Kashrut: Jewish Dietary Laws found at: http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm

Level: Intermediate

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-Resh, 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.

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 treyf (lit. torn, from the
commandment not to eat animals that have been torn by other animals).

Why Do We Observe the Laws of Kashrut?

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 treyf) 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.

The short answer to why we 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. In addition, it elevates the simple act of eating into a religious
ritual. The Jewish dinner table is often compared to the Temple altar in
rabbinic literature.

How Difficult is it to Keep Kosher?

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 the 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.

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 the meat or broiled out of it before it
is eaten.
4.Certain parts of permitted animals may not be eaten.
5.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).
6.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.
7.Grape products made by non-Jews may not be eaten.

The Details

Animals that may not be eaten

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 and deer 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 lists 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.

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.

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.

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.

Kosher slaughtering

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-Chet-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 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.

Draining of Blood

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 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
container 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.

Forbidden Fats and Nerves

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.

Separation of Meat and Dairy

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. 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 fleishig (meat), milchig (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 dairy-like 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

Utensils (pots, pans, plates, flatware, etc., etc.) must also be kosher. A
utensil picks up the kosher "status" (meat, dairy, pareve, or treyf) 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 fleishig status of the pan is transmitted to the
milk, and the milchig 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 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.

Grape Products

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 it is virtually impossible
to find kosher baking powder, because baking powder is made with cream
of tartar, a by-product of wine making.

Kashrut Certification

The task of keeping kosher is greatly simplified by widespread kashrut
certification. Approximately 3/4 of all prepackaged foods have some kind of
kosher certification, and most major brands have reliable Orthodox
certification.

The symbols at right are all
widely-accepted kashrut certifications
commonly found on products
throughout the United States. Click the
symbols to visit the websites of these organizations. With a little practice, it is
very easy to spot these marks 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. All other kosher certification marks are
trademarked and cannot be used without the permission of the certifying
organization. The certifying organization stands behind the kashrut of the
product. But you cannot trademark a letter of the alphabet, so any
manufacturer can put a K on a product. 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.

It is becoming increasingly common for kosher certifying organizations to
indicate whether the product is fleishig, milchig or pareve. 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 or an M may appear near the symbol. 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 Links

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.