[[Image:Kashrut advertizement.jpg|thumb|right|300px|As illustrated by this advertisement for a New York delicatessen, the observance of kosher transforms food into a vehicle for holiness, making the kitchen the spiritual hub of the home. Through observance, every activity associated with food becomes an opportunity for spiritual refinement.<ref>"Y2K" (2002) [http://www.ok.org/Content.asp?ID=22 Committee For The Advancement of Torah]. Retrieved 23 July 2008.</ref>]]
[['''Kosher]] ''' is the [[English|Anglicized]] form of the [[Hebrew]] term ''kasher'', which literally means "good" or "proper," but came to indicate an item "fit for ritual use." '''Kashrut''' thus means "fitness" for ritual use.<ref>"Kosher Terminology" [http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/practices/kosher.htm Keeping Kosher: Jewish Dietary Laws]. Retrieved 23 July 2008.</ref> The Hebrew word for non-kosher is ''trayf'', derived from the word ''terayfa'', "torn", stemming from the commandment not to eat meat that has been "torn" by other animals.<ref name="k">http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm</ref> Any style of food may be kosher or non-kosher, from [[China|Chinese]] to [[Mexico|Mexican]] to [[Jewish]] food. Similarly, traditional Ashkenazic Jewish foods like knishes, bagels, blintzes, and matzah ball soup can all be non-kosher if not prepared in accordance with Jewish law.<ref>"Kashrut: Jewish Dietary Laws" [http://kosherfood.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=kosherfood&cdn=food&tm=18&gps=180_189_1436_754&f=10&tt=14&bt=1&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm Judaism 101]. Retrieved 23 July 2008.</ref>
While Jewish Dietary Laws originated in the [[Bible]] (Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 17), they have been codified and interpreted over the centuries by [[Rabbi|rabbinicalrabbi]] nical authorities, and the definitions of kosher have evolved in response to changes in the food industry, the Jewish people, and world culture.<ref>Shimoni, Giora "What is Kosher Food?" [http://kosherfood.about.com/od/whatiskosherfood/f/kosherfood.htm About.com: Kosher Food]. Retrieved 23 July 2008.</ref>
==Rules of Kashrut==
# The sciatic nerve and its adjoining blood vessels may not be eaten.<ref>http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm#Fats</ref>
# Insects are forbidden.<ref name="an"/><ref name="bug"/><ref name="bug2">http://www.skskosher.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=32</ref>
# Rodents, reptiles, and amphibians, are all forbidden. <ref name="an"/>
# Vegetables and fruits must be checked for insects.<ref name="bug">http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm#Fruits</ref><ref name="bug2"/>
# Milk and meat and or poultry derived foods must not be mixed.<ref name="s">http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm#Separation</ref>
# Fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables and grains can be eaten with either meat/poultry or dairy.<ref>http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm#Rules</ref>
# Amongst poultry, birds of prey are considered treyf.<ref name="an"/>
# Wine is not kosher if it has been touched by a non-Jews unless the wine has previously been boiled. This is due to the concern that the wine might be used for idolatrous purposes. <ref>http://www.skskosher.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=64&Itemid=32</ref><ref>http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-thirst-wine.htm</ref># When, after the ritual slaughtering, an animal, apparently sound during its life, is found to have been diseased, its milk, or cheese made of its milk, is forbidden as food. <ref name="JE">Jewish Encyclopedia's article on Dietary Laws</ref>
# The ancient Israelites looked with horror upon the custom prevalent among the surrounding nations of cutting off a limb or a piece of flesh from a living animal and eating it.<ref name="JE"/> Such limbs had to be thrown away.<ref name="JE"/>
# Water that was left uncovered overnight was not permitted as drink in olden times, because of the apprehension that a serpent might have left its venom in it.<ref name="JE"/> Where serpents are not found this prohibition does not exist.<ref name="JE"/>
==Misconceptions about Kosher==
Jewish people who do not keep kosher often complain that keeping kosher is difficult.<ref name="difficult">http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm#Difficult</ref> 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.<ref name="difficult"/> In fact, the basic underlying rules are fairly simple.<ref name="difficult"/> 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.<ref name="difficult"/> 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.<ref name="difficult"/> In those situations, your lack of knowledge about your host's ingredients and food preparation techniques make it very difficult to keep kosher.<ref name="difficult"/> 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.<ref name="difficult"/> Products that have been certified as kosher are labeled with a mark called a hekhsher.<ref name="certify">http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm#Certification</ref> Approximately 3/4 of all prepackaged foods have some kind of kosher certification, and most major brands have reliable Orthodox certification.<ref name="certify"/>The total number of certified kosher packaged food products in the United States has reached close to 100,000.<ref name="crc"/> The most controversial certification is the K, a plain letter K found on products asserted to be kosher.<ref name="certify"/> A letter of the alphabet cannot be trademarked, so any manufacturer can put a K on a product, even without any supervision at all.<ref name="certify"/> For example, Jell-O brand gelatin puts a K on its product, even though every reliable Orthodox authority agrees that Jell-O is not kosher.<ref name="certify"/>
Another misconception about Kosher is that a rabbi is required to bless food, which is false.<ref>http://www.crcweb.org/kosher/industry/whatkosher.html</ref>
</div>
{{RL}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==