Every orthodox Jew must know and unquestioningly observe the laws of kashrut. These rules apply to many areas of activity, but first of all they are addressed to food products. Food that is considered kosher is primarily good for the body. It must be natural and meet strict criteria. Production facilities and restaurants that offer kosher products to customers in Russia must have the appropriate certificate.
What is kashrut
Kashrut is translated from Hebrew as "suitable". This is a set of prescriptions for what is permitted and forbidden, concerning not only food, but also other aspects. The laws of kashrut are aimed at instilling self-discipline and the ability of self-restraint, as well as the spiritual cohesion of believers of Jewish origin. They are regulated by the Jewish holy book Torah, which forbids cruelty, violence, and bloodshed. The rabbinate carefully monitors the observance of the rules.
With the help of the laws of kashrut, eating is elevated from the animal to the conscious level. what is it like? First of all, it is healthy, wholesome, environmentally friendly food. According to it, it positively affects both the physical and spiritual health of a person. There are special lists of allowed food products and their manufacturers. If you want to buy or drinks, pay attention to the special sign or check with the seller for the availability of the appropriate certificate.
The Rabbinate divides all kosher into three main groups:
- basar - meat products;
- freebies - dairy products;
- parve - neutral food (fish, vegetables, etc.).
Animal products - meat, milk, eggs
What does kosher animal product mean? This is the meat of animals that are ruminants, artiodactyls, herbivores at the same time. For example, sheep, cows, goats, moose, etc. It is strictly forbidden to eat hare, hyrax and pig. Among birds, predators are considered non-kosher. This is an owl, pelican, eagle, ostrich, heron. You can cook food only from poultry - chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys, quails, pigeons.
In order for the product to be fit for consumption, the animal must be slaughtered in accordance with the special laws of kashrut. Since the Torah does not allow the consumption of blood, there are precepts on how to process meat. In addition, the carcass is mandatory checked for the absence of any disease.
In addition to meat, there are other products of animal origin. For example, eggs. They belong to the parve category. Consumable eggs should only be laid by kosher birds. One end of their shell should be rounded, and the other should be sharper. If suddenly there is a blood clot inside the egg, it should not be eaten.
The milk of kosher animals can be eaten. However, there is one limitation. The laws of kashrut prohibit the consumption of meat and dairy products together. The break between meals should be at least 30 minutes - depends on the community. Milk can be combined with products of other categories - vegetables, fruits, fish, etc.
Fish and seafood
Fish kosher product, what is it? According to kashrut, non-predatory fish, which have fins and easily removed scales, are considered permitted. According to these signs, eel, sturgeon, shark, catfish are not kosher. Salmon red caviar can be eaten, but black sturgeon cannot. Various seafood - octopuses, crabs, oysters, lobsters, shrimps - do not have scales and fins, therefore they are prohibited as food.
Although fish is classified as a neutral food category, it should not be mixed with meat when preparing meals or during the same meal. Dairy with fish can be eaten in one meal, but always from different dishes.
Insects
The Torah forbids eating insects, amphibians, reptiles. It is allowed to cook dishes only from certain types of locusts. You should be careful with vegetables and fruits, because they may contain worms or their larvae. Flour and cereals must be sorted and re-sifted so that insects do not get into the food, which can start in a bag and spoil kosher products. The list of prohibited foods does not contain honey produced by an insect (bee). It can be eaten, because, according to the Jews, it is a processed flower juice. Accordingly, it is a product of plant origin. In addition, honey is extremely useful, which does not contradict the laws of kashrut at all.
Vegetables and fruits
Vegetables, fruits and herbs are classified as parve. What does kosher plant food mean? Undoubtedly, it must be grown in Israel. If the product is from another country, but is in its natural form, it can also be eaten. Unprocessed fruits and vegetables do not need a certificate. They can be mixed with meat and milk.
Plant foods must not be wormy or come into contact with non-kosher food. In such cases, they become unsuitable for food.
Beverages
Among drinks about kosher, those made from grapes are considered. The process of producing the right product is extremely complex. It must necessarily comply with certain laws of kashrut. What does a kosher product mean when it comes to wine? The basic rule is that only a Jew should make it. If a person of a different nationality and religion touches the drink, he will lose his kosher status.
Grapes for the right wine must be harvested only in a certain period and in a special place. The vineyard must be more than four years old and must rest once every seven years. Before starting the production of wine, a mandatory ceremony should be carried out. All equipment is constantly sterilized at the plant. Outsiders should not enter here. Production is closed on Saturday.
Due to the difficulties that arise when observing all the laws of kashrut, many winemakers prefer to make a regular drink. For the same reason, a real kosher product (read above for what it is) is very expensive, its price is much higher than good Italian or French wines.
Bread
Bread belongs to the parve category. According to the laws of kashrut, a kosher flour product (what is allowed food is written above in the article) is one that is baked by an orthodox Jew. The person watching the process must separate a small piece of dough from each loaf and burn it. If we are talking about large-scale production, then here the Jews should at least control the baking of bread and turn on the ovens. Do not forget that all the ingredients used in the preparation of the dough must be kosher.
Many have heard such a thing as "kosher". What does this term mean? In what cases is it used? What is the origin of this concept? The article will provide answers to these questions.
"Kosher" means "suitable" in Hebrew. Therefore, the concept of "kosher nutrition" today should be understood as the process of maintaining life and health with the help of food that does not harm a person.
Judaism - the oldest monotheistic religion in the world - involves the observance of religious prescriptions, norms and rules - kosher, which apply not only to clothing, cosmetics, but also to products. According to this setting, Jews must prepare food in accordance with the laws of kashrut and strictly at a certain time.
The main purpose of the law is that kosher is a rational and healthy eating creating harmony in the development of the human body.
Kosher food
In the instructions of Moses, which are reflected in the written five-book law "Torah", it is indicated that non-kosher food has a bad effect on the health of the individual, his religious level decreases and his sensitivity worsens, therefore he is not capable of spiritual perception.
This law says that a person who has tasted the meat of a predator is capable of showing aggression and is able to stray from the true path. Therefore, only the fillets of herbivorous animals will be considered clean food. The meat of predators is classified as treif products, i.e. prohibited.
