Kashrut - Halakah

Kashrut - kosher

Halakah =

the way one walks

Kashrut

laws involving food

Hechsher stamp

proves food is kosher

KLBD

London Beth Din approves of the food

Tevilah

you can submerse your pots/pans to neutralise them

Pareve

laws applied to meat are not applied to fish as fish is considered pareve

Chametz

leavened grain products (wheat, barley, rye, oats, and spelt)

Matzah

Unleavened bread (matzah) replaces leavened bread

Kitniyot

Ashkenazi Jews traditionally avoid legumes, rice, corn, and soy during Passover, while many Sephardic Jews permit them

Kashrut (definition)

fit for purpose

Shechita

the way they are slaughtered

Schochet

the slaughter - the best/least painful way to kill animals

Chalaf

a surgically sharp instrument which severs the major structures and vessels at the neck

Melicha

the process of soaking and salting

Trefah

Designates a kosher animal that has suffered a severe, often fatal, physical injury or ailment, making it unfit for consumption

What is the only piece of crockery that does not absorb anything?

Glass is the only piece of crockery that does not absorb anything e.g. meat/dairy, unless it has a crack in it

What type of sink is required for kashrut?

You would not have a ceramic sink, it has to be stainless steel

How are sinks made neutral?

You pour boiling water from a kettle pot, making your sink NEUTRAL

What is the status of birds of prey?

Any bird that is not a bird of prey is kosher e.g. chicken, turkey, quail

What is the rule regarding eggs from non-kosher animals?

You cannot have an egg from a non-kosher animal

What is the status of insects?

Insects are not kosher, flying insects

What does Maimonides view self-discipline as?

not merely as a set of restrictions, but as the essential, active process of cultivating a balanced character and training the body to serve the soul

What is the core reason for keeping kosher?

obedience to God's will as part of the Mosaic covenant, rather than for health/moral reasons

How many positive and negative mitzvot are there?

248 positive mitzvot, 365 negative mitzvot

Why are women exempt from positive, time bound mitzvot?

they are on a higher spiritual plane and understanding - Binah

What is the procedure for organs with high blood content?

must be broiled directly over a fire, rather than just salted

What is the Pittsburgh platform's view on food laws?

We hold that all such Mosaic and rabbinical laws as regulate dietary, priestly purity, and dress originated in ages and under the influence of ideas entirely foreign to our present mental and spiritual state

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 - commandments

'These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts'

Genesis 9:4

'you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it'

Exodus 22:31 - Holiness

'You are to be my holy people. So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it to the dogs.'

Deuteronomy 14:21

'you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk'

Self-discipline explanation for following kashrut

Maimonides (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon) viewed self-discipline not merely as a set of restrictions, but as the essential, active process of cultivating a balanced character and training the body to serve the soul, ultimately allowing for intellectual and spiritual perfection.

He emphasized that virtue is acquired through consistent, repetitive action—"forcing oneself" to perform good deeds until they become ingrained habits.

He believed that a healthy body is a prerequisite for a sound mind and that one must discipline their physical desires to ensure they do not "overpower" the intellect.

- More mindful

- Avoids gluttony

Passover dietary rules

No Chametz: The most significant rule is the total abstinence from chametz—leavened grain products (wheat, barley, rye, oats, and spelt)

Throughout the year, you only eat bread in a certain place so it can be easily cleaned up before Passover

support for this - exodus 12:15

'Seven days shall ye eat unleavened b'read; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses'

The Mitzvot as a reason for kashrut

- Core, foundational reason for keeping kosher is obedience to God's will as part of the Mosaic covenant, rather than for health/moral reasons

- Following the food laws is an act of obedience and submission to God

- Kashrut transforms the mundane, physical act of eating into a sacred, intentional act

Tradition as a reason for kashrut

- Cultural preservation - keeping kosher maintains the 4,000 year old tradition that has sustained Jewish life through periods of exile and diaspora

- Kashrut connects modern generation to their ancestors

- Sharing a common set of dietary restrictions creates a shared experience and strengthens bonds within the Jewish community globally

- Passing down of heritage - passing down of traditions like food laws, creates a tangible connection to a person's roots

How could the food laws benefit society (without a religious reason)

- Health - meat is more hygienic as all blood has been drained

Discipline

- Safety - they could be infested, pigs are known to carry lots of diseases, you cannot control the things that they eat. We do not know what birds of prey have eaten. The final plague was where the livestock died, the only people who ate meat - there was a chain of animals eating each other, could link to this

- Unfortunately, it cuts down on other industries e.g. the salmon industry, could lead to wealth disparity

Procedure of shechita

Done by a trained shohet

consists of a rapid and expert transverse incision with a surgically sharp instrument called a chalaf, which severs the major structures and vessels at the neck

This causes an instant drop in blood pressure in the brain and immediately results in the irreversible cessation of consciousness

The shechita renders the animal insensible to pain, fulfilling all requirements of humanness and compassion

If they get it wrong, the animal is unfit and therefore not kosher

reason for prohibition of blood and koshering?

Views blood as the 'life' or soul of an animal

Orthodox approach to food laws

Orthodox Jews see the food laws as timeless and binding

Orthodox Jews treat all laws equally, hence why they follow kashrut like they follow any other law

Reform approach to food laws

Pittsburgh platform - Number 4, the food laws 'We hold that all such Mosaic and rabbinical laws as regulate dietary, priestly purity, and dress originated in ages and under the influence of ideas entirely foreign to our present mental and spiritual state. They fail to impress the modern Jew with a spirit of priestly holiness; their observance in our days is apt rather to obstruct than to further modern spiritual elevation'

'Making the mundane spiritual' - making eating a spiritual thing

• Emphasis on personal choice and autonomy rather than seeing kashrut as authoritative/binding