it’s only permitted if one leans forward to avoid accidentally swallowing any water, and only when there’s full confidence that all the water will be spit out. This illustrates that the halacha around these three issues isn’t necessarily uniform, and it’s not solely a question of whether something is לכוא or not.

Can You Place Non-Kosher Items in Your Mouth Without Eating?

So, let’s begin with this question: Can a person put something non-kosher in their mouth if they’re not eating it? It’s not a meal, it’s not a snack, it’s merely something they place in their mouth. The א״מר in ח״ק ןמיס העד הרוי ׳ה ףיעס states that one is not allowed to put something non-kosher in their mouth, even with the intention of spitting it out. The ךורע ןחלוש in תוכלה חספ similarly writes that one is not even allowed to use non-kosher, or in the context of Pesach, קידץמח ink to write a letter because if it’s somewhat edible, a person might snack on it as they write. They might put some in their mouth and find it not so bad. If the ink isn’t disgusting, someone could actually enjoy it. So, the argument follows that one cannot say these products are less edible than ink. If ink is problematic, then these items would likewise be an issue, including mouthwash and toothpaste.

This issue has been the subject of an old תקולחמ regarding toothpaste and mouthwash. Most םיקסופ hold that toothpaste and mouthwash are indeed permissible, seeing as the ink discussed was still somewhat edible. Nobody would actually eat toothpaste or mouthwash. We use them for freshening breath and cleaning the mouth, not for ingestion. This is why many םיקסופ are lenient. Even השמ ’ר ןייטשנייפ in ד״צ ןמיס ׳ד קלח was lenient, despite not typically being known as a lenient posek. However, ל״צז יקסלב בר was very strict on this issue. Rav Belsky would often say that toothpaste and mouthwash taste delicious nowadays, and as such, he felt they certainly should require hashgacha.

I think the םלועה גהנמ is that we do not require hashgacha on toothpaste and mouthwash. Most people, I believe, do not see it as necessary.

What would require hashgacha? I think the םלועה גהנמ is that we do not require hashgacha on toothpaste and mouthwash. I would imagine most people don’t check for hashgacha on toothpaste and mouthwash, even though this is contrary to what Rav Belsky holds.

Why Toothpaste May Not Need Hashgacha, But Listerine Strips Might

Now, what about applying this to Listerine strips? There are those who argue that, even though we are lenient with toothpaste and mouthwash, there is a significant difference between those products and Listerine PocketPaks. With toothpaste and mouthwash, as soon as you put it in your mouth, you spit it out; the purpose is to use it as a cleanser and then spit it out immediately. These strips, however, are designed to dissolve in your mouth. You’re not supposed to spit them out; they dissolve, and you benefit from their flavor and freshness.

One could argue that they have the status of a small sucking candy. However, א״טילש רטכש בר holds differently. He believes that these strips are essentially “mouthwash on the go.” The way they’re meant to be used is similar to mouthwash, just without carrying the liquid. Even though you’re not spitting anything out, that’s only because there’s nothing substantial to spit out; it merely leaves a small film in your mouth, not enough to require spitting. Therefore, Rav Schechter holds that there’s no need for hashgacha on these strips, no need for a bracha, and one may use them on a fast day, just as one would be allowed to brush their teeth on a fast day.

Does Intent Determine a Bracha?

Rav Schechter’s P’sak vs. Rav Belsky and Rav Weiss

On the other hand, בל

הכר and סייו רשא בר hold that these require hashgacha, a bracha, and they should not be used on a fast day. I saw somewhere that סרופ בר suggested that whether these strips require a bracha depends on the הנווכ of the person using them. If someone is using it purely because they enjoy the taste, treating it like a candy, then a bracha might be required. But if someone is using it to freshen their breath because they feel a bad taste in their mouth, then it would be considered mouthwash and would not require a bracha.

There’s an interesting point to add here. I have a nephew who heard Rav Schechter’s קספ from me, and before a fast day, he loaded up with 15 packs of these strips in his pocket and used them all day. I’m amazed he didn’t end up in the hospital; he was using them like some people snack on popcorn or other foods you can’t stop eating. This leads to the concept in halacha called היבשחא

How Achshevei Defines Food Through Intent

There is a concept in halacha called היבשחא, where something not generally considered food can be treated as food if one eats it with the intention of it being food. The ארמג in ח״יק

ןילוח brings this concept up regarding םד (blood), and the ךורע in also references in the context of תועובש תוכלה (laws of oaths).

