Kashrut: Jewish Dietary Laws
Level: Intermediate |
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Kashrut is the body of Jewish law dealing with what foods we can and cannot
eat and how those foods must be prepared and eaten. "Kashrut" comes from
the Hebrew root Kaf-Shin-Reish, meaning fit,
proper or correct. It is the same root as the more commonly known word "kosher,"
which describes food that meets these standards. The word "kosher" can also
be used, and often is used, to describe ritual objects that are made in
accordance with Jewish law and are fit for ritual use.
Contrary to popular misconception, rabbis or other religious officials do
not "bless" food to make it kosher. There are blessings that observant Jews
recite over food before eating it, but these blessings have nothing to do
with making the food kosher. Food can be kosher without a rabbi or priest
ever becoming involved with it: the vegetables from your garden are undoubtedly
kosher (as long as they don't have any bugs, which are not kosher!). However,
in our modern world of processed foods, it is difficult to know what ingredients
are in your food and how they were processed, so it is helpful to have a
rabbi examine the food and its processing and assure kosher consumers that
the food is kosher. This certification process is discussed
below.
There is no such thing as "kosher-style" food. Kosher is not a style of cooking.
Chinese food can be kosher if it is prepared in accordance with Jewish law,
and there are many fine kosher Chinese restaurants in Philadelphia and New
York. 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. When a restaurant calls itself
"kosher-style," it usually means that the restaurant serves these traditional
Jewish foods, and it almost invariably means that the food is not actually
kosher.
Food that is not kosher is commonly referred to as treif (lit. torn, from
the commandment not to eat animals that have been torn by other animals).
Many modern Jews think that the laws of kashrut are simply primitive health
regulations that have become obsolete with modern methods of food preparation.
There is no question that some of the dietary laws have some beneficial health
effects. For example, the laws regarding kosher slaughter are so sanitary
that kosher butchers and slaughterhouses have been exempted from many USDA
regulations.
However, health is not the only reason for Jewish dietary laws. Many of the
laws of kashrut have no known connection with health. To the best of our
modern scientific knowledge, there is no reason why camel or rabbit meat
(both treif) is any less healthy than cow or goat meat. In addition, some
of the health benefits to be derived from kashrut were not made obsolete
by the refrigerator. For example, there is some evidence that eating meat
and dairy together interferes with digestion, and no modern food preparation
technique reproduces the health benefit of the kosher law of eating them
separately.
In recent years, several secular sources that have seriously looked into
this matter have acknowledged that health does not explain these prohibitions.
Some have suggested that the prohibitions are instead derived from environmental
considerations. For example, a camel (which is not kosher) is more useful
as a beast of burden than as a source of food. In the Middle Eastern climate,
the pig consumes a quantity of food that is disproportional to its value
as a food source. But again, these are not reasons that come from Jewish
tradition.
The short answer to why Jews observe these laws is: because the
Torah says so. The Torah does not specify any
reason for these laws, and for a Torah-observant, traditional Jew, there
is no need for any other reason. Some have suggested that the laws of kashrut
fall into the category of "chukkim," laws for which there is no reason. We
show our obedience to G-d by following these laws
even though we do not know the reason. Others, however, have tried to ascertain
G-d's reason for imposing these laws.
In his book "To Be a Jew" (an excellent resource on traditional Judaism),
Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin suggests that the dietary laws are designed as a
call to holiness. The ability to distinguish between right and wrong, good
and evil, pure and defiled, the sacred and the profane, is very important
in Judaism. Imposing rules on what you can and cannot eat ingrains that kind
of self control, requiring us to learn to control even our most basic, primal
instincts.
Donin also points out that the laws of kashrut elevate the simple act of
eating into a religious ritual. The Jewish dinner table is often compared
to the Temple altar in
rabbinic literature. A Jew who observes the
laws of kashrut cannot eat a meal without being reminded of the fact that
he is a Jew.
People who do not keep kosher often tell me how difficult it is. 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:
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Certain animals may not be eaten at all. This restriction includes the flesh,
organs, eggs and milk of the forbidden animals.
