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.
As we shall see below, the basic underlying rules are fairly simple. If you buy your meat at a kosher butcher and buy only kosher certified products at the market, the only thing you need to think about is the separation of meat and dairy.
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. In those situations, your lack of knowledge about your host's ingredients and food preparation techniques make it very difficult to keep kosher.
Some commentators have pointed out, however, that this may well have been part of what G-d had in mind: to make it more difficult for us to socialize with those who do not share our religion. Although the details of kashrut are extensive, the laws all derive from a few fairly simple, straightforward rules:.
Of the "beasts of the earth" which basically refers to land mammals with the exception of swarming rodents , you may eat any animal that has cloven hooves and chews its cud.
Any land mammal that does not have both of these qualities is forbidden. The Torah specifies that the camel, the rock badger, the hare and the pig are not kosher because each lacks one of these two qualifications. Cattle, sheep, goats, deer and bison are kosher. Of the things that are in the waters, you may eat anything that has fins and scales. Thus, shellfish such as lobsters, oysters, shrimp, clams and crabs are all forbidden.
Fish like tuna, carp, salmon and herring are all permitted. For birds, the criteria is less clear. The Torah provides a list of forbidden birds Lev. All of the birds on the list are birds of prey or scavengers, thus the rabbis inferred that this was the basis for the distinction. Other birds are permitted, such as chicken, geese, ducks and turkeys. However, some people avoid turkey, because it is was unknown at the time of the giving of the Torah, leaving room for doubt.
Of the "winged swarming things" winged insects , a few are specifically permitted Lev. There are communities that have a tradition about what species are permitted, and in those communities some insects are eaten.
Rodents, reptiles, amphibians, and insects except as mentioned above are all forbidden. Some authorities require a post-mortem examination of the lungs of cattle, to determine whether the lungs are free from adhesions. If the lungs are free from such adhesions, the animal is deemed "glatt" that is, "smooth". In certain circumstances, an animal can be kosher without being glatt; however, the stringency of keeping "glatt kosher" has become increasingly common in recent years, and you would be hard-pressed to find any kosher meat that is not labeled as "glatt kosher.
As mentioned above, any product derived from these forbidden animals, such as their milk, eggs, fat, or organs, also cannot be eaten. Rennet, an enzyme used to harden cheese, is often obtained from non-kosher animals, thus kosher hard cheese can be difficult to find. The mammals and birds that may be eaten must be slaughtered in accordance with Jewish law.
We may not eat animals that died of natural causes Deut. In addition, the animal must have no disease or flaws in the organs at the time of slaughter. These restrictions do not apply to fish; only to the flocks and herds Num. Ritual slaughter is known as shechitah, and the person who performs the slaughter is called a shochet, both from the Hebrew root Shin-Cheit-Teit.
The method of slaughter is a quick, deep stroke across the throat with a perfectly sharp blade with no nicks or unevenness. This method is painless, causes unconsciousness within two seconds, and is widely recognized as the most humane method of slaughter possible.
Another advantage of shechitah is that it ensures rapid, complete draining of the blood, which is also necessary to render the meat kosher. The shochet is not simply a butcher; he must be a pious man, well-trained in Jewish law, particularly as it relates to kashrut. In smaller, more remote communities, the rabbi and the shochet were often the same person. The Torah prohibits consumption of blood. This is the only dietary law that has a reason specified in Torah: we do not eat blood because the life of the animal literally, the soul of the animal is contained in the blood.
This applies only to the blood of birds and mammals, not to fish blood. Thus, it is necessary to remove all blood from the flesh of kosher animals. The first step in this process occurs at the time of slaughter. As discussed above, shechitah allows for rapid draining of most of the blood. The remaining blood must be removed, either by broiling or soaking and salting. Liver may only be kashered by the broiling method, because it has so much blood in it and such complex blood vessels.
This final process must be completed within 72 hours after slaughter, and before the meat is frozen or ground. Most butchers and all frozen food vendors take care of the soaking and salting for you, but you should always check this when you are buying someplace you are unfamiliar with. An egg that contains a blood spot may not be eaten. This isn't very common, but I find them once in a while. It is a good idea to break an egg into a glass and check it before you put it into a heated pan, because if you put a blood-stained egg into a heated pan, the pan becomes non-kosher.
If your recipe calls for multiple eggs, break each one into the glass separately, so you don't waste all of the eggs if the last one is not kosher! The sciatic nerve and its adjoining blood vessels may not be eaten. The process of removing this nerve is time consuming and not cost-effective, so most American kosher slaughterers simply sell the hind quarters to non-kosher butchers. A certain kind of fat, known as chelev, which surrounds the vital organs and the liver, may not be eaten.
Kosher butchers remove this. Modern scientists have found biochemical differences between this type of fat and the permissible fat around the muscles and under the skin. All fruits and vegetables are kosher but see the note regarding Grape Products below. However, bugs and worms that may be found in some fruits and vegetables are not kosher.
Fruits and vegetables that are prone to this sort of thing should be inspected to ensure that they contain no bugs. Leafy vegetables like lettuce and herbs and flowery vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower are particularly prone to bugs and should be inspected carefully. Strawberries and raspberries can also be problematic. The Star-K kosher certification organization has a very nice overview of the fruits and vegetables prone to this and the procedure for addressing it in each type.
On three separate occasions, the Torah tells us not to "boil a kid in its mother's milk. The Oral Torah explains that this passage prohibits eating meat and dairy together.
The rabbis extended this prohibition to include not eating milk and poultry together. In addition, the Talmud prohibits cooking meat and fish together or serving them on the same plates, because it is considered to be unhealthy.
I had been granted a last-minute acceptance to the London School of Economics for graduate school, bought a one-way ticket, and flew across the world knowing virtually no one.
We sat down to a pre-fast dinner of a sumptuous, non-kosher steak. It was an unusual situation, admittedly, but illustrates a fundamental point. Um, hey, newly-religious folk: remember that commandment about honoring your mother and father? Need some kosher cooking inspiration? Check out our recipe index for things like hummus and sweet potato kugel , and learn how one foodie accidentally stumbled on a great Shabbat meal.
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The survey also indicated that some of the non-Orthodox, nevertheless, eat non-kosher food outside the home. For Jews who observe the laws of kashrut, keeping kosher is a means of observing the commandments of the Torah. No reason is given in the Torah for God's commandment to do so. It is also believed that sitting down at a table with foods prepared in accordance with his laws, reminds the individual of his Jewish heritage. Although there are no longer any real-life punishments for failing to observe the Torah's commandments, every Jewish person is called upon to do good and be righteous in the eyes of God.
For those who keep kosher, there does not need to be another reason. Michele Rosen has been writing for more than 20 years. Rosen holds a B. Regardless of how old we are, we never stop learning. Classroom is the educational resource for people of all ages. Based on the Word Net lexical database for the English Language.
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