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questions of Kosher and Kashrut
should be directed to a reliable
Rabbi |
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Living
kosher is living like a
Jew
What does Keeping Kosher
mean?
Without food we can't live.
We all have heard the famous
line, "Man does not
live by bread alone..."
The verse comes from Torah
[Bible] and is a reference
to the miraculous manna,
which fell from heaven daily
during the Jewish people's
sojourn in the wilderness.
The conclusion of the verse
is that "rather, by
the utterance of God's mouth
does man live." Thus,
it is reminding us about
the true source of human
sustenance and where it
comes from.
What
Kosher is NOT:
The
modern World has often thought
the "laws of
kosher"
were based on hygiene. It
was believed by some that
kosher animals were healthier
to eat than non-kosher animals.
It was also noted that the
laws of purity (Leviticus
11-15) not only describe
the difference between clean
and unclean animals, but
also describe other phenomena
related to health. Thus,
it was natural for many
to assume that all the laws
of kashrut were merely hygienic
in intent and origin.
Also wrong is the belief
that kosher means blessed
by a Rabbi.
What
make something un-Kosher?
Food
may be designated non-kosher
for a several of reasons.
They include the species
involved (for example; pig
and fish without scales
and fins) the manner in
which the food was processed
(animal improperly slaughtered,
or the mixing of milk and
meat); or time (leavened
product not properly disposed
of prior to Passover or
food cooked on the Sabbath).
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You
are what you eat and
the spiritual connection
between man and God.
What
Kosher is:
Basically,
Dietary laws or rules
Rules
such as do not mix
milk and meat to which
animals you can eat.
There is nothing intrinsically
wicked about eating
pork or lobster, and
there is nothing intrinsically
moral about eating
cheese or chicken
instead. But what
the Jewish way of
life does by imposing
rules on our eating,
sleeping, and working
habits is to take
the most common and
mundane activities
and invest them with
deeper meaning, turning
every one of them
into an occasion for
obeying (or disobeying)
God. |
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Kosher Kitchen - Separating Dishes
Dishes
and cooking utensils must be sorted
and stored in separate areas according
to Meat, Dairy and Parve. A color scheme
is very helpful: Meat - Red, Dairy -
Blue, and Parve - Green. Some
kosher kitchen have two sides: a Meat
side and a Dairy side.
Kosher
Symbols
 If
you see any of the symbols that are
represented, it means "the food
has been inspected by one of the many
kosher certifying agencies in the United
States. Each
 agency
identifies itself by its own unique
symbol."
Kosher
Symbols List with Pictures
Types of foods
Meat
Kosher mammals must both have cloven
hooves and chew their cud. All kosher
mammals are artiodactyl herbivores that
can be domesticated, such as cows, goats,
deer and sheep. The Torah specifies
certain birds that are not kosher; in
general, scavengers are considered non-kosher.
The modern Halakha on kashrut classifies
the flesh of both mammals and birds
as "meat".
Jewish law states that kosher animals
must be slaughtered according to a strict
set of guidelines, the slaughter (shechita)
being designed to minimize the pain
inflicted. A professional slaughterer,
or (shochet), uses a large razor-sharp
knife with absolutely no irregularities,
nicks or dents. A single cut is made
across the throat, severing both carotid
arteries, both jugular veins, both Vagus
nerves, the trachea and the esophagus,
usually causing death in 3-4 seconds.
(If done improperly the death could
take minutes; this is true for any method
of slaughtering.) If the knife catches
even for a split second, or is found
afterward to have developed any irregularities,
the animal is not kosher and is sold
as regular meat.
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Once
killed, the animal is opened to determine
whether there are any irregularities or growths
(i.e. cancer), on its internal organs, some
of which can render the animal non-kosher.
The term "Glatt" kosher means strictly
kosher where the glatt (lungs) are carefully
examined for adhesions (i.e. cancer). The
word treif -- derived from the Hebrew treifah,
meaning "torn" -- originally referred
to animals which had been killed by wild beasts
therefore were not fit for human consumption.
Large
blood vessels must be removed, and all blood
must be removed from the
meat,
as Jewish law prohibits the consumption of
the blood of any animal. This is most commonly
done by soaking and salting, but also can
be done by broiling. An interesting fact,
little-known outside of Jewish communities,
is that the hindquarters of a mammal are not
kosher unless the sciatic nerve and the fat
surrounding it are removed (Gen. 32:33). This
is a very time-consuming process demanding
a great deal of special training, and is rarely
done outside Israel, where there is a greater
demand for kosher
meat,
since all
meat
sold in Jewish towns is required to be kosher
by law. When it is not done, the hindquarters
of the animal are sold for non-kosher
meat.
