1 June May ,

Transcription

1 1 June May ,

2 Understanding the Food Laws What is food? What is clean and permissible? What is unclean and forbidden? And why does it matter? 1 June

3 Understanding Kashrut The food laws (in Judaism, called kashrut ) are a hugely important subject for us There is no way we can cover this subject in one session We therefore will begin with the most practical applications first They beg a thorough examination so we can find out how this subject applies to transforming our character and promoting spiritual growth 1 June

4 Tentative Outline Identify practical applications from Leviticus 11 and other food-related legal requirements Review the principles of clean and unclean (tahor and tamei) and how they relate to modern food production (and our kitchens) Explore the deeper lessons about what we ingest that are available for our learning and growth 1 June

5 Note There are differences between kosher and biblically clean I tend to use them interchangeably I will not go into the Jewish legal prohibition of mixing meat with dairy at this time 1 June

6 Known felons, suspects, and what s permissible WHAT IS FOOD? 1 June

7 Known felons Blood and certain types of fat Certain types of animals Certain types of fruit 1 June

8 Known felons BLOOD AND FAT 1 June

9 Leviticus 3:17 An everlasting law throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you do not eat any fat or any blood. (ISR) It shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, in all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood. (EWB-CB) It shall be a chukkat olam for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither chelev (fat) nor dahm (blood). (OJB) 1 June

10 Leviticus 3:17 ח ק ת ע ול ם ל ד ר ת יכ ם, ח ל ב ו כ ל-ד ם, ל א ת אכ ל ו. ב כ ל מ וש ב ת יכ ם--כ ל- Chukkat olam l dorotaychem b chol moshvotaychem kol cheilev v kol dahm, lo ochayloo. What is cheilev? What is dahm? 1 June

11 What is dahm, or blood? In its simplest explanation, it is the blood that is drained from the body of an animal during slaughter When the blood is done draining, the animal is dead, because the life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11) More stringently, one can kasher meat to remove the blood found in the interstitial fluid 1 June

12 What is chelev? OJB, Leviticus 3:3 And he shall offer of the zevach of the shelamim an offering made by eish unto Hashem; the chelev (fat) that covereth the innards, and all the chelev (fat) that is upon the innards, CJB, Leviticus 3:3 He is to present the sacrifice of the peace offerings as an offering made by fire to Adonai; it is to consist of the fat covering the inner organs, all the fat above the inner organs, 1 June

13 What is chelev? (cont.) OJB, Leviticus 3:4 And the two kidneys, and the chelev (fat) that is around them, which is by the loins, and the diaphragm with the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he remove. CJB, Leviticus 3:4 the two kidneys, the fat on them near the flanks, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. 1 June

14 Forbidden fat Fat from the inner organs of a clean animal that is designated as suitable for an offering (beef, sheep, goat) which are restricted for use in the peace offering 1 June

15 What is chelev? (cont.) We should understand that not all animal fat is restricted, but only the fat that would be used for the peace offering (korban) Contemporarily, we would understand this as suet, or tallow, fat that is arranged in sheets Intra-muscular fat is not usually an issue We should take care with non-kosher ground meats, as fat is often added to it Because of this, it is often preferable to grind your own from whole meat 1 June

16 Known felons CERTAIN ANIMALS 1 June

17 Leviticus 11 (1) And YHVH spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon, saying to them, (2) Speak to the children of Yisra el saying, These are the living creatures which you do eat among all the beasts that are on the earth: (3) Whatever has a split hoof completely divided, chewing the cud, among the beasts, that you do eat. 1 June

18 Food Whatever has a split hoof completely divided, chewing the cud, among the beasts, that you do eat 1 June

19 Permissible (clean) animals Antelope Bison (buffalo) Caribou Cattle (beef, veal) Deer (venison) Elk Gazelle Giraffe Goat Ibex Moose Ox Reindeer Sheep (lamb, mutton) 1 June

20 Note on permissible animals We have not yet discussed the implications of hunting, and whether hunted animals are permissible for food We have examples from scripture which should cause us to investigate Some animals on the previous slide, while permissible by Leviticus 11, may not be suitable unless they are domesticated or somehow slaughtered appropriately so that the blood is properly drained 1 June

