Keeping kosher is not too scary and it doesn't have to be overly complex. There are some basic rules and some more complex rulings around keeping kashrut. If you are starting from never keeping kosher before, I highly recommend going slowly and learning the law THEN taking on the action.Over the next few posts, I will lay out the basic definition of kashrut and the rules. We can do this together!Keeping Kosher Does Not Mean It's Been Blessed By A Rabbi.I get that question all the time... so your bread/cheese/fruit/chips/juice/meat is kosher. That means a rabbi blessed it, right? Nope... not exactly how kosher works. It's not like a rabbi can bless a pork chop and make it kosher. It isn't magical or ethereal and frankly it's not even really about health. Most of our dietary laws, the laws of kashrut, derive from a need to create separation. We needed to be different, live a different life from our pagan neighbors. And just as most Jews will not put up a "holiday tree" no matter how many people try to convince us it's "not really about x-mas anymore," the laws of kashrut were to remind us that we didn't do those solstice festivals and pray that way. Not to go too off on a tangent but Judaism has always been about (to me) the ability to be separate but friends. Different but equal. Now, I know those are loaded phrases but I believe assimilation is not the key... we don't want to be a melting pot... we want to be a stew or a salad... each food retaining its inherent shape and flavor but adding to the greater good (flavor) and maybe becoming even tastier because of the relationship. Again, these are my personal feelings.Okay, let's get cracking. The word kasher means fit. Kashrut has been translated as supervision. Colloquially, it means Jewish dietary laws. There are a couple of steps to something being kosher:
- It must be the right "type."
- It must be handled correctly.
Let's start with number one. It must be the right "type." Okay, so there are things that are inherently permissible and things that are prohibited biblically. You can find these listed in your friendly bible/TaNaCh in a few different places. Many of the laws come in around Leviticus (Vayikrah for those of you playing the Hebrew home edition) but we see them also in Genesis and Deuteronomy (Bereshit and Devarim, respectively). It's a big list... are you ready?Here is what is NOT allowed:
- Non-kosher animals and birds (based on Leviticus 11:3–8 and Deuteronomy 14:3–21):
- Mammals require certain identifying characteristics (completely cloven hooves and being ruminants)
- Birds require a tradition that they can be consumed.
- Fish require scales and fins.
- All insects are non-kosher apart from a certain type of locust on which most communities lack a clear tradition
- An animal with a significant defect or injury, such as a fractured bone or particular types of lung adhesion
- Blood of kosher mammals and fowl is removed through salting, with special procedures for the liver which is very rich in blood. AKA no blood!
- Particular parts of the abdominal fat of cattle, goats and sheep must be removed by a special process
- The sciatic nerve. Why? According Genesis 32:33, Jacob's was damaged when he fought with an angel therefore, it cannot be eaten and is removed by a special process
- According to Genesis 9:4, a limb torn from an animal that is still alive may not be consumed; this law is considered applicable even to non-Jews. Your meat must be dead before consuming. Pretty good rule...
- Untithed food. This is slightly more complex BUT only relates to produce from Israel. That requires the removal of certain tithes, which in ancient times were given to the Kohanim (priests), Levites and the poor. Makes it harder to buy produce in Israel than one would think!
- Fruit during the first three years of a tree's life. According to Leviticus 19:23, fruit from a tree in the first three years after planting cannot be consumed (both in the Land of Israel and the diaspora).
- In Leviticus 23:14 the Bible prohibits newly grown grain (planted after Passover the previous year) until the second day of Passover; there is debate as to whether this law applies to grain grown outside the Land of Israel
- Wine that may have been dedicated to idolatrous practices.
Whew! Heck of a list. Bonus is that many of these things either don't apply since we don't live in Israel OR are taken care of by the butcher or common sense. How many of us rip off a cow leg and start chowing down while the animal is still alive... NONE I HOPE! So you see, it isn't has hard as it looks!SO we are going to leave it there to start. I don't want to overwhelm you. Look for part two soon when we talk about the infamous No Cheeseburger Rule!