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Of the animals that may be eaten, the birds and mammals must be killed in
accordance with Jewish law.
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All blood must be drained from the meat or broiled out of it before it is
eaten.
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Certain parts of permitted animals may not be eaten.
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Fruits and vegetables are permitted, but must be inspected for bugs
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Meat (the flesh of birds and mammals) cannot be eaten with dairy. Fish, eggs,
fruits, vegetables and grains can be eaten with either meat or dairy. (According
to some views, fish may not be eaten with meat).
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Utensils that have come into contact with meat may not be used with dairy,
and vice versa. Utensils that have come into contact with non-kosher food
may not be used with kosher food. This applies only where the contact occurred
while the food was hot.
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Grape products made by non-Jews may not be eaten.
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There are a few other rules that are not universal.
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. Lev. 11:3; Deut. 14:6. 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. Sheep, cattle, goats, deer and bison are kosher.
Of the things that are in the waters, you may eat anything that has fins
and scales. Lev. 11:9; Deut. 14:9. 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. 11:13-19; Deut. 14:11-18), but does
not specify why these particular birds are forbidden. 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 not mentioned
in the Torah, leaving room for doubt.
Of the "winged swarming things" (winged insects), a few are specifically
permitted (Lev. 11:22), but the Sages are no longer certain which ones they
are, so all have been forbidden. 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. Lev. 11:29-30, 42-43.
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. (Deut. 12:21). We may not eat animals that died of natural
causes (Deut. 14:21) or that were killed by other animals. 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.
11:22).
Ritual slaughter is known as shechitah, and the person who performs the slaughter
is called a shochet, both from the Hebrew root
Shin-Cheit-Tav, meaning to destroy or kill. 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. Lev.
7:26-27; Lev. 17:10-14. 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.
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 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." (Ex. 23:19; Ex. 34:26; Deut.
14:21). 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.
It is, however, permissible to eat fish and dairy together, and it is quite
common (lox and cream cheese, for example). It is also permissible to eat
dairy and eggs together.
This separation includes not only the foods themselves, but the utensils,
pots and pans with which they are cooked, the plates and flatware from which
they are eaten, the dishwashers or dishpans in which they are cleaned, and
the towels on which they are dried. A kosher household will have at least
two sets of pots, pans and dishes: one for meat and one for dairy. See
Utensils below for more details.
One must wait a significant amount of time between eating meat and dairy.
Opinions differ, and vary from three to six hours. This is because fatty
residues and meat particles tend to cling to the mouth. From dairy to meat,
however, one need only rinse one's mouth and eat a neutral solid like bread,
unless the dairy product in question is also of a type that tends to stick
in the mouth.
The Yiddish words fleishik (meat), milchik
(dairy) and pareve (neutral) are commonly used to describe food or utensils
that fall into one of those categories.
Note that even the smallest quantity of dairy (or meat) in something renders
it entirely dairy (or meat) for purposes of kashrut. For example, most margarines
are dairy for kosher purposes, because they contain a small quantity of whey
or other dairy products to give it a buttery taste. Animal fat is considered
meat for purposes of kashrut. You should read the ingredients very carefully,
even if the product is kosher-certified.
Utensils (pots, pans, plates, flatware, etc., etc.) must also be kosher.
A utensil picks up the kosher "status" (meat, dairy, pareve, or treif) of
the food that is cooked in it or eaten off of it, and transmits that status
back to the next food that is cooked in it or eaten off of it. Thus, if you
cook chicken soup in a saucepan, the pan becomes meat. If you thereafter
use the same saucepan to heat up some warm milk, the fleishik status of the
pan is transmitted to the milk, and the milchik status of the milk is transmitted
to the pan, making both the pan and the milk a forbidden mixture.
Kosher status can be transmitted from the food to the utensil or from the
utensil to the food only in the presence of heat, thus if you are eating
cold food in a non-kosher establishment, the condition of the plates is not
an issue. Likewise, you could use the same knife to slice cold cuts and cheese,
as long as you clean it in between, but this is not really a recommended
procedure, because it increases the likelihood of mistakes.
