Rabbi Moshe Elefant juggles a famed daf yomi shiur and job as shul rav while running the OU’s kashrus empire

Photos: Naftoli Goldgrab

They say if you have something you need done, you should ask a busy person to do it.

If that’s true, Rabbi Moshe Elefant must know a lot of people who need things done.

He’s been running the Orthodox Union’s kashrus unit, the world’s largest certification agency, for decades — a job that only keeps him on call when it’s daytime in any of the world’s 24 time zones. He also spends hours each day preparing and delivering a daf yomi shiur for 1,300 listeners.

To top it all off, he recently took on the responsibilities of serving as a shul rav.

“Whenever an opportunity to do good comes along, and I think I can do it,” Rabbi Elefant acknowledges, “I have a very hard time saying no.”

Rabbi Elefant and the OU’s kashrus division, founded in 1923, have become synonymous during their 35-year relationship. As chief operating officer and executive rabbinic coordinator, he oversees the certification and monthly inspection of more than a million products, in 12,000 plants located in every one of the 50 states and in 105 countries around the world. He supervises 850 field representatives, 60 rabbinic coordinators, and 80 administrative support staff.

“Most Americans eat some kosher food every day,” the OU website asserts, “but chances are they’re not aware of it. Take a walk down the aisles of any supermarket and you will see that certification appears on over 60 percent of America’s produced foods that are certified kosher, from the coveted Oreo to the thirst-quenching Coca-Cola.”

Kosher food is a $150 billion business, and Rabbi Elefant has a comfortable VIP ringside seat.