Kosher · Shomer Shabbos · Since 1983
The pharmacy that keeps your week.
Murray Shore Pharmacy is a kosher, Shomer Shabbos pharmacy at Bathurst and Baycrest in North York, serving the frum community and the whole neighbourhood since 1983. We close Friday afternoon before Shabbos, stay closed through Sunday, answer ingredient questions straight, and time deliveries around the calendar you live by, because it is the calendar we live by too.
What Shomer Shabbos means here, concretely
Not a line on a sign, but the shape of the week. The dispensary runs on the same rhythm as the homes it serves, so you never have to explain why Friday afternoon is different, or wonder whether anyone thought about it.
- Monday to Thursday9:00 to 6:00 Full dispensary days: new prescriptions, refills, compounding, blister packs, and free delivery runs.
- Friday9:00 to 3:30 We close in the afternoon so that staff, counters, and deliveries are all settled well before Shabbos comes in.
- Saturday and SundayClosed The pharmacy is closed for Shabbos, and stays closed Sunday. We plan Thursday and Friday morning with you so that you are covered right through the weekend.
- MondayOpen at 9:00 Back at the counter. Anything that came up over the weekend is first in line Monday morning.
Yom tov weeks are different. Yom tov, the Jewish festival days, falls on different dates every year, so the week before a chag will not always look like the list above. Call 416-789-1800 and ask about that particular week, a few days ahead rather than the morning of.
Friday afternoon, and what to do about it
This is the question we are asked most, usually by someone holding a prescription at two o’clock on a Friday. Here is the honest shape of it, so you can plan rather than hope.
- Thursday is the comfortable day If you can see that you are running low, Thursday is when there is room to fix it properly: time to reach your doctor for a renewal, time for anything that has to be ordered in, and time to get it to your door.
- Friday morning, call rather than assume The counter is open from 9:00 and a lot can still be done. But if a prescriber has to be reached, that call has to happen while their office is still answering. Ring us on 416-789-1800 and ask. We would rather tell you plainly that something will not make it today than leave you hoping.
- The door closes at 3:30 Friday closing is 3:30 so that staff, counters, and deliveries are all settled well before Shabbos. Deliveries do not run on Friday afternoon or on Saturday, so anything going out has to leave earlier in the day.
- Monday at 9:00, you are first in line We reopen Monday morning, and anything that came up over the weekend is the first thing we deal with.
If something urgent happens while we are closed. For a medical emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department. For a medication that cannot wait until Monday, a hospital or a pharmacy that is open can help you in the moment, and we sort out the rest with you when we reopen.
Kosher awareness at the counter
The questions people bring here are practical ones. Is this capsule gelatin? Where does the gelatin come from? Is there another form of the same medicine? Around Pesach the questions multiply, and we expect them. You will never get a shrug, and you will never get a claim we cannot stand behind.
- Ingredient questions, answered plainly Ask us whether a capsule is gelatin based and where that gelatin comes from, or what else is in a liquid or a tablet. We check the ingredient information for the specific product in your hand, not a generic answer.
- Suitable options, where they exist When an ingredient is a concern, we can discuss suitable options: a tablet instead of a capsule, a different manufacturer, a liquid, or a compounded preparation made in our own lab. Your doctor stays in the loop for any change.
- Honesty about what medicine is A medication is not a certified food, and we do not claim kosher certification for any product. What we offer is a pharmacist who understands why you are asking, checks properly, and leaves the decision with you and, if you wish, your rav.
What a pharmacy can honestly tell you, and what it cannot
What we can do
- Read you the ingredient information for the exact product in your hand, including whether the capsule shell is gelatin and whatever the manufacturer does say about where it came from.
- Tell you when the same medicine exists in another form, a tablet instead of a capsule, a liquid, or a different manufacturer, and raise it with your prescriber, because the change is theirs to make.
- Compound a preparation in our own lab when a suitable form does not exist on a shelf anywhere.
- Note the question on your file, so you do not have to start the conversation again from the beginning every time.
What we will not pretend to do
- Certify a medication as kosher. Medicines are not certified foods, and we do not claim kosher certification for anything we dispense.
- Tell you whether a particular medication is permitted for you. That is a halachic question and it belongs to your rav. What we can do is hand you the facts your rav will ask for.