Dairy
Milk
and milk-derived products derived from kosher
animals are always kosher. All milk from cows
is kosher. In practice, many Orthodox Jews
use only "Cholov Yisroel" milk and
dairy products; this label means that the
milk has been under constant rabbinical supervision
from milking to bottling, to make sure that
it is not adulterated with the milk of a non-kosher
animal. In the past this was a serious issue;
today this is not a practical concern in the
USA or in most western countries. As such,
most Modern Orthodox rabbis and all Conservative
rabbis hold that FDA supervision is sufficient
for milk and dairy products to be considered
automatically kosher.
No mixing of
meat
and dairy
Milk
products and
meat
products may not be eaten together in the
same meal, much less cooked together. Jewish
law thus mandates a set of fence laws that
prevent this from happening. Jewish homes
have two sets of silverware, cookware, cups,
and dishes. One is for milk (Yiddish milchig,
Hebrew halavi) dishes, and one is for
meat
(Yiddish fleishig, Hebrew bsari) dishes. This
prevents any trace of
meat
or dairy from being accidentally mixed. (Foods
that contain neither milk nor
meat
are considered "neutral" -- Yiddish
parev, Hebrew parve.)
Jewish law considers glass (and some say Pyrex)
to be non-absorbent; thus, one could use just
a single set of glass plates and dishes. In
practice, this is rarely done not only because
of the cost, but also because it is held that
it would weaken the traditional system of
kashrut observance. However, it is common
even within the most religiously observant
households to allow drinking glasses to be
used for both dairy and
meat
meals, as long as they are thoroughly washed.
Various customs are observed for how long
it is necessary to wait after eating
meat
before eating dairy foods again, and vice
versa. Waits of three hours and six hours
are the most common practices, though some
communities wait only one hour.
 Here
is a list of the laws.
No
wine may be produced from a vine until its
fourth year.
The
vineyard, if within the biblical lands, must
be left fallow every seven years.
Only
vines may be grown in vineyards.
From
arrival at the winery, the grapes and resulting
wine may only be handled by strictly Sabbath-observing
Jews, and only 100 per cent kosher materials
may be used in the wine-making, maturation,
and bottling processes.
*The
fourth law applies only to those who handle
the must or the wine itself.
What makes beer kosher?
Produce
All fresh fruits and vegetables are kosher.
Jewish law requires that they be carefully
checked and cleaned to make sure that there
are no insects on them, as insects are not
kosher (except Orthoptera, see below). In
the last century the laws of kashrut have
become much stricter in the Ultra-Orthodox
Jewish community; they refuse to eat many
vegetables, such as broccoli, because they
hold that such vegetables are too difficult
to remove tiny insects from.
Canned and frozen foods
Most such goods are usually permissible
since manufacturers add only water and spices
during the packaging process. Sometimes,
however, fruits or vegetables are prepared
with milk products or with non-kosher ingredients
such as non-kosher
meat
broth. Orthodox Judaism thus holds that
canned and frozen goods should generally
not be consumed unless there is a heksher
(mark of rabbinical certification of kashrut)
on the product. Conservative Judaism often
is more lenient, and holds that a careful
reading of the ingredients is sufficient.
Grains and cereals
Unprocessed grains and cereals are kosher.
Processed items (e.g. dry cereals, baked
goods) often contain small quantities of
non-kosher ingredients. As such Orthodox
Judaism holds that these goods should generally
not be consumed unless there is a heksher
(mark of rabbinical certification of kashrut)
on the product. Conservative Judaism often
is more lenient, and holds that a careful
reading of the ingredients is sufficient.
Grains and cereals during Passover
During the 8 days of Passover there are
additional restrictions on what foods may
be eaten. Jewish law forbids Jews from eating
any leavened or possibly leavened product
made from wheat, rye, barley, spelt, or
oats.
An Orthodox discussion of the kitniot controversy
An Israeli Conservative discussion of the
kitniot controversy
Rabbinical Assembly Passover guide
Eggs
Eggs
from kosher birds are kosher; they are also
considered pareve (neutral; neither milk
nor
meat.)
Eggs that contain blood may not be used.
A partially-formed egg which is found inside
of a slaughtered bird may be eaten, but
it must undergo the same process of blood
removal as the animal, and it is considered
to be fleishig.
Birds
Kosher
birds include: capon, duck (domestic), goose
(domestic), chicken, turkey, guinea fowl
and many others. As a general principle,
scavenging birds such as eagles and vultures
are not considered kosher, and others (generally)
are.
Leviticus outlines the non-kosher birds
and the rest are all kosher. In practice,
however, only the birds that Jews have a
tradition of eating are actually eaten.
Insects
With three exceptions, all bugs and insects
are forbidden as treif (un-kosher). The
exception is a type of locust from the Arabian
peninsula; this type of locust encompasses
four distinct species of locust. The tradition
for identifying which species of locust
were and were not kosher has been lost among
all Jews except the Jews of Yemen. The Grasshopper
and beetle are also kosher.
