Kosher

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BeeSweet

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What I know if Kosher, it’s fairly strict. So strict, that the average person in the US wouldn’t have immediate access to acceptable Kosher foods.

So, I assume not all Jews are bound to follow Kosher rules for their meals. Or is it that they’re not bound to follow all the rules? What exactly is expected of Jews with regard to Kosher foods?

I think it’s very sad that a Jew observing Kosher rules can’t enjoy a pepperoni pizza. 😛 😃

And, for those that know, what’s the main differences between Kosher and Halal foods?
 
I don’t think it’s as hard as you might think.

When I visited Israel a few years ago, there were so many wonderful restaurants and such that were, of course, Kosher.

Even in the midwest, where I live, there are many Kosher restaurants. But even if you weren’t near a restaurant, most people who eat Kosher just do so on their own. If there isn’t a Kosher place to get meat, there is still vegetarian ways to eat Kosher.

One of our friends, from Israel, came to visit Iowa. He brought many foods for himself from home. But, go figure, there is an amazing community in North-Eastern Iowa that has a great number of Hassidim who run a slaughter house. They have so much to offer their community and people who are eating Kosher from all over can order from them. I’ll see if I can link to them… brb. 😉
 
Wouldn’t a Jew following Kosher rules not be allowed to enter a regular grocery store that sells bacon or any sort of pork products? If that’s the case, then they can’t very well buy their carrots and celery there.

I don’t intend to be flippant (sometimes I gotta fight not to be). I’m very curious about Kosher rules, and if there are varying degrees of following Kosher rules.
 
It can be a bit mind-bending. There are plenty of sites that will tel you about the details of Kosher and ‘koshering’, I’d suggest that you google “rules of Kashrut”.
 
BeeSweet said:
What I know if Kosher, it’s fairly strict. So strict, that the average person in the US wouldn’t have immediate access to acceptable Kosher foods.

So, I assume not all Jews are bound to follow Kosher rules for their meals. Or is it that they’re not bound to follow all the rules? What exactly is expected of Jews with regard to Kosher foods?
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every city I ever lived in has kosher butchers, kosher markets, and most chain supermarkets carry a wide variety of kosher foods, including meats in the frozen foods and staples sections. I don’t think this is a problem in any American city, or anywhere around the world with a sizeable Jewish population. On a historic note, it is well documented that the first building erected by Orthodox Jews who are moving to a new community is a bathhouse, so that they can fulfill the ritual requirements connected with family purity laws. This is even before the synagogue is built. So that shows what importance they place on God’s commandments.

if you want to know about kosher, probably a Catholic website is not your best first stop, why not just google the topic?
 
Blu Greenberg’s book, “How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household,” makes fascinating reading and includes the laws of kashrut. It’s been around for quite a while, but is still in print. Your local library might have a copy.

You will also find that different groups of Jews have different teachings about kashrut. Some consider it an absolute requirement, some (Reform in particular) do not.
 
BeeSweet said:
What I know if Kosher, it’s fairly strict. So strict, that the average person in the US wouldn’t have immediate access to acceptable Kosher foods.

So, I assume not all Jews are bound to follow Kosher rules for their meals. Or is it that they’re not bound to follow all the rules? What exactly is expected of Jews with regard to Kosher foods?
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There’s a lot of Jewish law regarding what we can eat. Many Jews do not follow them all. I know Jews who keep a kosher house but are more relaxed about the rules when they eat out, etc. Here’s a bare bone primer on Kashrut for all of you who don’t live in NY or CA 🙂 :

Don’t eat dairy with milk.
Keep two sets of plates/utensils for dairy and meat.
Only animals with cloven hooves that chew their cud can be kosher.
For meat to be kosher, the animal has to be slaughtered a certain way under the supervision of a rabbi.

Most importantly, just because a hot dog is kosher doesn’t mean that by eating them you are a health nut.
 
BeeSweet said:
Wouldn’t a Jew following Kosher rules not be allowed to enter a regular grocery store that sells bacon or any sort of pork products? If that’s the case, then they can’t very well buy their carrots and celery there.

I don’t intend to be flippant (sometimes I gotta fight not to be). I’m very curious about Kosher rules, and if there are varying degrees of following Kosher rules.
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There are some Jews who wouldn’t go to such a supermarket. But they tend to live in communities that have their own grocery stores. I don’t even know if there is anything in Jewish law that would prohibit shopping in a regular grocery store, as long as you are buying kosher food.

I know many observant Jews that have no problem with shopping in a grocery store that sells non-kosher items. (including me).

The dietary laws are a powerful way to remind Jews that everythign is a gift from God and that despite the power we have been granted, we are not permitted to exercise it over everything.
 
Valke2 said:
The dietary laws are a powerful way to remind Jews that everythign is a gift from God and that despite the power we have been granted, we are not permitted to exercise it over everything.
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That’s a beautiful thought. Do you know how Kosher rules compare with Halal?
 
BeeSweet said:
That’s a beautiful thought. Do you know how Kosher rules compare with Halal?
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I beleive the animals are slaughtered in a similar fashion. I think (but I’m not sure) that Halal requires a holy man to supervise the slaughtering and that a rabbi would techniaclly qualify (I could be way off base here). However, the same would not be true for Jews accepting meat blessed by a muslim cleric. We require a rabbi to supervise. Pork is prohibited but there are other foods that are allowed which are prohibited under Jewish law. I don’t know a lot abotu Halal.
 
They wouldn’t have the nightmare scenario of “Kosher for Passover” 🙂
 
Valke2 said:
The real punishment resulting from Eve’s sin was Kashering the kitchen for passover.
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So that others may get a glimpse of what we’re joking (ugh) about:

aish.com/passlaw/passlawdefault/Passover%5FCleaning%5FMade%5FEasy.asp

Men would have us believe that the reason for the benediction of thanks for not having been born a woman is pleasure at all the extra Torah responsibilities that come with being male - no, it’s for being able to avoid Passover cleaning!
 
Kaninchen said:
So that others may get a glimpse of what we’re joking (ugh) about:

aish.com/passlaw/passlawdefault/Passover%5FCleaning%5FMade%5FEasy.asp

Men would have us believe that the reason for the benediction of thanks for not having been born a woman is pleasure at all the extra Torah responsibilities that come with being male - no, it’s for being able to avoid Passover cleaning!
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:eek: :eek: :eek:

An obsessive compulsive personality would have a field day with this cleaning regimen! 😉

Oh, and the fellas get a free pass on this one? Oh well… they probably wouldn’t be much help in the first place anyway…😃
 
Another interesting book that touches on this is "The Jew in the Lotus: A Poet’s Rediscovery of Jewish Identity in Buddhist India " by Roger Kamenetz. He went with Jewish leaders from a variety of traditions to visit India where they met with the Dalai Lama. Interesting the issues that came up around whether the vegetarian Buddhist diet fit the requirements for kosher, among other things. It is mostly not about food, but a good book none the less.

IIRC, Blu Greenberg’s husband, who is a rabbi, was one of the leaders on the trip.
 
Why don’t Catholics (or Christians in general) keep Kosher households? It would seem that if Jesus was a faithful Jew, then we should all be as well.
 
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