Kashrut - Jewish Dietary Laws
Kashrut - Jewish Dietary Laws
Kashrut - Jewish Dietary Laws
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.
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.
Kosher dietary laws are observed all year round, not just during Pesach (Passover). There are
additional dietary restrictions during Pesach, and many foods that are kosher for year-round
use are not "kosher for Passover." A bagel, for example, can be kosher for year-round use but is
certainly not kosher for Passover! Foods that are kosher for Passover, however, are always
kosher for year-round use.
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.
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 is any less healthy than cow or goat meat.
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.
General Rules
Although the details of kashrut are extensive, the laws all derive from a few fairly simple,
straightforward rules:
1. Certain animals may not be eaten at all. This restriction includes the flesh, organs, eggs
and milk of the forbidden animals.
2. Of the animals that may be eaten, the birds and mammals must be killed in accordance
with Jewish law.
3. All blood must be drained from meat and poultry or broiled out of it before it is eaten.
4. Certain parts of permitted animals may not be eaten.
5. Fruits and vegetables are permitted, but must be inspected for bugs (which cannot be
eaten)
6. 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).
7. Utensils (including pots and pans and other cooking surfaces) 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.
8. Grape products made by non-Jews may not be eaten.