Features of kosher food and products
Kosher food involves the use of strictly pure food by a person. According to Jewish precepts, all types of plants are foodstuffs suitable for consumption. However, not all fish, poultry or animal meat will be kosher food.
The blood of birds, animals or fish slaughtered in a certain order must be absolutely excluded from the diet, except for fish. A prerequisite for killing animals is the use of a sharp knife cutter: so that the animal does not suffer, the slaughter process must be carried out quickly.
Before proceeding with the process of boiling or frying meat, it goes through the stages of soaking in water, then aging in a special brine, and finally it is well rinsed.
The process of cutting and checking compliance with the conditions and criteria of kosher is carried out by a special qualified specialist - a shochet, who has a certain permission to slaughter the animal. In addition, the pig is considered unclean by the Jews, so pork will never be kosher.
Thus, the teaching of the "Torah" instructs a person in discipline and restrictions, instills antipathy to the shedding of blood and cruelty.
List of kosher foods and dishes
Kosher food is divided into three categories: meat (basar), dairy (free), and neutral (parve). The basic principle of kosher nutrition is the complete separation of dairy food from meat. Especially in order for the position of kosher to be observed, special cutlery and kitchen utensils and utensils are used. Kashrut requires some utensils to be dipped in the mikvah before their initial use.
The process of preparing such products according to these principles involves the preparation of food in specially designated places.
Category neutral foods can be eaten at the same time as one of these categories. This variety includes those fruits and vegetables that have not come into contact with non-kosher foods or are not worms.
The list of clean foods is quite long. These are pasta and legumes, fresh, canned or frozen fruits and vegetables, lean, peanut and olive oils, certain types of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, certain brands of tea and chocolate.
This list can be continued, but in any case, it is necessary to pay attention to the packaging of the product: it will definitely have a kosher sign on it. In the event that the sign is missing, consultation with a rabbi is necessary.
How to prepare kosher meals? Suitable are those in the process of preparation of which certain products were used. Therefore, a dish that has been vetted by a rabbi or prepared in an Israeli kitchen or Jewish restaurant will not necessarily be considered kosher. Not at all. It is very easy to prepare a kosher dish yourself, given all the signs of kosher for the products that you have in the refrigerator in the kitchen. However, the main and main feature is, of course, the purity in their preparation.
We will talk about the features of products that are suitable for use in food below.
kosher meat
Jewish cuisine involves the use of the meat of artiodactyl ruminants that feed on grass. They, thanks to the muscular and glandular sections of the stomach, have a thorough digestion of food. These are cows, and sheep, and goats, and elks, as well as gazelles. In addition, animals that do not have a cut of hooves are included here: rabbits, camels and hyraxes. In the "Torah" you can find a complete list of kosher animals.
According to the Torah kashrut, kosher meats are chickens, geese, ducks and turkeys. However, there are still exceptions: the meat of carnivorous warm-blooded egg-laying animals.
Kosher dairy products
Does the concept of "kosher" apply to dairy products? What does it mean? Suitable products are considered milk, which is obtained from clean animals. Only in this case the product is acceptable for consumption. Otherwise, it cannot be used for food.
Kosher food has whole line specific customs and traditions. The principle of kosher states that after drinking milk or other dairy products, you should rinse your mouth and eat solid, neutral food that will not stick to your palate.
It is considered a very common custom to take breaks between meals of different categories of kosher food. To eat meat, you need a break of 30-60 minutes. After eating hard cheeses and between eating “basar” and “freebies”, you must wait 6 hours. Milk can be eaten with fish, but from different dishes.
Fish classified as kosher
She does not need to be killed in a special way. However, there are exceptions here too: kosher fish must be with an external horny cover and limbs. These are cod, flounder, tuna, pike, trout, salmon, herring, halibut, haddock. You can not eat crustaceans arthropods and soft-bodied. Insects, snakes, and worms are also not pure food types.
Jews do not eat fish along with meat products, but they can be put on the table together.
Kosher "parve"
As noted earlier, even unprocessed fruits and vegetables belong to the parve category. The only condition for keeping kosher in this case is the absence of insects in these products. Therefore, fruits and vegetables that are susceptible to damage by bugs and other insects are carefully checked and processed.
Bird eggs also belong to the neutral category. However, mainly poultry products with unequal ends are allowed for food, namely chicken, goose, turkey, pheasant and quail are also allowed. Jews consider the eggs of predators or those that feed on carrion to be unclean. Bloody foods are non-kosher. Therefore, they are checked before use.
These types of pure products do not even require a special mark and can be mixed with others in any combination. However, if they have been mixed with dairy or meat species, they are no longer classified as parve.
Where can you find this product
Kosher products are marked with a special sign, which guarantees compliance with the principles of such nutrition, their usefulness, environmental friendliness and high quality. Due to some difficulties in preparing such food, the price of goods suitable for Jews differs significantly from the prices of food products that can be found in the market or in the supermarket.
Where is kosher food most often considered traditional? Most suitable products can be found in Israel, but in recent times even the population of other countries attaches great importance to proper nutrition, so you can find such products almost everywhere. And to make sure of its quality, the presence of the kosher sign of the rabbi, who controlled the production process of the product, will help.
Kosher is considered the meat of those animals that chew the cud and have paired hooves: sheep, goats, cows, deer. You can not include in the diet the meat of a pig, dog, rabbit, cat, horse, bear, camel, whale, seal, lion and other animals that belong to the class of carnivores. Do not eat meat from a sick animal, or the meat of an animal that was wrongly slaughtered, as well as the meat of an animal that died a natural death.
To make the meat kosher, the animal is slaughtered so as to cause him as little pain and suffering as possible - in one motion with a sharp knife, and then all the blood is removed: for this, the meat is soaked in water, salted and placed on a grate so that the remaining blood is glassed, and washed well after an hour.
According to the Jewish law 'Do not eat blood (blood is considered to be a sign of a living being)' it is not permissible to boil or fry the liver in a pan: it can only be cooked on an open fire - the product is cut and washed with water, salted and fried over a fire, after heat treatment, the by-product should rinse again with water. Only after the manipulations have been done, it is allowed for consumption, or for cooking (frying) in a special dish for meat.
