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KASHRUT

The Hebrew noun "kashrut" means "fitness" and the adjective "kasher" means "fit". In Rabbinic law kashrut refers to correct ritual observance and kasher signifies that something or someone is fit for a required religious purpose. The word kasher is used, for example, to describe ritual objects such as a sefer torah (pentateuchal scroll), tefillin (phylacteries), mezuzah (doorpost scroll), tzitzit (fringe on corner of a prayer shawl) and mikveh (ritual bath), when these comply with the demands of Rabbinic law. When such objects fail to meet the standards laid down in Rabbinic law they are termed "pasul" (unfit). The word kasher is also used of valid witnesses and valid documents in a Rabbinic court. The terms kasher and kashrut are best known and most widely used in relation to food. In stipulating what may be eaten or drunk by Jews and how it should be prepared, kashrut has served as a major means of distinguishing Judaism from other religions. Contemporary Jews who regard the dietary laws as part of a divine legislation, feel obliged to adhere to every detail of kashrut, both inside and outside their homes. Of those who question the concept of "divine legislation", some consider the dietary laws to be established Jewish custom and observe them because they add meaning to their lives. The historical origin of the Jewish dietary laws is obscure and so is their rationale. Excepting the prohibition against consuming blood, the kashrut of the Bible belongs to that corpus of law we term "hukkim" (statutes) and for which no rationale is apparent. Biblical commentators have suggested hygiene, or religious separateness, or discipline as possible reasons for the enactment and observance of kashrut, but these and other equally plausible suggestions are not sufficiently supported by historical evidence to emerge from the realm of conjecture. With reference to blood, the Torah states "for the life of the flesh is in the blood . . . no person among you shall partake of blood . . ." (Lev. 17:11 and 12). The Bible carries dietary references from the first chapter onwards. Earliest man was expected to be a vegetarian for "God said, see, I give you every seed bearing plant that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit: they shall be yours for food" (Gen. 1:29). The mythical Noah apparently knew how to distinguish between "clean" and "unclean" animals when assembling his ark-borne menagerie (Gen. 7:2). In the narration of Jacob's struggle with a mysterious "man" we are told "that is why the children of Israel to this day do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the socket of the hip, since Jacob's hip socket was wrenched at the thigh muscle" (Gen. 32:33). Most dietary customs are post-Sinaitic. There are references to forbidden food throughout the Torah (blood, fat, animals that have died naturally or been torn to death by predators, fruits and grains in certain times and situations, and food set aside for priestly consumption). Lists of permitted and forbidden mammals, birds, fishes and insects are found in Lev. 11 and Deut. 14. The prohibition against boiling a kid in its mother's milk is thrice recorded (Exod. 23:19, Exod. 34:26 and Deut. 14:21). In post-Biblical times kashrut expanded and became more specific about the way to slaughter permitted mammals and birds, about forbidden mixtures of meat and milk, about forbidden wine, about foods and beverages forbidden during Passover and about domestic arrangements for storing food and preparing it for consumption. Kashrut, as currently observed by the ritually scrupulous, may be summarised as follows: 1. VEGETATION Grain from the new crop may not be eaten before the second day of Passover. Fruit from trees may not be eaten during the first four years after planting (a rule generally held only to apply in the land of Israel). During Passover it is forbidden to eat leavened food and cereals which have not been protected from leavening. Wine and brandy not made under Jewish supervision are prohibited. Before Sabbath or festival bread (hallah) is baked, the baker separates a small piece of dough and burns it, having first recited a special blessing. 2. MAMMALS Only ruminants with cloven hooves are permitted for consumption and that effectively limits the list of permitted mammals to cattle, sheep, goats and deer. Hind quarters may be eaten only after certain tendons and nerves have been removed (see the earlier reference to Genesis 32:33). The permitted mammal must be slaughtered by cutting the throat with a sharp knife, severing windpipe, gullet, carotid arteries and jugular vein, so that blood quickly drains from the carcass. As blood flow to the brain ceases, the animal is rendered unconscious. Slaughter (shehitah) is carried out by a specially trained slaughterer (shohet) who is licensed and supervised by the local rabbinate. After slaughtering an animal the shohet inspects its lungs and if there is evidence of disease the carcass is defined as ''nevelah" and rejected. If the shohet observes certain blemishes elsewhere in the carcass it is defined as "terefah" and also rejected. Doubtful cases are referred to the supervising rabbi. 