What is Kosher?

[Kuan]

I keep hearing kosher but I have no clue what it means...Can someone please explain?

[Murad]

I keep hearing kosher but I have no clue what it means...Can someone please explain?

Its the Jewish dietary laws on what to eat & what not to eat, kind of like a food regulation. Very similar to Islam's "Halal".

For example, Jesus did not eat Pork, because Jewish scripture forbids it.

[Kuan]

Ok, thanks!

[cnorman18]

I keep hearing kosher but I have no clue what it means...Can someone please explain?

The term "kosher" is very often used figuratively; if one is presented with a business deal that doesn't seem entirely ethical, for instance, someone is likely to say, "This doesn't sound kosher to me," or the other party might offer the assurance, "My lawyer looked at this, and everything's kosher."

As to the actual meaning of the term regarding the Jewish dietary laws -- I wrote this elsewhere:

As to the laws of kashrut, or the kosher laws; they are not arbitrary either. The Jewish ideal is vegetarianism, and many Jews are vegetarians. This is deduced from the reference in the Torah that "if you have a craving for meat..." implying that it ought to be resisted if possible, but if not, certain procedures are required. These all seem to be concerned with minimizing pain and the shedding of blood as far as possible, as I was quoted above.

First, only certain animals may be eaten. These are all ruminants, that is, plant-eaters. No animal that kills other creatures to live is permitted. This is clearest in the case of birds; the forbidden birds are actually specified, and they are all raptors--hawks, owls, and the like. Eating an animal that is a predator would mean that one is benefiting from and partaking of the killing done by the creature one is eating; and so it is forbidden. Pigs have fangs, like dogs; they are naturally omnivores, both plant- and meat-eaters, and in the wild they do indeed eat both plants and small animals.

Scavengers are also forbidden; thus, no vultures or shellfish. Though they may not kill (crabs and lobsters do, thus the claws), they still eat dead flesh.

Once a permitted animal is chosen, it must be killed in a particular way; not for ritual purposes, but to minimize the creature's pain. The prescribed method has always been the same: one swift, deep stroke across the throat with a literally razor-sharp knife. If you have ever cut yourself with an extremely sharp blade, you know that there is often no pain; one notices the blood, and only then finds the cut. The animal is instantly rendered unconscious, since one of the arteries cut is the one supplying blood to the brain.

Concern and respect for the animal's "feelings," as it were, is made clear in the Torah; a kid or calf is not to be slaughtered in the presence of its mother. There can be no other interpretation of this law.

The animal is then allowed to bleed out. This is essential, since the consumption of blood of any kind is absolutely forbidden; the carcass must be totally drained. This is why the animal may not be killed, for instance, by shooting it in the head; that might be more painless (though that is doubtful), but it stops the heart instantly. The heart must keep beating till all the blood is pumped out. All blood must be poured out on the ground and covered with earth in respect.

After inspection to make sure the animal is free of disease (a complex procedure that is very old, but even today is considered scientifically thorough) and butchering, the meat is then packed in salt to draw out all moisture, especially the blood. The meat is now kosher and fit to eat.

That is not all; meat may not be served at the same meal as a milk product, and Jews who "keep kosher" will almost always have two sets of dishes and cookware to make sure that meat and milk dishes are kept entirely separate. This law comes from the admonition, repeated three times in the Torah, that "You shall not cook a kid in its mother's milk; it is an abomination." No explicit reason is given for this, but it might be inferred that, since milk is a substance meant to nourish new life, it is inappropriate and wrong to mix it with meat, which requires a death. Life and death are to be kept separate, just as one was not to enter the Temple after being in contact with the dead.

All kosher fish (those with both fins and scales), all eggs, and all plant products are considered "pareve," that is, neither meat nor milk, and may be cooked and served with both.

There is, of course, much more; but these are the basics. They reflect a time when people were much more aware of where their food came from and were much closer to its sources. They also reflect a certain awareness of one's responsibilities toward and respect for other creatures, even the creatures one kills and eats, and a certain humility associated with that practice. One is never permitted to forget that one's meat meal required a death, and one is required to take that fact seriously.

We are, most of us, rather far from that kind of awareness and humility today. Chicken McNuggets and hamburger patties do not grow on bushes; they were once part of living beings that walked and ate and breathed and had, or were, "children" themselves.

Hope that helps.

[Kuan]

ok, thanks that helps out a ton!

[nygreenguy]

ok, thanks that helps out a ton!

Many people who care about animal rights, but are still eat meat, think kosher (myself included) is equal, if not better, than organic meats.

[sleepyhead]

Hello mormonboy,

In the epistle of barnabus in chapter 10 he discusses the kosher laws.

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/t ... tfoot.html

[Question Everything]

the consumption of blood of any kind is absolutely forbidden

Just out of curiosity, why is this?

BTW, I think there is a tribe in Africa which strongly believes in the drinking of animal blood, they actually bleed living animals into a container which is then drunk. (The animal is kept alive and might be bled many times.) If I remember correctly, they say this gives them spiritual strength.

And then, of course, there's the whole Eucharist thing...

[nygreenguy]

the consumption of blood of any kind is absolutely forbidden

Just out of curiosity, why is this?

BTW, I think there is a tribe in Africa which strongly believes in the drinking of animal blood, they actually bleed living animals into a container which is then drunk. (The animal is kept alive and might be bled many times.) If I remember correctly, they say this gives them spiritual strength.

And then, of course, there's the whole Eucharist thing...

This goes for the JW's as well. Thats also why they dont do blood transfusions.

[cnorman18]

ok, thanks that helps out a ton!

Many people who care about animal rights, but are still eat meat, think kosher (myself included) is equal, if not better, than organic meats.

Enh, bad news on that score. Kosher slaughter is relatively humane, but that doesn't mean the animals are raised in humane conditions. Many aren't. There is a movement afoot to deny kosher certification to producers who treat their animals badly; the Conservative authorities will probably eventually agree, though those mills grind slowly. The Orthodox will probably never agree, at least not in the lifetime of anyone living today.
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