The thighs of the animal are not suitable for food, from which the sciatic nerves are not removed, as well as the fat near the stomach. According to the commandment: 'Do not boil a goat in its mother's milk' (Ex. 23:19), one cannot mix meat and milk, even eating these products can only be done with a time interval of 6 hours, and the interval between eating from milk and meat is no less two. The word "milk" in this commandment means all dairy products: sour cream, cheese, butter, cottage cheese, kefir. The fulfillment of this prescription is so thorough that for the preparation of such dishes different utensils are used, which are in separate cabinets. Jews with sufficient financial resources equip two kitchens: dairy and meat.
The following birds are considered kosher: geese, chickens, ducks, turkeys, quails, pigeons and pheasants. Unsuitable for food - a lot of birds of prey and wild birds, including the eagle, pelican, owl, crow, stork, seagull. Unclean and the eggs of these birds. All birds must be healthy and properly slaughtered.
According to the commandments of kashrut, a product from a non-kosher animal (milk, eggs) is also non-kosher. For example, you can not eat turtle eggs - a turtle refers to a type of reptile that is unfit for consumption. Camel milk is also considered club milk. An exception is honey, a waste product of bee insects.
Kosher fish
Suitable for Jews is the fish that has scales and fins. Clubs include dolphins, catfish, catfish, eels. Crustaceans (crabs, crayfish, lobsters, shrimps) and shellfish (mussels, snails, oysters) are considered clubs (unclean) - not corresponding to the principles of kashrut. The blood prohibition law does not apply to fish. Sturgeon caviar is one of the unclean waste products of fish. Fish belongs to the steam (neutral) products; it can be combined with dairy products. Cooking meat and fish dishes is not recommended from the point of view of medicine.
The Torah forbids eating snakes, frogs and worms, as well as all insects (with the exception of four types of locusts).
Other Kosher Products
Bread and wine that was made by a non-Jew is not considered kosher. During the Easter holiday, it is forbidden to use bread for the preparation of which yeast was used. Instead, Jews eat thin cakes with flour and water, called matzah.
Tableware
Eating items may become non-kosher if hot club food has been laid out on them. In a family where food laws are strictly adhered to, this cannot happen, but violations of this rule are possible during a trip to a party or a restaurant.
Food made from milk and meat is forbidden to be served together on the table.
(Oral Torah).
Usually the term kashrut» is used in relation to a set of religious prescriptions related to food, but it is also used in other aspects traditional life- from legal (for example, the competence of witnesses in legal proceedings that may end in punishment) to household (choice of fabric) and ritual (tefillin, tzitzit).
Kosher food
In different Jewish communities, the laws of kashrut may vary somewhat. The greatest differences exist in the observance of Easter prohibitions. The rules of kashrut are different for different currents inside Judaism, for example, for especially believers there are especially strict rules, the so-called glat kosher(Yiddish גלאַט כּשר - "simply/strictly kosher").
Kosher meat
Animals that live on land
Only the meat of animals that are simultaneously ruminants (strictly herbivores) and artiodactyls (having cloven hooves). These are herbivores such as cows, sheep and goats, as well as moose, gazelles, mountain goats, giraffes, etc.
The Torah lists four types of animals that have only one of the two signs of kosher. These are a pig, a camel, a hyrax and a hare. These animals are prohibited for food. Thus, pork is not kosher because the pig does not chew its cud, not because it is "filthier" than other animals. With regard to "half-kosher" animals, there is a particularly strict ban, designed to balance the possible frivolous attitude of the people to the prohibition of their meat due to "almost kosher".
Since blood is strictly forbidden for consumption, eggs, in the yolk of which there is a blood clot, are club eggs. Eggs with blood in the albumen are not necessarily discarded, but simply freed from the blood and eaten.
Biblical animals whose modern names have not been established
The meaning of the names of some animals mentioned in the Pentateuch in connection with kashrut has not been precisely established by researchers. Among them: " anaka» , « summera» , « homet», « tinshemet» , « khargol» , « hagav» , « solam».
Slaughter of livestock and poultry shechita) and meat koshering
The laws of kashrut also apply to the process of slaughtering an animal. For meat to be fully kosher, it must meet several requirements:
- Only meat from kosher animals listed above should be used.
- The animal must be slaughtered in accordance with all requirements of the Halacha. This process is called shechita(Hebrew שחיטה ), and a skilled carver - sho(th)hat(Hebrew שוחט). According to Halakha, one of the necessary conditions for kosher shechita is shechita with one smooth movement of the knife, cutting at the same time a large part (diameter) of the trachea and a large part of the esophagus. The ragged movement of the knife, the delay in the movement of the knife, the puncture of the tissues of the animal with the sharp end of the knife make shechita non-kosher, and the animal is forbidden to be eaten by Jews.
In Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands, shechita is banned by animal welfare law as an inhumane method of slaughtering livestock.
There are also special laws for the ritual preparation of a knife, with which an animal will be slaughtered - how to sharpen a knife, check that there is not the slightest chip on it, etc.; laws about where and how to cut. The meat of properly slaughtered animals whose health has been irreparably damaged is not kosher.
As for the shechita knife, its blade should not only be very sharp, but also absolutely smooth - such a blade penetrates the body better. For such sharpening, a whole set of stones is used, from coarse-grained to fine-grained. The knives and stones used by a carver cost a lot of money. Only the process of sharpening a knife can take several hours. The knife is checked by running it over the nail, and if at the same time even the slightest notch is felt, the knife is unsuitable for shechita. Halakha also notes that the higher the level of fear of Heaven in a person, the more concentrated he will check the knife. Therefore, there is a custom that the carver not only checks the knife himself, but also gives it to the local rabbi for verification.
