Where is kosher in the torah

According to some views, it is not permissible to eat meat and fish together, but I am not certain of the reason for that restriction.

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 pots, pans, plates, flatware, etc. A utensil picks up the kosher "status" meat, dairy, pareve , or treif 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. Stovetops 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 spoonrests and trivets when putting things down on the stovetop. 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. 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. The task of keeping kosher is greatly simplified by widespread kashrut certification.

Approximately three-quarters of all prepackaged foods in the United States and Canada, at least, have some kind of kosher certification, and most major brands have reliable Orthodox certification.

The symbols of kashrut certification are all widely-accepted and commonly found on products throughout the United States. It is very easy to spot these marks on food labels, usually near the product name, occasionally near the list of ingredients.

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.

The intention of this guide is to acquaint the reader with some of the fundamentals of kashrut and provide insight into its practical application. Given the complex nature of the laws of kosher, one should consult an Orthodox Rabbi whenever an issue arises. Though an ancillary hygienic benefit has been attributed to the observance of kashrut, the ultimate purpose and rationale is to conform to the Divine Will, as expressed in the Torah.

Not too long ago, most food products were made in the family kitchen, or in a small factory or store in the local community. It was relatively easy to ascertain if the product was reliably kosher. If Rabbinical supervision was required, it was attended to by the Rabbi of the community, who was known to all. Today, industrialization, transcontinental shipping and mass production have created a situation where most of the foods we eat are treated, processed, cooked, canned or boxed commercially in industrial settings, which can be located hundreds or thousands of miles away from home.

What adds further complication is that it is generally not possible to judge the kosher status of an item on the basis of the information provided in the ingredient declaration for a variety of reasons.

First, the product may be made from kosher ingredients, but processed on non-kosher equipment. Second, the USDA does not require the listing of certain processing aids, such as pan liners and oils that serve as release agents. Though not legally classified as ingredients, these items could nonetheless render the product non-kosher.

Third, many ingredients can be kosher or non-kosher, depending on their source of origin. For example, glycerin and emulsifiers are made from either vegetable most likely kosher or animal oils most likely non-kosher.

Finally, many ingredients are listed only in broad terms, with no breakdown of the many complex components that make up the actual item. Unless a person is an expert in food production, the average consumer cannot possibly make an evaluation of the kosher status, which is why it is important to purchase only those products that have the endorsement of a reliable kashruth agency.

Want to Apply for Kosher Certification? Find out how to get certified here. The Torah states that kosher mammals are those that chew their cud ruminants and are cloven-hoofed.

The following animal species are among those considered to be kosher: addax, antelope, bison, cow, deer, gazelle, giraffe, goat, ibex and sheep. In addition, kosher meat and poultry require special preparation, which will be discussed below. Poultry: The Torah does not enumerate specific characteristics to distinguish permitted and forbidden birds. Instead, it enumerates 24 forbidden species of fowl, while all other birds are considered to be kosher.

Nonetheless, for various reasons, in practice we eat only those birds which have an established tradition that the species is kosher. In the United States, the only poultry accepted by mainstream kashrut organizations as kosher are chicken, turkey, duck and goose. Fish: The Torah establishes two criteria to determine which fish are kosher. The fish must have fins and scales. The scales must be easily removable without damaging the skin.

All shellfish are prohibited. Unlike meat and poultry, fish requires no special preparation. Nonetheless, the fish scales must be visible to the consumer in order to establish the kosher status of the fish. Therefore, filleted or ground fish should not be purchased unless properly supervised, or the fillet should have a skin tab with scales attached to the flesh. Furthermore, purchasing fish in a non-kosher fish store is problematic — even if the scales are intact — because the knives and tables are not kosher, and Rabbinic guidance should therefore be sought.

Processed and smoked fish products require reliable rabbinic supervision, as do all processed foods. The trachea and esophagus of the animal are severed with a special razor-sharp, perfectly smooth blade, causing instantaneous death with no pain to the animal.

Only a trained kosher slaughterer shochet , whose piety and expertise have been attested to by rabbinic authorities, is qualified to slaughter an animal for kosher consumption. Bedika Inspection : After the animal has been properly slaughtered, a trained inspector bodek inspects the internal organs for any physiological abnormalities that may render the animal non-kosher treif. The lungs, in particular, must be examined in order to determine that there are no adhesions sirchot , which may be indicative of a puncture in the lungs.

If an adhesion is found, the bodek must further examine it carefully to determine its kosher status. It should be noted that in addition to fulfilling the requirements of halacha Jewish law , the bedika of internal organs insures a standard of quality that exceeds government requirements. Glatt Kosher: Though not all adhesions render an animal non-kosher, some Jewish communities or individuals only eat meat of an animal that has been found to be free of all adhesions on its lungs.

Nikkur Excising : In some kosher animal species, many blood vessels, nerves and lobes of fat are forbidden and must be removed. Koshering Meat : The Torah forbids the consumption of the blood of an animal.

Once meat is cooked prior to kashering, it cannot be made kosher. The meat must first be soaked for a half hour in cool not ice water in a utensil designated only for that purpose. After allowing for excess water to drip off the meat, the meat is thoroughly salted so that the entire surface is covered with a thin layer of salt. Only coarse salt should be used.

Both sides of meat and poultry must be salted. All loose inside sections of poultry must be removed before the kashering process begins. Each part must be soaked and salted individually. If the meat or poultry was sliced during the salting process, the newly exposed surfaces of the cut must now be soaked for a half hour and salted as well.

The salted meat is left for an hour on an inclined or perforated surface to allow the blood to flow down freely. The cavity of the poultry should be placed open, in a downward direction. After the salting, the meat must be thoroughly soaked, and then thoroughly washed to remove all of the applied salt.

According to Jewish law, meat must be kashered within 72 hours after slaughter so as not to allow the blood to congeal. If meat has been thoroughly soaked prior to the 72 hours limit, an additional seventy-two hours time stay is granted to complete the first step of the salting process. Liver may only be kashered through broiling, because of the preponderance of blood in it. Both the liver and meat must first be thoroughly washed to remove all surface blood. They are then salted slightly on all sides.

Food that is not allowed is called treif. Examples include shellfish, pork products and food that has not been slaughtered in the correct way, known as shechitah. Animals must have their throats cut with a sharp knife by a shochet , a person trained to slaughter animals in a kosher way. The blood must then be drained from the animal because in in the Book of Deuteronomy it forbids Jews to eat or drink blood.

No animals that have died naturally can be eaten. Neutral foods, that can be eaten with either meat or dairy, are called parev and these include vegetables, pasta and rice. As long as these are washed thoroughly before eating, no kosher rules will be broken.

Orthodox Jews keep all the rules of kashrut. Some even have separate utensils and perhaps fridges for the preparation and storage of meat and dairy products.

Although Reform Jews may choose to observe all of the kashrut, they believe this is down to personal choice. Some Reform Jews observe a selection of the laws. Others observe kashrut at home but not elsewhere. In big cities with large Jewish populations in the UK, there may be kosher supermarkets, shops and restaurants catering for the Jewish communities.