3. BIRDS Only chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, partridges, peacocks, pheasants, pigeons, quails and sparrows are permitted for consumption, providing they have been slaughtered by a shohet. 4. FISH Only those sea creatures which possess both fins and removable scales are permitted for consumption and there are no regulations for their slaughter, though the fisherman or fishmonger is expected to avoid unnecessary cruelty in the taking of marine life. 5. ANIMAL PRODUCTS The eggs of forbidden birds or fish and the milk of forbidden mammals may not be consumed. One should only eat cheese produced under rabbinic supervision because many kinds of cheese are prepared with rennet which may have derived from a prohibited animal. 6. DOMESTIC ARRANGEMENTS Prior to cooking, meat should be soaked in water for half an hour and then be covered in salt for a further hour in order to remove as much blood as possible. (This does not apply to fish.) Liver is scored with a knife, slightly salted and then held over a flame in order to remove as much blood as possible. Any egg containing a drop of blood should be thrown away. Milk and meat products may not be mixed, cooked or eaten together. (Fish may be mixed with milk but not with meat.) Separate storage facilities, cooking utensils, crockery, cutlery and washing up arrangements are required for meat and milk and for Passover use a further two sets of everything are required. After eating meat one should wait (a period varying in different communities from one to six hours) before consuming dairy products. Vegetable products may be mixed with meat, fish or milk.   Where does Liberal Judaism stand on kashrut? Liberal Judaism recognises a religious dimension to the consumption of food and encourages blessing and thanksgiving to God before and after meals. At the public level a reasonable degree of kashrut is observed - on our Synagogue premises and at the headquarters of the ULPS - but at a personal level the Liberal Jew is free to choose observance or non-observance of kashrut in accordance with the dictates of informed conscience. Although it is customary in ULPS circles to employ "kasher" wine for ritual purposes, Liberal Judaism categorically rejects the traditional reason for prohibiting wine produced by gentiles, namely that such produce may have been used for idolatrous libations. In the unlikely event of such pagan practices re-emerging, what would prevent the offering of "kasher" wine as a libation? A significant number of Liberal Jews regard kashrut as wholly irrelevant to their religious lives and are strengthened in their attitude by what they see as an undue emphasis placed upon kashrut in many otherwise unobservant Anglo-Jewish households. These classical liberals look askance at a Judaism where scrupulous attention to ritual detail is all too often accompanied by relative indifference to the moral imperatives of our faith. On the other hand a growing number of contemporary Liberal Jews view ritual with less suspicion and more sympathy than did the stalwarts of the JRU (Jewish Religious Union, from which the ULPS emerged) and for them kashrut may well hold some appeal. Modern Liberal Jews include those who consider the Jewish dietary laws to be a time-honoured constituent of the Jewish way of life and therefore deserving of reappraisal. Even though the Liberal Jew tends to reject the divine origin of kashrut he or she may wish to observe the Jewish dietary laws, wholly or in part, for one or more of the following reasons: In order to enhance a sense of "holiness In order to identify with the Jewish past and with contemporary Jews who observe kashrut. In order to have a home where strictly observant Jews might eat. In order to practise the ethical discipline of limiting appetite in a world where many go hungry and where many forbidden foods (frogs legs, lobster meat etc) are obtained at the cost of intense animal suffering. Shehitah was designed in part to limit animal suffering and at present no alternative method of animal slaughter can reliably claim to be more humane. Nevertheless there are many Jews who regard the taking of animal life as morally obnoxious and consequently abstain from the consumption of any meat. Vegetarianism is the answer to their problem and indeed many outstanding Jewish personalities, past and present, have chosen this option. Before deciding on the acceptance (wholly or in part) or the rejection of kashrut, the Liberal Jew should be aware of how it has coloured the life-style of our people and how effective it has been in maintaining Jewish cohesiveness. The idea of sanctifying and imposing discipline upon the most basic of human activities is one which may well commend itself even to the most modern of Jews.