21 Leviticus 11 (4) Only, these you do not eat among those that chew the cud or those that have a split hoof: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof, it is unclean to you; (5) and the rabbit, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof, it is unclean to you; (6) and the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof, it is unclean to you; (7) and the pig, though it has a split hoof, completely divided, yet does not chew the cud, it is unclean to you. (8) Their flesh you do not eat, and their carcasses you do not touch. They are unclean to you. 1 June

22 Not food the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof, it is unclean to you 1 June

23 Not food the rabbit, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof, it is unclean to you 1 June

24 Not food the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have a split hoof, it is unclean to you 1 June

25 Not food and the pig, though it has a split hoof, completely divided, yet does not chew the cud, it is unclean to you 1 June

26 Leviticus 11 (9) These you do eat of all that are in the waters: any one that has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas or in the rivers, that you do eat. (10) But all that have not fins and scales in the seas and in the rivers, all that move in the waters or any living creature which is in the waters, they are an abomination to you. (11) They are an abomination to you of their flesh you do not eat, and their carcasses you abominate. (12) All that have not fins or scales in the waters is an abomination to you. 1 June

27 Food If it has fins and scales then it s food 1 June

28 Not food If it doesn t have fins and scales it s not food 1 June

29 Leviticus 11 (13) And these you do abominate among the birds, they are not eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the vulture, and the black vulture, (14) and the hawk, and the falcon after its kind, (15) every raven after its kind, (16) and the ostrich, and the nighthawk, and the seagull, and the hawk after its kind, (17) and the little owl, and the fisher owl, and the great owl, (18) and the white owl, and the pelican, and the carrion vulture, (19) and the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat. 1 June

30 Not food Doesn t say why, just gives examples What do these all have in common? Predators (raptors) Eat carrion (dead things) 1 June

31 Leviticus 11 (20) All flying insects that creep on all fours is an abomination to you. (21) Only, these you do eat of every flying insect that creeps on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth. (22) These of them you do eat: the locust after its kind, and the destroying locust after its kind, and the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind. (23) But all other flying insects which have four feet is an abomination to you. 1 June

32 Permissible insects My knowledge is very limited here, and I ve read a lot of contradictory opinions Personally, I would not eat bugs if I could help it, and I take precautions not to eat them by washing food very carefully and keeping dry goods appropriately stored 1 June

33 Known felons FRUIT 1 June

34 Fruit? Leviticus 19:23-25 (23) And when you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall reckon their fruit as uncircumcised. For three years it is as uncircumcised to you, it is not eaten. (24) And in the fourth year all its fruit is set-apart praises to YHVH. (25) And in the fifth year you eat its fruit, so that it increases its yield to you. I am YHVH your Elohim. 1 June

35 Rules for your orchards, too! When you plant any fruit-bearing trees (and I m assuming shrubs), you will not eat the fruit of them until the fifth year after planting The first three years, the tree is as uncircumcised The fourth year, it is offered to YHVH The fifth year, you can eat from it, too 1 June

36 What about seedless fruit? Question is based on what do we do with this passage, in light of hybridization? Genesis 1:11-12 And Elohim said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the plant that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth. And it came to be so. And the earth brought forth grass, the plant that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And Elohim saw that it was good. 1 June

37 What about seedless fruits? (cont.) This is the answer I got back from Chabad, when I asked if seedless oranges were kosher: Seedless oranges are cross-bred, and while the Torah prohibits cross-breeding (Leviticus 19:19), we are permitted to eat most hybrid fruits. This is because the verse says you shall not sow, and it does not say, you shall not eat. 1 June

38 Suspects ENZYMES AND FOOD ENHANCERS 1 June

39 Suspects This is an enormously complex subject, and it requires a great deal of time and effort to understand But we are commanded to be like Him, and it is part of the walk Learning to shop and stock a pantry is an important but demanding job Eating outside the home is especially difficult Consider vitamins and medicines 1 June

40 Suspects (cont.) Some cheeses are made with enzymes that are derived from unclean animals Thanks to the vegan/vegetarian lobby, many of those cheeses are now made with microbial enzymes, which are considered kosher You must not only read labels, but if there is no kosher label on the cheese, you have to contact the food producer to find out if their cheese is acceptable m/2011_02_01_archive.html 1 June