- Promise that a manufacturer’s ingredient information is complete or unchanged. Formulations and suppliers do change, which is why we look up the product in front of us rather than working from memory.
Around Pesach the questions change shape, and we expect them. Ask early in the season rather than in the week before: there is far more room to look something up, speak to a prescriber, or prepare an alternative when the calendar is not already against us.
On our own supplement formulas: they are made in vegetarian capsules rather than gelatin ones. If you are asking because of kashrus, say so when you call and it goes on the record before anything is prepared. See our supplements →
Part of the community, open to everyone
From the same corner at Bathurst and Baycrest for more than forty years, we serve families across North York and Thornhill, in the neighbourhoods around community anchors like the BAYT, the Thornhill Community Kollel, Eitz Chaim, and Netivot HaTorah. The people at our counter are often the same people we see all week long, which is exactly how a neighbourhood pharmacy should work.
And the door is open to everyone. You do not need to be Jewish, or religious, or from the neighbourhood to fill a prescription here. Many of our patients are none of those things. Our observance sets our hours; it has never set any limit on who we care for.
Delivery, timed around Shabbos. Free delivery across North York and Thornhill, planned so that medication is in your hands with time to spare before Shabbos, never stranded on a doorstep after candle lighting. Call 416-789-1800 to arrange it.
Questions we hear, answered honestly
Are you a certified kosher pharmacy?
We are a Shomer Shabbos pharmacy, and we answer ingredient questions honestly. Medicines are not certified foods, and we do not claim kosher certification for any medication. What we do is read the ingredient list with you, identify things like gelatin sources, and discuss suitable options with you, your doctor, and your rav if you consult one.
Do you deliver before Shabbos?
We plan deliveries around Shabbos so that medication reaches you with time to spare, never after the door is locked. Call us at 416-789-1800 to arrange timing, and in the short Fridays of winter, call earlier in the week so there is room to plan comfortably.
What are your hours on Friday?
9:00 to 3:30. We then stay closed Saturday and Sunday and reopen Monday at 9:00. Monday to Thursday the pharmacy is open 9:00 to 6:00.
It is already Friday afternoon and I need a prescription.
Call 416-789-1800 straight away and we will tell you plainly whether it can be done before we close at 3:30. Deliveries do not run on Friday afternoon or on Saturday. If we have already closed and it is a medical emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department; for a medication that cannot wait, a pharmacy that is open can help in the moment, and we pick it up with you Monday at 9:00.
Do my medications need a hechsher?
That is a halachic question, and it belongs to your rav rather than to us. Our job is to hand you the facts your rav will ask about: the exact product and manufacturer, what the ingredient information says, whether the capsule shell is gelatin, and whether the same medicine exists in another form. We do not claim kosher certification for anything we dispense.
What are your hours around Yom Tov?
Yom tov, the Jewish festival days, falls on different dates every year, so there is no single answer that stays true. The standing week is Monday to Thursday 9:00 to 6:00 and Friday 9:00 to 3:30, closed Saturday and Sunday. Before a chag, call 416-789-1800 and ask about that particular week, ideally a few days ahead rather than the morning of.
Can you tell me whether my medication contains gelatin?
Yes, ask us. We look up the ingredient information for the exact product you were dispensed, tell you what we find, and if an alternative form exists, a tablet, a liquid, or a compounded preparation, we can discuss suitable options with you and your prescriber.
Do I need to be Jewish, or religious, to use the pharmacy?
Not at all. Murray Shore has served the whole neighbourhood since 1983, and plenty of our patients have no connection to the community. Everyone gets the same counter, the same pharmacist, and the same care. The only thing our observance changes for you is the hours on the door.
What if I run out of medication on Shabbos or Sunday?
Tell us before the week ends and we will make sure you do not. Call by Thursday, or Friday morning at the latest, and we prepare and deliver what you need before we close. If something urgent happens while we are closed, a hospital or an open pharmacy can help in the moment, and we sort out the rest with you on Monday.
Do you serve Thornhill as well as North York?
Yes. Free delivery covers both North York and Thornhill, so whether you live near the store at Bathurst and Baycrest or further up Bathurst, your prescriptions can come to your door at no charge, planned around Shabbos.
Your pharmacist is one call away.
416-789-1800 Call nowPrefer not to call? Email info@murrayshore.com or visit us at Bathurst & Baycrest.