Since the work of a carver requires precision, an old or sick person has no right to engage in shechita. In this regard, in the past, when the community usually had only one slaughterer, there were often disagreements between the rabbi and the slaughterer. For example, if a new young rabbi came to the community, then it happened that the elderly and respected carver, who in fact was no longer suitable for this responsible work, refused to part with a lucrative position and could turn the entire community against the rabbi. In the 19th century, Rabbi Shlomo Kluger led an active struggle against this phenomenon in Galicia and neighboring countries. In one such story, which took place in Berdichev in 1843, he was even subjected to threats to his life by the owners of the local slaughterhouse. He also decreed that the community must have Pension Fund to provide for a cutter who is no longer able to do his job.
The Torah forbids the consumption of blood. Therefore, the meat is soaked in water at room temperature, and then placed on a special salting board and sprinkled with coarse salt. Salt absorbs blood. After that, the meat is thoroughly washed.
Sho(th)hat usually studies in a yeshiva for many years in order to get general knowledge Jewish laws. Then he takes a special course for carvers, lasting about a year and culminating in an exam. Only after that he gets the right to do shechita. The laws on shechita and checking the carcass of an animal for kosher are very numerous and complex, therefore only a person who has thoroughly studied them and received an appropriate diploma is entitled to practice this craft.
The specialist who checks the carcass of an animal intended for food is called mashgiah(Hebrew משגיח , supervising). The mashgiah examines the carcass to determine if there are signs of disease (namely hemophilia) that would make the meat treif. There are other professions associated with kashrut, such as menaker(Hebrew מנקר ) - a person who cleans the back of the carcass from veins forbidden for food.
Kosher fish
"Fish" in this case is an expanded concept that includes not only the fish itself, but also other animals living in the water. Fish, according to the laws of kashrut, is not meat, and therefore there are rules regarding meat products do not apply. Fish is "parve" (from Yiddish פּאַרעװע - "neither milk nor meat", "neutral"), that is, it can be used in the same meal with both meat and dairy products. However, it is forbidden to mix meat and fish in the same dish.
Kosher fish, according to the definition of kashrut, have two mandatory features: they have scales and fins. The kosher scales are not firmly attached to the body of the fish and can be easily removed if you run your fingernail over the fish. In case there is doubt about the presence of fins or scales in a fish, there are auxiliary signs: a kosher fish has gills, a backbone and must spawn.
Thus, despite the fact that, from a strictly scientific point of view, nectar is subjected to enzymatic biotransformation by secrets secreted in the crop of a honey bee, from the point of view of kashrut, honey is a flower juice processed by a bee, and therefore is considered a product of a plant, not an animal origin. A strong argument in favor of the kosher nature of honey is also the biblical story of Samson eating honey from the belly of a dead lion.
Kosher drinks
Some varieties of vodka are tref because they contain milk additives (for example, Posolskaya vodka).
Easter kashrut
For products in factory packaging, in addition to the kashrut stamp, there must be a special stamp “ Kasher Le Pesach” (“Kosher for Passover”).
Chametz
On Pesach, you can not only use, but also own leaven (chametz).
Examples of kvass:
- Any cereals - wheat, barley, rye, oats, or spelt - that have come into contact with water or other liquids should be considered chametz, as they may begin to ferment.
- flour products: flour noodles, vermicelli, oatmeal, bread, cake, biscuits, pastries, matzah, and matzah dishes not made specifically for Pesach.
- Cereal products: corn flakes, puffed wheat grains, crushed wheat, etc.
- Malt Products: All malt and yeast products, vegetable extracts, mustard and other seasonings.
- Beverages: beer, whiskey and other alcoholic beverages, malt vinegar and pickled foods containing malt vinegar, fruit essences, glucose.
In different Jewish communities, the rules regarding leaven may differ from each other. So, Ashkenazim are forbidden to eat and use the so-called. kitniyot: products containing legumes, rice, and similar products, such as peanuts, etc. There are different customs in relation to various vegetable oils, for example, soybean and corn oils.
Opinions on the meaning of kashrut
Will of the Creator
Jewish law considers this commandment as "hok" - which does not have a logical explanation, but is performed solely as a sign of submission to the will of God. The explanations that are available in Jewish literature (and Judaism in every possible way welcomes the search for even a hidden meaning) are only intended to show once again that it is good for a person to follow the will of the Creator even when he does not see an obvious meaning in this and give a person additional joy from fulfilling commandments. There is also an approach according to which a Jew can sincerely consider pork tasty and nutritious, and not eat it just because this type of food is forbidden to him.
Hasidic approach
From the point of view of Hasidism, the physical world was created by the Creator in order to reach the "abode in the lower worlds" - the state of unity with the world, which, despite the fact that it denies the Creator in its structure, will eventually manifest Him. This "abode" is achieved by the fact that Jews and non-Jews fulfill the commandments of the Creator (613 commandments for Jews and 7 commandments for non-Jews), using directly matter physical world(Therefore, most of the commandments of the Torah are related to material objects, and not just spiritual principles and ideas). Thus, they connect the Will of the Creator (reflected in the commandments of the Torah) - and thus His Essence - with physical matter.
Striving for Holiness
According to this view, the purpose of the laws of kashrut is to inculcate such qualities as self-discipline and self-restraint, and to elevate the act of eating from an animal level to a highly organized and conscious one.
Thus, the laws of kashrut are part of the system of commandments of the Torah, by fulfilling which a person learns to control his desires and passions and, thereby, grows spiritually.
Preservation of national self-identification
Many kosher laws are designed to limit contact with non-Jews. For example, many types of food are considered treif only because they are prepared by non-Jews. Grape wine made by non-Jews is also prohibited.
These "uncomfortable" laws serve as a barrier, a barrier to contact, which can eventually lead to marriage with a non-Jew, which is a serious violation of the Torah. Kashrut also brings Jews closer together wherever they are. When a kosher Jew travels to another city or country, he will look for a rabbi and community there where he can get kosher food. And in the synagogue, the Jew meets even more new friends who share his views and moral values. Thus, a kosher Jew will never find himself alone in any Jewish city in the world.