Is Honey Kosher?
Cheese
Cheese made from milk and non-animal enzymes
is kosher. But much cheese is made from
milk and rennet, and the kashrut of such
cheeses is a matter of debate in the religious
Jewish community.
Rennet is the enzyme used to turn milk into
curds and whey; most forms of rennet derive
from the lining of the stomach of an animal,
and thus are classified by most religious
Jews as
meat
products. A vegetable substitute for rennet
can be used, in which case none of these
restrictions apply. Other Jewish authorities
maintain another long standing Jewish legal
tradition: rennet is held to be a secretion
of the stomach wall, and thus does not have
the status of
meat.
Further, in its normal processing, rennet
undergoes a chemical change and becomes
inedible, thus halakhically becoming a non-food.
All foods in this category automatically
lose any kashrut restrictions. They are
considered to have changed so much from
their original state that they are a d'var
chadash, "a new substance" with
properties significantly different from
those of their original form. All such substances
are considered pareve (neutral and kosher).
Fish and Seafood
To be kosher, a fish must have both fins
and scales. The lack of either characteristic
renders that species of fish unclean. Examples
of unkosher fish include shark, catfish
and eels. All shellfish, such as crabs,
lobster, and shrimp are not kosher. All
sea mammals, such as dolphins, whales and
seals are not kosher. All other sea animals,
such as octopus, squid and jellyfish are
also not kosher.
Seaweed and other sea plant life are all
kosher.
There are two fish that are controversial:
Swordfish and sturgeon. Both of these have
scales as young fish, but lose them later
in life. Most Orthodox rabbis rule that
these fish are not kosher; many Conservative
rabbis rule that they are kosher.
Gelatin
A
controversial topic is the status of gelatin.
This substance comes from the processed
bones of animals. If the source of gelatin
is a kosher animal that was properly slaughtered
according to Jewish law, then such gelatin
is considered kosher by all Jews. All other
gelatin is usually considered treif (non-kosher).
However, a number of prominent rabbinic
authorities have noted that gelatin undergoes
such extensive processing and chemical changes
that it no longer has the status of
meat,
and as such may be considered pareve and
kosher. Most Conservative Jews, and a significant
minority of Israeli Orthodox Jews, accept
that all gelatin is kosher.
Vegetarianism
Genesis
1:29 states "And God said: Behold,
I have given you every herb yielding seed
which is upon the face of all the earth,
and every tree that has seed-yielding fruit
- to you it shall be for food." According
to many classical Jewish Bible commentators,
this means that God's original plan was
for mankind to be vegetarian. According
to many rabbis, God later gave permission
for man to eat
meat
because of man's weak nature, but the ideal
would be for man to be vegetarian. Some
prominent rabbis were vegetarian, such as
the first Chief Rabbi of pre-state Israel,
Abraham Isaac Kook. However, others argue
that people may eat animals because God
gave Eve and Adam dominion over them. (The
Torah and vegetarianism)
In addition, some Jews follow a more or
less vegetarian diet for pragmatic reasons,
if kosher
meat
is expensive or hard to come by in their
area.
Kashrut and animal welfare
The method of slaughtering used in strict
adherence to Jewish law has been criticized
as being cruel by many animal rights organizations,
in particular because animals are killed
without the use of anesthesia. This has
resulted in several restrictions or even
an outright ban on kosher
meat
in a number of countries, though other countries
grant ritualistic slaughter such as kashrut
special exemption from the relevant regulations.
However, some bans were in place before
animal rights had become a general public
concern.
Animal rights groups claim it can still
take several minutes for the animal to die
and thus would cause immense suffering.
Jewish groups point to studies showing that
the technique is no more painful than conventional
techniques, and in most cases quicker and
less painful; the conclusions of these studies
are rejected by animal rights advocates.
In addition, there are campaigns to have
the practice of ritualistic slaughter globally
banned [1].
Many Jewish organizations suspect that anti-semitism
may also be an influence behind the efforts
to ban kosher
meat,
partly because of a distinct anti-semitic
element among the opponents of ritualistic
slaughter, partly because of the age of
some bans. |
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Theories on the origin of the Biblical
dietary laws
Such a rationale seems reasonable when considering
the laws prohibiting the consumption of scavenger
birds, which may carry disease from the carrion
they consume; shellfish, which can contain
parasites which can harm people; and pork,
which can harbor trichinosis if not properly
cooked. However, this hypothesis does not
seem to make sense when one looks at the other
laws of kashrut: They also forbid the consumption
of birds of prey, which do not carry such
diseases, and all fish without true scales,
such as sharks. They even permit animals such
as cows and sheep which also can harbor diseases
which are dangerous to humans. In addition,
this hypothesis does not explain the following
parts of the Jewish dietary laws: Fruit from
trees may not be eaten before the tree turns
four years old; one must remove all blood
from the
meat; fruits and vegetables may be eaten
without prohibition (even though there are
many poisonous herbs, seeds, berries and fruits).