Stove tops and sinks routinely become non-kosher utensils, because they routinely
come in contact with both meat and dairy in the presence of heat. It is
necessary, therefore, to use dishpans when cleaning dishes (don't soak them
directly in the sink) and to use separate spoon rests and trivets when putting
things down on the stove top.
Dishwashers are a kashrut problem. If you are going to use a dishwasher for
both meat and dairy in a kosher home, you either need to have separate dish
racks or you need to run the dishwasher in between meat and dairy loads.
You should use separate towels and pot holders for meat and dairy. Routine
laundering kashers such items, so you can simply launder them between using
them for meat and dairy.
Certain kinds of utensils can be "kashered" if you make a mistake and use
it with both meat and dairy. Consult a rabbi
for guidance if this situation occurs.
The restrictions on grape products derive from the laws against using products
of idolatry. Wine was commonly used in the rituals of all ancient religions,
and wine was routinely sanctified for pagan purposes while it was being
processed. For this reason, use of wines and other grape products made by
non-Jews was prohibited. (Whole grapes are not a problem, nor are whole grapes
in fruit cocktail).
For the most part, this rule only affects wine and grape juice. This becomes
a concern with many fruit drinks or fruit-flavored drinks, which are often
sweetened with grape juice. You may also notice that some baking powders
are not kosher, because baking powder is sometimes made with cream of tartar,
a by-product of wine making. All beer used to be kosher, but this is no longer
the case because fruity beers made with grape products have become more common.
There are a few additional considerations that come up, that you may hear
discussed in more sophisticated discussions of kashrut.
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Bishul Yisroel
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In certain circumstances, a Jew (that is, someone who is required to keep
kosher) must be involved in the preparation of food for it to be kosher.
This rule is discussed in depth under
Food Fit for
a King on the Star-K kosher certification
website.
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Cholov Yisroel
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An ancient rule required that a Jew must be present from the time of milking
to the time of bottling to ensure that milk from kosher animals did not become
mixed with milk from non-kosher animals. Milk that is observed in this way
is referred to as Cholov Yisroel, and some people will consume only Cholov
Yisroel. However, in the United States, federal law relating to the production
of milk is so strict that many Orthodox sources accept any milk as kosher.
You will sometimes see high-level discussions of kashrut address whether
a product is Cholov Yisroel or non-Cholov Yisroel. See a more complete discussion
under
Cholov
Yisroel: Does a Neshama Good on the
Star-K kosher certification website.
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Mevushal
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Most kosher wines in America are made using a process of pasteurization called
mevushal, which addresses some of the kashrut issues related to grape beverages.
See The Art of
Kosher Wine Making on the Star-K
kosher certification website.
The task of keeping kosher is greatly simplified by widespread kashrut
certification. Products that have been certified as kosher are labeled with
a mark called a hekhsher (from the same Hebrew
root as the word "kosher") that ordinarily identifies
the rabbi or organization that certified the product. Approximately 3/4 of
all prepackaged foods have some kind of kosher certification, and most major
brands have reliable Orthodox certification.
The process of certification does not involve "blessing" the food; rather,
it involves examining the ingredients used to make the food, examining the
process by which the food is prepared, and periodically inspecting the processing
facilities to make sure that kosher standards are maintained.
The symbols at right are all widely-accepted hekhshers commonly found on
products throughout the United States. These symbols are registered trademarks
of kosher certification organizations, and cannot be placed on a food label
without the organization's permission. Click the symbols to visit the websites
of these organizations. With a little practice, it is very easy to spot these
hekhshers on food labels, usually near the product name, occasionally near
the list of ingredients. There are many other certifications available, of
varying degrees of strictness.
The most controversial certification is the K, a plain letter K found on
products asserted to be kosher. A letter of the alphabet cannot be trademarked,
so any manufacturer can put a K on a product, even without any supervision
at all. 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. On the
other hand, some very reliable rabbis will certify products without having
a trademark to offer, and their certifications will also have only a "K."
Most other kosher certification marks are trademarked and cannot legally
be used without the permission of the certifying organization. The certifying
organization assures you that the product is kosher according to their standards,
but standards vary.