When someone in a non-kosher restaurant orders beef steak instead of pork chops in an attempt to keep "kosher", I no longer laugh at him. The choice of this person may indicate his attempt to refuse non-kosher pork... If he refuses butter and does not dilute his coffee with milk after meat, I respect this person even more, because he obviously remembers the commandment of Kashrut "DO NOT BOIL THE GOAT IN MOTHER'S MILK "... And if he generally prefers fish to meat, I see in him a person who is seriously trying to live according to the commandments of God
R. Zalman Schachter, "The State of the Jewish Faith"
moral values
According to this approach, the purpose of the laws of kashrut is to
- reduce to a minimum the number of animals that can be killed;
- to kill animals in the most painless way;
- cultivate an aversion to the shedding of blood.
Cruelty to animals is expressly prohibited by the Torah. Hunting and killing animals for entertainment are prohibited. Animals can only be killed for food, medical research, etc. According to scientific research, Shechita(slaughter according to the Torah) - is one of the most humane methods of killing an animal. According to the laws of kosher, any injured animal is no longer kosher. Therefore, animals should be killed quickly - in one movement, in order to reduce pain to a minimum. The knife used by the carver must be sharp and smooth. The animal loses consciousness in a fraction of a second.
The Torah also forbids the consumption of blood. This explains the special laws of slaughtering, soaking and salting meat, which ensure the removal of blood. Thus the Torah teaches not to be cruel.
It is surprising that none of the Israelis' neighbors share their absolute ban on the use of blood. They look at blood as a food product... Blood is a symbol of life. According to the laws of Judaism, a person has the right to maintain his life by eating only a minimum amount of living matter ... A person does not have the right to encroach on "life" itself. Therefore, the blood - life - must be symbolically "returned to God" - the meat must be bled before cooking.
Jacob Milgrom, professor at the University of Berkeley.
Arguments of modern researchers
Arguments are being made about the benefits of kashrut by representatives of the medical community.
Criticism of kashrut
Objectivity and kashrut brands
The packaging of a product may have several seals of authorities that verify kosherness. This is done to satisfy all market segments.
From all of the above, it follows that kashrut is a hermeneutical code of subjective judgments, and it cannot be confirmed by objective laboratory research. Therefore, many believers do not rely on kosher licenses from government departments such as the Chief Rabbinate of Israel or the New York State Kosher Inspectorate, or large organizations like Orthodox Union, but prefer licenses from a rabbi known to them or revered in their community.
There may be several seals and brand marks on the package. This means that the producers took care to obtain a kashrut license in different instances in order to satisfy all possible market segments. In Israel in 1977, all major supermarket chains eliminated non-kosher products from their shelves. In the Israel Defense Forces, only kosher food is required.
Market for kosher products
Nowadays, the market for kosher products has become a huge business. Only in the US the annual turnover of the market is, according to various estimates, from 50 to 150 billion dollars. According to the Food Industry News magazine, the market for kosher products is actively expanding, conquering large segments of non-Jewish consumers.
According to Kosher Today magazine, among the 11 million Americans who choose kosher foods, only one million are Jewish. Kosher products are consumed not only by devout Jews, but also by other categories of consumers: vegetarians, Seventh-day Adventists, Muslims, people with allergies to lactose or gluten, and many other categories of consumers.
The volume of the Russian market of kosher products is about $5 million (as of July 2006). In addition to shops traditionally attached to synagogues, in 2002 Kosher LLC opened the first and so far the only kosher food supermarket in Moscow on Trifonovskaya Street.
World Kosher Certification Organization OK Kosher Certification in 2010 opened a special "Russian" department to work with countries former USSR. For two years of work, more than 60 plants have been certified in the territory of the Russian Federation, the CIS countries and the Baltic States. To date OK Kosher Certification is the largest and most experienced organization in the kosher industry in Russia, the CIS and the Baltic States.
Curiosities related to kashrut
Kashrut and Halal
There are rules similar to kashrut in Islam (see. Halal). Muslims also do not eat pork, they use approximately the same rules for slaughtering livestock. But in Islam there is no special person whose functions would include monitoring the observance of religious restrictions. There is only one restriction that is in Islam, but it is not in Judaism: Islam forbids the consumption of alcoholic beverages, and from the point of view of kashrut, there is nothing reprehensible in this. It can be noted that kashrut is generally stricter than halal. Despite the fact that both Islam and Judaism forbid eating the blood of an animal (it is believed that the soul is in the blood), Islam has its own rite of slaughtering an animal, which differs from the rite in Judaism.
Notes
- Peretz Rodman. Treif Wasn't Always Non-kosher (Leviticus 16:1-18:30)
- Halakha recognizes as kosher, that is, legal, only the testimony of a mature, capable man (from the age of 13,
As we have already said, the 613 commandments of the Torah can be divided into groups. The most obvious division is into commandments-prescriptions (of which there are 248) and commandments-prohibitions (of which there are 365). But it is possible to divide them in another way: into commandments expressing a person's relationship to the Almighty, and commandments concerning relations between people. There is another division of the commandments - into hukim and mishpatim.
Hukim - they are laws to be obeyed without reasoning, the meaning of which is too deep for the possibilities of our reason. For example, the prohibition to wear clothes called shaatnez - that is, woven from woolen and linen threads together, the law on the ashes of the "red heifer", etc.
Mishpatim - these are laws whose meaning is explained in the Torah (for example, the laws of the Sabbath), or those that do not require special explanation, because their meaning is clear anyway (for example, the commandment to honor parents or the prohibition of murder, debauchery, theft, which are mentioned in Ten commandments).
commandments about proper nutrition, or - as our sages formulate it - "laws on forbidden food", all that is collectively referred to as the word kashrut, belong to the category hukim. And this despite the fact that many of these laws lend themselves to rational - and often quite successful - interpretation. These interpretations may be useful in order to give a person a greater spiritual uplift in the implementation of these laws, but they do not in the least change the fact that the laws kashrut - this is hukim.