The idea behind היבשחא is that if an item is not normally edible—because it’s הליכאמ לספנ (unfit for consumption) or הליכאל יואר וניא (not suitable for eating)—it typically does not count as food and would not usually pose a תורשכ issue. However, the םינושאר, including the ש״ר and others, explain that if someone intentionally treats this item as food, such as by consuming it with the mindset that it is food, it becomes food in a halachic sense for that person. Thus, it could create a kashrus concern because they are assigning it a food status through their intent and action.

For example, the ךורע ןחלוש in ח״כק ןמיס rules that if someone makes a העובש (oath) to eat that day and then consumes dirt, they have fulfilled their oath. Why? Because by choosing to eat the dirt, they have, in effect, made it הליכאל יואר (fit for eating) in their specific case. This principle of היבשחא means that even if something is not normally food, it can be halachically classified as food for someone who chooses to treat it as such.

Rav Schechter’s Surprising Reaction to a Breath Strip

To illustrate, I once asked רטכש בר about this, as people always ask if he really says there’s no need for a bracha or hashgacha on Listerine PocketPaks. He clarified that, yes, he holds there is no need to make a bracha on them or to use products with hashgacha, as he considers them mouthwash and nothing else. During תוכוס at our הבאושה תיב תחמש, I gave him one to try, as he’d never tasted one before. He opened the pack, took out a foil strip, and put it in his mouth. At first, he said, “Not bad.” But then he reacted with surprise, “Whoa! People think you make a bracha on this?” He was astonished, reiterating that this is just mouthwash.

Can Mouthwash Become Food?

However, if someone were to say, “My favorite drink is mouthwash,” and consistently consume it like a beverage, then due to היבשחא, it would require a bracha and even need to be kosher. By treating it as food, it attains the status of הליכאל יואר

It’s important to note that not all םינושאר agree on the concept of היבשחא. For example, you can see a discussion in the ן״ר on ב״ע ה״כ ףד םיחספ, but nevertheless, we are generally הליחתכל רימחמ. The םהרבא ןגמ writes in ןמיס ח”וא ה״כקתת, that היבשחא applies only if done with the intention of eating.

In practical halacha, there are three main views among the םיקסופ regarding toothpaste, mouthwash, and breath strips. The first view, held by Rav Belsky, is the most stringent and maintains that toothpaste, mouthwash, and Listerine strips all require hashgacha and a bracha, although this is a minority opinion. A second group, including Rav Asher Weiss, differentiates between products: while toothpaste and mouthwash do not require hashgacha, Listerine strips do, as they are considered closer to food. The third and most lenient view, held by Rav Schechter, treats Listerine strips the same as toothpaste and mouthwash, meaning they do not require hashgacha or a bracha. He regards them as “mouthwash on the go” rather than food. Nonetheless, even according to the lenient view, based on the principle of היבשחא, one should avoid using breath strips frequently throughout a fast day as though they are food, and instead use them specifically as a mouth cleanser.

How did you become involved with Netflix’s Jewish Matchmaking?

I’ve always had this inner drive to make a big difference in the world. I wasn’t sure how, but I trusted my instincts. Then one day, I saw Indian Matchmaking, and it clicked—we need something like this for Jewish matchmaking. Fast forward to 2021, I was chosen as the face of Netflix’s Jewish Matchmaking. When the show premiered in May 2023, it was amazing to see the impact it had. People from all walks of Jewish life—secular, religious, Sephardi, Ashkenazi—felt seen and represented.

What was it like balancing your religious lifestyle with the demands of filming?

The production team was incredible. I’m Shomer Shabbat, and they went out of their way to make sure I could honor that. They put me in Airbnbs instead of hotels so I could kasher the kitchen and prepare my own food. They even provided an extra suitcase for my kosher supplies—pots, pans, spices, everything I needed. They really got it, and it made all the difference. It reminded me of how they accommodated the matchmaker on Indian Matchmaking. Because of their support, I could stay true to myself throughout filming.