This is not to say that there could be no
connection between the priestly laws of kashrut
and hygiene. As in the dietary codes of many
societies, it only makes sense that, over
time, hygiene would likely play some role
in the development of the dietary laws of
Leviticus.
The symbolic laws hypothesis
During the first few centuries of the common
era some non-Jewish philosophers held
that the laws of kashrut were symbolic in
character. In this view, kosher animals represent
virtues, while non-kosher animals represent
vices. The first indication of this view can
be found in the 1st century BCE Letter of
Aristeas (par. 145-148, 153). This view later
reappears in the writings of Philo of Alexandria,
and in the writings of some of the early Church
fathers. This hypothesis has long since been
rejected by Rabbis. Modern biblical criticism
also has found nothing to support this hypothesis.
The laws as statutes without explanation
or reason
"Some Jewish scholars have held that
these dietary laws should simply be categorized
with a group of laws that are considered irrational
in that there is no particular explanation
for their existence. The reason for this is
that there are some of God's regulations for
mankind that the human mind is not necessarily
capable of understanding. Related to this
is the idea that the dietary laws were given
as a demonstration of God's authority and
that man should obey without asking for a
reason." (Source: William H. Shea, Clean
and Unclean
Meats,
Biblical Research Institute, December 1988)
This view has been rejected by the majority
of classical and modern Jewish rabbis, and
by modern biblical scholars. For example,
Maimonides holds that all the laws given by
God have a reason, that we are permitted to
seek out what these reasons may be, and that
we should feel comfortable in knowing that
rational reasons exist for all of God's laws
in the Torah, even if we are not sure of what
some of these reasons are. For Maimonides,
the idea that God gave laws without any reason
is anathema.
Laws serve as a religious and social distinction
One
theory widely accepted today is that the laws
serve as a distinction between the Israelites
and the non-Israelite nations of the world.
Gordon Wenham writes "The laws reminded
Israel what sort of behavior was expected
of her, that she had been chosen to be holy
in an unclean world." These laws had
the added effect of preventing socialization
and intermarriage with non-Jews, helping the
Jewish community maintain its identity. Wenham
writes that "circumcision was a private
matter, but the food laws made one's Jewish
faith a public affair. Observance of the food
laws was one of the outward marks of a practicing
Jew, and this in turn enhanced Jewish attachment
to them as a reminder of their special status."
(Source: Gordon J. Wenham, "The Theology
of Unclean Food," The Evangelical Quarterly
53, January March 1981, p.6-15.)
The Biblical explanation: Distinctions
lead to holiness
According
to the Biblical book of Leviticus, the purpose
of the laws is related to ritual purity and
holiness. Indeed, the Hebrew word for "holiness"
is etymologically related to the Hebrew word
for "distinction" or "separation".
This idea is generally accepted by most Jews
today, and by many modern biblical scholars.
Cultural anthropologist Mary Douglas has written
an important work on just how the Israelites
may have used the idea of distinction as a
way to create holiness. Her seminal work,
Purity and Danger (1966), is still studied
today.
Ethical and moral reasons
(To be added soon.)
How kashrut is viewed by Judaism today
Orthodox
Judaism and Conservative Judaism hold that
Jews should follow the laws of Kashrut. Reform
Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism hold
that these laws are no longer binding. Most
Jews in Reform Judaism have considered these
laws a hindrance, rather than a facilitator,
of piety; this is still the mainstream Reform
position. Some parts of the Reform community
have begun to move towards a more traditional
position. This tradition-leaning faction agrees
with mainstream Reform that the rules concerning
kashrut are no longer binding, but holds that
keeping kosher is an important way for people
to bring holiness into their lives. Thus Jews
are encouraged to consider adopting some or
all of the rules of kashrut on a voluntary
basis. The Reconstructionist movement advocates
that its members accept some of the rules
of kashrut, but does so in a non-binding fashion;
their stance on kashrut is the same as the
tradition-leaning wing of Reform.
Linguistic usage
In
English, the term kosher is frequently used
in a metaphorical sense to mean "acceptable"
or "approved", which is its conventional
meaning in Hebrew. It is also part of some
common product names. For example, "kosher
salt" is a form of salt which has large
crystals, making it particularly suitable
for preparing
meat in accordance with Kashrut law, i.e.
removing as much blood as possible. (Thus
a more accurate name would have been "koshering
salt.") And a "kosher pickle"
is a particular style of pickle that originated
in kosher delis. |
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