RAMBAM: KASHRUT IS BEAUTIFUL FOR THE BODY
The great Torah scholar and Halacha codifier Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam), who was also one of the most prominent doctors of his generation, tried to give a logical explanation of the laws kashrut on a medical basis. He proceeds from the principle that everything that the Torah forbids Jews to eat is harmful to health, and everything that the Torah allows cannot harm. In this case, the condition must be observed that the amount of food and the time of its intake are strictly defined. The Rambam, for example, argues that the absence of scales on a fish (which is a sign of a non-kosher fish) is purely outward sign, allowing people to see that the fish is not edible. Only the Almighty, who knows all the properties of His creations, knows that this type of fish is harmful to human health, and therefore gave it such a bright sign, and gave scales to fish suitable for human food. Rambam proves that the signs of purity or impurity of all animals are external signs created for us, who do not know the true properties of various types of food. Torah ordering observance kashrut, gives us a sure key to distinguish between what is good and what is bad. It should be noted that modern medicine recognizes that there is a lot of truth in the fundamentals of the Rambam system from a medical point of view, and uses his approach.
RAMBAN: KASHRUT IS BENEFICIAL FOR THE SOUL
However, many authorities of the Torah, who also had great knowledge in medicine, and among them - Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman (Ramban) - do not agree with Rambam. (Among their arguments was this: after all, non-Jews calmly eat most of the types of food that are forbidden to Jews - is it prayed to say that this really harms their health?) The Ramban believes that the food forbidden by the Torah does not harm the health of our bodies. but the health of the soul. He draws attention to the fact that most of the birds forbidden to us for food are birds of prey (eagle, falcon, hawk), and those birds that are allowed to us (chickens, pigeons, geese, swans), on the contrary, have a peaceful, calm disposition. and do not eat meat. According to Ramban, the meat of birds of prey influences the character of the person who eats it, and informs him of those characteristic negative qualities that distinguish these birds.
From this point of view, the prohibition to eat blood, repeated many times by the Torah, becomes understandable: eating blood develops a habit of cruelty in a person, develops in him the qualities of a destroyer and a killer. The Torah says, "Blood is the soul," and the soul is harmed by eating blood.
Many thinkers, however, explain the laws kashrut not in terms of whether forbidden food causes harm to the soul or body, but as a means against the assimilation of the people of Israel among other nations, as a means of preserving our exclusivity and individuality.
WHY YOU SHOULD NOT DRINK YAYIN NESEKH
About two thousand years ago, a ban was established on eating bread baked by non-Jews and drinking wine made by non-Jews. Why? To avoid rapprochement between Jews and non-Jews: first, joint feasts, then companions will want to intermarry, and Jewish girls will marry non-Jews, and Jews will take non-Jewish wives. Therefore, the sages of the Torah blocked the road - though not tightly - leading to assimilation.
A Jew can host non-Jewish guests and treat them - but only if he is the sovereign master in his house. Laws kashrut they forbid a Jew to eat in a non-Jewish house and thereby protect his physical and spiritual worlds.
A hint of these laws is contained in the Torah, in the chapter of the 20th book of Vayikra, which refers to the preservation of the fence separating Jews from other peoples, which finds its expression in the features of Jewish cuisine. It says (Vayikra, 20:24-26): “I am the Lord your God, who separated you from other nations. So distinguish a clean animal from an unclean one, a clean bird from an unclean one, and do not defile your souls with animals, birds, and everything that teems on the earth, which I have appointed unclean for you. And be holy to me, for holy am I, the LORD, and have I separated you from the nations, that you may belong to me.”
It is superfluous to add anything to these so unambiguous words. There is no doubt that law enforcement kashrut - a powerful factor in the preservation of Jewish identity and a guarantee against assimilation. Who knows if it wasn't for kashrut(and the commandment of circumcision) -would not the Jewish people share the fate of the Ammonites, Arameans, Philistines, Edomites and Canaanites, who disappeared without a trace from the stage of world history?
Despite attempts to provide some rational explanation for the laws kashrut, they are part of the irrational decrees of the Creator, hukim, and it is in their performance that the strength of the Jewish faith is truly tested. As one of the sages of the Mishnah, Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya, says: “Do not say: I cannot eat pork, do not say: I cannot put on shaatnez. But say this: I can do both, but what else can I do if the Almighty forbade me to do this? That is, it is not sophistication of tastes and not logic that are the basis of laws kashrut, but the will of the Almighty, which we are obliged to fulfill, regardless of our own tastes and momentary desires. As it is said: “The word of the Lord is pure,” and it is given to us only to make us clean.
TWO PEOPLES?
When young people create new family, they should erect new house on the laws kashrut even if their way of life does not fully correspond to the Torah. They should think about the fact that most of the Jewish people eat only kosher food, and nothing good will come from the fact that their house is closed to them, that their neighbor, relative or friend refuses to eat in their house! If such a barrier arises between different sections of society, there is a danger that over time there will be two people in the State of Israel - so even from a social point of view, it is worth making a small effort to ensure that your home is open to everyone, regardless of their beliefs and lifestyle. Do not break the bonds that hold society together!
It is clear that a person who observes the laws kashrut in his home, he will observe them, being both outside it and even abroad. Let's make it clear to ourselves that we are able to overcome momentary impulses and resist temptations! Kashrut - it is a wall that guards the Jewish home. So let's take care of the strength of this wall!
HOW WE STOP BEING VEGETARIANS?
At the dawn of human history, people were strictly forbidden to eat meat. The Almighty said to the first people: “Behold, I give you all the grass that sows seeds on the face of the whole earth, and all the trees on which their fruits grow, producing seeds - this will be food for you! And to all the animals of the earth, and to all the birds “of the sky, and to everything that teems on the earth, in whom there is a living soul, I give all the green grass for food” (Breishit, ch. 1). Both man and all living beings were then vegetarians.
This prohibition remained in force for ten generations, and only after the Flood, when Hoax and his family left the ark, was it lifted. The Almighty said to them: “All the animals of the earth, and all the birds of the sky, and everything that the earth teems with, and all the fish of the sea, will experience horror and trembling before you - they are all given into your hands. Everything that lives, everything that moves, will be food for you: like green grass I have given you everything!” (Breishit, ch. 9). Noah and his sons, the founders of the new humanity, are allowed to eat any creature - despite the fact that in the command of the Almighty that the ark is intended, except for man, also for the salvation of all living beings, a distinction is made between clean and unclean animals.
The only restriction in the permission to eat flesh is the prohibition to eat meat cut off from a living animal: “But do not eat the flesh, in the blood of which the soul still remains!” This is one of the seven commandments obligatory for all the descendants of Noah, all people, Jews and non-Jews.