41 Suspects (cont.) Most, if not all, prepackaged food contains something offensive to YHVH Natural flavor, color, dough conditioners can come from unclean animals (as well as petroleum products, but that s another subject) Not all flavors and colors are unclean you have to study it out 1 June

42 Why can t I just read the label? Much has been adulterated in processing Maple syrup use of animal fat for defoaming White sugar use of bone char to whiten sugar Monoglycerides, diglycerides, and stearates can come from both animal and plant sources Even if it s marked vegan does not mean it is kosher 1 June

43 Vegan does not necessarily mean Kosher Is this kosher? 100% Natural, Organic, Vegan Lemon Yogurt Ingredients: Organic Soy Milk, Live Yogurt Cultures, Pure Organic Cane Sugar, Natural Lemon Flavoring What is the problem ingredient? 1 June

44 Vegan does not necessarily mean Kosher (cont.) It s the Natural Lemon Flavoring What is the source of the natural lemon flavoring for this 100% Natural, Organic, Vegan Lemon Yogurt? It must be lemons, right? Wrong 1 June

45 Vegan does not necessarily mean Kosher (cont.) Beaver musk glands It turns out that beaver musk glands are so darn lemony that a teeny tiny drop will make an entire vat of yogurt naturally lemony. Believe it or not, the lemon flavor from beaver musk glands can be less expensive to use than lemon. And beavers, being free-ranging and organic, are indeed 100% natural, right? The amount of beaver extract was small enough that the USDA still considered the product eligible for the Vegan label without qualification. But that doesn't make it kosher. 1 June

46 Another example L-cysteine is an ingredient in many soy foods and herbal supplements. It s a naturally occurring amino acid used as an additive to boost the protein content of various foods. You can find it in some grain products and in many meat substitutes made from soy and vegetable proteins. Where does L-cysteine come from? 1 June

47 Another example (cont.) The most common source is human hair. But where does all the hair come from? The most common source of human hair for industrial and chemical use is from temples of idol worship in India, where it is common for women to offer their hair to the idols. 1 June

48 What s permissible CONSIDER DANIEL AND HIS FRIENDS 1 June

49 What is allowed? I don t want to leave you with the impression that there isn t much to eat! But as we grow in our understanding of what is not permissible, we become aware of what is allowed Why is this important? But Dani ĕl laid it upon his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the sovereign s food, nor with the wine which he drank. So he asked permission from the chief of the eunuchs not to defile himself. (1:8) 1 June

50 Tips for selecting food We can look for kosher labeling We can be diligent to read labels and avoid suspicious foods, and learn to contact food producers for information so we can make the best decisions We can study more and learn more so it becomes part of our character to make choices that are pleasing to the Almighty 1 June

51 Kashrut Agencies The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations (OU) Eleven Broadway, New York, NY (212) , Kashrus Questions Hotline: (212) Website: Product search: 1 June

52 Kashrut Agencies The Organized Kashrus Laboratories (OK) 391 Troy Ave., Brooklyn, NY (718) Website: 1 June

53 Kashrut Agencies Star-K Kosher Certification (STAR-K) 122 Slade Avenue, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD (410) Website: 1 June

54 Kashrut Agencies KOF-K Kosher Supervision (KOF-K) 201 The Plaza, Teaneck, NJ (201) Website: 1 June

55 Some Reliable Hechshers 1 June

56 Is this a reliable hechsher? No, it is not Nobody can trademark a letter Just a letter K on a food or dental or vitamin product does not make it acceptable Jello Brand gelatin is NOT kosher, even though it has a K on the box Most Dannon yogurts are marked the same way and are NOT kosher unless they also have the OU hechsher 1 June

57 Jewish Sources for Reliable Hechshers Kashrus Magazine s The Kosher Supervision Guide ( 20and%20deleted/ksg_index.html) Kosher Quest lists by country June

58 Non-Jewish Sources The Israel of God Research Council June

59 Implications There is a lot to learn, and we need to make understanding this very basic set of laws a priority that affects our personal halakhah When we assemble as a community we should be especially considerate of the food laws, and not bring anything to the community table that is questionable (or downright prohibited!) This helps us grow in love and respect for each other as we are all in different places along the Way 1 June

60 Final words Let us remember the name of this book in Hebrew, Vayikra and He called This chapter is also in the Parashah Shemini, meaning eighth, which also offers us some timely and interesting considerations 1 June

61 1 June September ,