Kosher
Kashrut or kashruth, or "kosher" is the name of the Jewish dietary laws. Food in accordance with halakha (Jewish law) is termed kosher in English, meaning fit for consumption by Jews according to traditional Jewish law; in Yiddish it also generally means, authentic, acceptable, permissible, genuine or legitimate.
Food products that are not in accordance with Jewish law are called treyf ( "torn" or "damaged");[1] the Hebrew word refers to animals (from a kosher species such as cattle or sheep) which had been either incorrectly slaughtered or mortally wounded by wild animals and therefore were not fit for Jewish consumption. Among Sephardim, it usually only refers to meat that is not kosher.
The basic laws of kashrut are in the Torah's Book of Leviticus, with their details set down in the Talmud. Numerous reasons have been offered for these laws, ranging from philosophical and ritualistic, to practical and hygienic. According to some Biblical scholars, God's command to Noah to take seven pairs of each "clean" animal into the Ark meant seven pairs of each kosher animal. Most Christians believe that these rules became obsolete with Jesus's sacrifice.
According to the laws of Kashrut, a Jew may eat a land animal, if it chews it cud and has split hooves, animals which live in the water must have a skeleton and fins, blood is forbidden even from kosher animals, insects are forbidden, and vegetables must be checked for insects, milk and meat derived foods must not be mixed, Also, animals must be killed in a specific way by a shohet, milk and poultry derived foods must not be mixed, seperate silverware must be used for fleshig (meat and poultry) and milchig (milk) foods. Although, glass is considered not to transfer milchig and fleshig status, as long as there is no visible specks of food or drink on the glassware, and the glassware is clean. Jews must wait 6 hours after eating fleshig to eat milchig, the reverse is not true though. Foods which are not milchig or fleshig are called pareve. Fish is not considered milchig and is considered pareve. Fish does not need to be killed by a shohet. Amongst poultry, birds of prey are considered treyf. Also wine can only be considered kosher if made by a Jew, because of the importance wine plays in Jewish holidays, rituals, and services, the exception is if the wine is baked. Nowadays, many Jews who keep kosher do not have to constantly remind themselves of these laws because they simply have to look for products with a U in a circle, known as OU, or a K in a circle, known as OK.
Jewish people who do not keep kosher often complain that keeping kosher is difficult.[1] Actually, keeping kosher is not particularly difficult in and of itself; what makes it difficult to keep kosher is the fact that the rest of the world does not do so.[1] In fact, the basic underlying rules are fairly simple.[1] If you buy only kosher certified products at the market, the only thing you need to think about is the separation of meat and dairy.[1]
Keeping kosher only becomes difficult when you try to eat in a non-kosher restaurant, or at the home of a person who does not keep kosher.[1] In those situations, your lack of knowledge about your host's ingredients and food preparation techniques make it very difficult to keep kosher.[1] Some commentators have pointed out, however, that this may well have been part of what God had in mind: to make it more difficult for us to socialize with those who do not share our religion.[1]
Further reading
- Binyomen Forst, The Laws of Kashrus, Mozniam, 1999
- Isidore Grunfeld, The Jewish Dietary Laws, London: Soncino, 1972
- Isaac Klein, A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice, JTSA, 1992
- James M. Lebeau, The Jewish Dietary Laws: Sanctify Life, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, New York, 1983
- Yacov Lipschutz, Kashruth: A Comprehensive Background and Reference Guide to the Principles of Kahruth. New York:Mesorah Publications Ltd, 1989
References
External links
Resources on keeping kosher
- Online resource for keeping Kosher and becoming Kosher certified - The Orthodox Union
- Questions and Answers about specific food products and kashrut in general
- Guide to keeping kosher and Kosher Recipes
- Guide to keeping kosher
- International Kosher Symbols and Kosher Food Guidance
- Kosher Certification
- The Star K's website
- The O-K's website
- A useful guide to the issues of kashrus
Ritual slaughter
- About Shechita: The Method of Animal Slaughter
- Controversy over recent PETA complaint
- Studies on pain during slaughter
- Conservative Judaism viewpoints on which methods should be considered kosher
- Proposed British ban on kosher and halal meat
- Campaign against all ritual slaughter
Miscellaneous
- About Kosher Food: Menus and Recipes
- Kosher.com
- Traditional Kosher foods recipes
- The Torah and vegetarianism
- Second Jewish Encyclopaedia's excerpt on kashrut and Jewish dietary laws
- Kashrut certification agencies (partial list) from around the world, and their symbols which are found on all food that has been deemed kosher.