In addition to the commandment shkhite, special slaughter of livestock, which excludes the danger of eating the meat of a still living animal, as well as carrion, the Torah strictly distinguishes between clean animals, suitable for food, and unclean, which are forbidden to eat.
“... And do not eat the meat of an animal wounded by a beast in the field - throw it to the dog” (Shemot, ch. 22) - this prohibition also applies to those clean animals whose body is so damaged that they are not able to live normally . Even if they are slaughtered in the way prescribed by the Torah, their meat cannot be eaten.
From the foregoing, we see that in principle there are three kinds of prohibitions concerning meat food:
- prohibition to eat the meat of unclean animals;
- the prohibition to eat the meat of clean animals that died of natural causes or slaughtered in the wrong way (their meat is also considered carrion);
- the prohibition to eat the meat of properly slaughtered clean animals whose health has been irreparably damaged (such meat is called treyfa.).
But that's not all: in the carcass of a clean animal, properly slaughtered, we cannot eat some parts: blood, lard and sciatic nerve. If the removal of blood from meat is the personal responsibility of everyone who abides by the laws kashrut, then the removal of fat and the sciatic nerve is performed by a specialist (menaker in Hebrew) with permission from the rabbi.
It should be noted here that the laws shekhite and checking the carcass of an animal for kosher are very numerous and complex, therefore only a person who has thoroughly studied them and received an appropriate diploma from a rabbi has the right to engage in this craft. The last authority in resolving questions that may arise in this case is an authoritative rabbi who has a diploma received by him from the authorities of the Torah. Such a diploma is called "smicha", it should specifically indicate that its holder has the right to determine the law in controversial cases.
Under the supervision of a rabbi, there is a specialist, who is usually called fur coats - abbreviation of words shohet uvodek("carver checking the carcass"). fur coat must have a special diploma, which is called "bondage". This document should indicate which types of animals he has the right to cut: small cattle, cattle, birds. Menaker works together with fur coat which removes the fat forbidden to eat and leaves the fat allowed to eat, and also - and this is the most difficult thing in his work - removes the sciatic nerve (why it is forbidden to eat the sciatic nerve, it is said in the book of Breishit, ch. 32). Reznik and menakera appoints a rabbi who oversees their work and who is called upon in difficult cases. The slaughterer is obliged to show the rabbi for verification the knife with which he works, because if this knife has even the smallest notch, the meat of the animal slaughtered by him is forbidden to be eaten, it is equated to carrion.
ANIMALS CLEAN AND UNCLEAN
There are three types of living beings, among which the Torah distinguishes between pure and impure: - animals that live on land;
- inhabitants of the sea;
- winged.
For animals living on land, the Torah gives us the following criterion for their suitability for food: "Any animal with cloven hooves, chewing cud, you can eat" (Vayikra, ch. 12). If one of these signs is absent - that is, if the animal's hoof is not cloven or the animal is not ruminant - the meat of such an animal cannot be eaten.
The camel, the hyrax and the rabbit are especially noted in the Torah as unclean animals, although they chew the cud, because they do not have a cloven hoof. On the contrary, the pig is unclean because it is not a ruminant animal, although its hoof is cloven.
So, we see that all predatory animals are unclean and forbidden for us to eat (remember what Ramban wrote about this?), And among clean animals, only herbivores are allowed to eat for us: deer, gazelle, etc.
RESIDENTS OF THE SEA
The fish that the Torah allows to eat are distinguished by the fact that they have scales and fins. In fact, you can only be satisfied with the first sign - because all fish have fins. Therefore, it is enough to notice traces of scales on a piece of fish to conclude that the meat of this fish can be eaten.
Halacha fish meat is considered separately from the meat of other animals.
1. Fish don't need shkhite, a hint of what is in the Torah (Bemidbar, ch. 11): “And the sheep, and their cows slaughter... Gather all the fish of the sea...” It follows that in order to kill a fish, it is enough to take it out of the water.
3. The obligation to draw blood from meat does not apply to fish.
And yet it is customary to cook fish in a separate bowl, leaving it in a "neutral" state. (parve) and without mixing with either meat or milk, although it can be eaten with dairy products, and with meat. After all, if you cook fish in a meat pan, we will have to exclude it from the dairy menu.
Spoons, forks and knives that were used when eating fish can only be used when eating meat (or, respectively, dairy) food after they have been washed clean.
The so-called "seafood" - squid, oysters, etc. – The Torah forbids us to eat, as they are unclean living beings. The Torah speaks of all water inhabitants who do not have scales and fins, of all “water evil spirits”: “They are disgusting to you ... do not eat their flesh” (Vayikra, ch. 11).
Sardines have scales, and therefore are suitable for us to write. However, when buying a can of sardines canned anywhere outside of Israel, you need to pay attention to the oil in which they are canned. If this olive oil- that's all right, but if the sardines are canned in animal oil, we're not allowed to eat them.
BIRDS: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE OF A HAWK FROM A DOVE?
The Torah does not say anything about the signs that distinguish a clean bird from an unclean one. Instead, she simply lists the unclean birds by their names (Vayikra, ch. 11; Dvarim, ch. 14). This means that there are significantly fewer unclean birds than clean ones. What kind of birds are unclean? These are eagle, falcon, hawk, condor, kite, raven, heron, seagull, owl, owl, pelican, cormorant, stork, ostrich, hoopoe and some others.
It should be emphasized that flying insects are also forbidden for our food: flies, bees, mosquitoes, most of the locust species, etc.
It should only be noted that there is one species of locust called hagav and which we are allowed to eat. Jewish immigrants from Yemen know how to distinguish this type of locust from the rest and eat it.
The ban on eating insects and other evil spirits (what the Torah calls sherets) obliges us to have a good idea of their appearance, the process of their development and habitats, in order to remove them from food. You need to be especially careful when eating flour and cereals: the flour should be sifted through a fine sieve, and the cereal should be sorted out to find out if there are insects or worms in it. In addition to the undoubted harm from the point of view of hygiene, eating a worm means committing a very serious violation of the laws of the Torah. Vegetables - cabbage, lettuce, dill, etc. - also need to be very carefully checked and washed thoroughly, as they usually have a lot of worms and insects. Many fruits are a favorite habitat for worms - such as figs, apricots - and therefore should be checked with great care before eating.