It is becoming increasingly common for kosher certifying organizations to
indicate whether the product is fleishik (meat), milchik (dairy) or pareve
(neutral). If the product is dairy, it will frequently have a D or the word
Dairy next to the kashrut symbol. If it is meat, the word Meat may appear
near the symbol (usually not an M, because that might be confused with
"milchik"). If it is pareve, the word Pareve (or Parev) may appear near the
symbol (Not a P! That means kosher for
Passover!). If no such clarification appears,
you should read the ingredient list carefully to determine whether the product
is meat, dairy or pareve.
Kosher certification organizations charge manufacturers a small fee for kosher
certification. This fee covers the expenses of researching the ingredients
in the product and inspecting the facilities used to manufacture the product.
There are some who have complained that these certification costs increase
the cost of the products to non-Jewish, non-kosher consumers; however, the
actual cost of such certification is so small relative to the overall cost
of production that most manufacturers cannot even calculate it. The cost
is more than justified by the increase in sales it produces: although observant
Jews are only a small fragment of the marketplace, kosher certification is
also relied upon by many Muslims
(see:
http://www.muslimconsumergroup.com/hfs.htm), vegetarians (although this
is not fool-proof; dairy and pareve foods may contain eggs or fish; but if
it isn't kosher, it probably isn't vegetarian), some Seventh Day Adventists,
as well as many other people who simply think that kosher products are cleaner,
healthier or better than non-kosher products. It is worth noting that many
charitable organizations also charge manufacturers for the privilege of putting
their logo on a product, and they do not perform any service in exchange
for that charge.
About 25% to 30% of Jews in America keep kosher to one extent or another.
This includes the vast majority of people who identify themselves as
Orthodox, as well as many
Conservative and
Reconstructionist Jews and some
Reform Jews.
However, the standards that are observed vary substantially from one person
to another. According to the 1990 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS),
only about 17% of Jewish families eat kosher meat all the time. (see Table
28 in the survey, if you can find it -- I can no longer locate it online).
Others keep kosher more strictly some times than others.
The strictest people will eat only foods that have reliable Orthodox
kosher certification, eating
only glatt-kosher certified meats and specially certified dairy products.
They will not eat cooked food in a restaurant unless the restaurant has reliable
Orthodox certification, and they are unlikely to accept an invitation to
dinner from anyone who is not known to share their high standards.
Others are more lenient. Some will "ingredients read," accepting grocery
store items that do not contain any identifiably non-kosher ingredients.
Some will eat cooked food in a restaurant or a non-kosher home, as long as
the meal is either vegetarian or uses only kosher meat and no dairy products.
Some will eat non-kosher meat in restaurants, but only if the meat comes
from a kosher animal and is not served with dairy products. Many of these
more lenient people keep stricter standards in their homes than they do in
restaurants or in other people's homes.
As rabbi/humorist Jack Moline noted, "Everyone who keeps kosher will tell
you that his version is the only correct version. Everyone else is either
a fanatic or a heretic." (Growing Up Jewish, 1987). There is a lot of truth
in this humorous observation. I have no doubt that I will receive mail calling
me a heretic for even acknowledging the existence of lower standards.
You can find more information about kashrut at the websites of major
kosher certification organizations.
The Orthodox Union, which is responsible
for "OU" certification, has some excellent information on its website, including
a kosher primer, an explanation of their kosher policy, a philosophical
discussion about "thinking kosher" and a questions and answers section. (Please
note: the "Judaism 101" listed on some of their pages is not this website
and has no connection with this website).
The Star-K Kosher Certification organization
also has an excellent website. The wonderful thing about Star-K is,
they give you an incredible amount of detail about the research that they
put into determining whether a product is kosher. They tell you what products
may be used without kosher certification, and they explain why such
products can or cannot be used without kosher certification, giving complete
detail about the research that went into making their determination. It
also has articles about kashering appliances, and other useful information.
KosherQuest has a searchable
database of kosher products as well as an extensive list of reliable
kosher symbols and other interesting things.
© Copyright 5756-5767 (1995-2007), Tracey
R Rich
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