FROM PURE - PURE, FROM IMPURITY - IMPURITY
Here general principle, formulated by our sages: "What comes from the pure is pure, and what comes from the impure is impure." From this we see that one should not drink the milk of an unclean animal, eat the eggs of an unclean bird, eat the roe of an unclean fish.
Characteristic features help us to distinguish the eggs of a clean bird from the eggs of an unclean bird. The first - for example, chicken or pigeon eggs - necessarily have different ends: one is sharper, the other is more rounded. The eggs of unclean birds have the same ends: either both are sharp, or both are blunt. Clean fish eggs are even easier to distinguish: they are always yellowish-brown in color - in contrast to impure eggs, which are always black. Therefore, it is clear that the famous in Russia "black caviar" (sturgeon) is forbidden to us for food.
As with any rule, there are exceptions: this is bee honey. The bee itself is forbidden to us as food (this is a flying sherets), and the honey that she creates is pure and permitted by the Torah for writing. And yet, here, in essence, there is no exception that is completely out of the ordinary: honey is not a product of the vital activity of the bee's organism (just as milk is the product of the vital activity of the animal's organism), but the juice of flowers, only processed by the bee ...
SECONDARY PRODUCTS OF THE FOOD INDUSTRY
In accordance with the same principle (“what comes from the impure is impure”), one should turn Special attention on some products obtained as a result of processing of secondary products. This is especially true for those products that are brought to Israel from abroad: they are often made from milk or fats of unclean animals - for example, gelatin. There are countries in which it is customary to bake bread, greasing the mold with lard; there are varieties of cheese, in the production of which a substance obtained from the body of an unclean animal is used, and there are also those that are specially laid in the intestines of unclean animals in order to give them a special taste; there are varieties of chocolate, which include the milk of unclean animals; Some types of ice cream, confectionery, candy and chewing gum use non-kosher ingredients. In any doubtful case, you should ask the local rabbi: is it possible to eat this product or not.
In Israel, importers are required to indicate the name of the exporter and the ingredients of the product on the packaging of the product. In all the rabbinates of Israel, in the departments of monitoring kashrut, there are lists of companies Food Industry having teudat kashrut - a document certifying the kosher quality of their products.
It is appropriate to note here that every time you enter a butcher shop, a restaurant or a hotel, you should check whether they have teudat kashrut, received from the rabbinate, and if so, whether this document has expired and whose signature is under it. Care must be taken in these matters. Think: after all, if you are asked for a money loan, you will check well before giving money, what kind of person this is - how much he can be trusted. But regarding the kosherness of food, we often blindly trust a person completely unknown to us! Let's treat the questions kashrut at least as seriously as money matters.
"YAIN NESEKH"
Throughout its long history, the Jewish people, even while living in their own country, have been threatened more than once by the threat of destruction - physical and spiritual. There were times when assimilation was much more successful in destroying the Jews spiritually than their worst enemies physically. Judaism, extremely sensitive to spiritual danger, has established many laws designed to avoid or at least reduce the danger of assimilation. One such law is the prohibition against drinking wine made by non-Jews. Such wine is called "yayin neseh", "wine for making libation" - because it was used to make libations to idols on the altars dedicated to them. As mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, the sages forbade us from drinking non-Jewish wine in order to prevent intermarriage. According to the sages, wine has an extraordinary power to bring together those who are far from each other, and it is able to bring together Jews and non-Jews who gather for a joint feast.
The prohibition to drink "yayin neseh" applies only to those drinks that are prepared by non-Jewish hands from grapes. But, in addition, if a non-Jew touches a completely kosher wine with his hand, it becomes forbidden.
So, a Jew cannot drink wine (of whatever brand), grape juice, champagne, cognac, brandy - if they are made by non-Jews. However, drinks not made from grapes - whiskey, sherry, vodka, various liqueurs, gin, rum, beer - are allowed to drink (but, of course, not in the Forests).
WARE IN THE WATER "MIKVE"
Before using metal utensils (made of aluminium, silver, copper, etc.) purchased from a non-Jew, one should dip them into mikveh water - a special reservoir arranged in accordance with the instructions of the Torah - or, in extreme cases, into source water. The same applies to glassware or Pyrex and Duralex dishes - if they are intended for use on the dining table. Before immersing a thing in mikveh water, a blessing is pronounced: “Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to dip dishes in mikveh!” If the dishes bought from a non-Jew are not new, but have already been used, then before dipping them in the “mikveh”, you should kosher them: by heating them on fire (if they are intended for cooking on fire) or by dipping them into water boiling with large bubbles (if these are dishes used for eating, or knives, forks, spoons). Those who also dip dishes made of plastic, porcelain, etc. into the “mikveh” water should not pronounce the blessing.
BLOOD PROHIBITION
In several places, the Torah repeats this prohibition: “Only be strong so as not to eat blood, for blood is the soul: so do not eat the soul along with the flesh. Do not eat it - pour it out on the ground like water” (Devarim, ch. 12). The Torah prescribes to fill the blood of a bird or a wild animal (clean, of course) poured onto the ground. This is a commandment of the Torah, and when it is performed, the blessing "... and he commanded us to cover the blood with ashes" is pronounced. This commandment does not apply to the blood of domestic animals.
To emphasize the importance of the prohibition against eating blood, we point out that if a drop of blood is found in a chicken egg, the egg cannot be eaten. There is a point of view that blood should not be eaten because in the Temple it was an integral part of the sacrifices, just as one should not eat fat that was burned on the altar in the Temple. However, although a drop of blood in an egg has nothing to do with temple service, it should not be eaten.
The hostess who prepares the dough for the pie will do the right thing if she does not break and pour the eggs directly into the dough: it is possible that the blood will be just in the last egg, and then the whole dough will become unfit for food. You should first pour the egg into a transparent glass and - if it turns out that there is no blood in it - only then pour it into the dough.
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