Why does Judaism Practice Kashrut and What does it Mean?
Why does the Jewish community and religion practice Kashrut? The laws that the Jewish community follow for their eating habits come from the Torah. These laws have a direct objective, to show all that may look that they honor their God to the fullest extent all the way to the simplest form eating. The Jewish community feels that this sets them apart from other religions. They also feel that this takes them as near to holiness. They feel that by following these dietary laws they are showing their obedience to their religion and the belief of it.
As a Christian, with my religion being Episcopal, I had no idea on what the Jewish religion was about or any of their religious beliefs. My
…show more content…
religious belief taught me was that there was one God who died on the cross for all sinners and that he will return to judge both the quick and the dead. My God created the heavens and the earth. As a Christian the practice in my church was Jesus was born on Christmas and rose from the dead on Easter. Judaism does not focus on these two, but instead focuses on following the lessons from the Torah and Talmud. Christians are raised believing that their sins will be washed away through repentance and by asking Jesus Christ to be the savior. Through all, of my religious teachings, I have never heard of kashrut and had no idea what it meant. Therefore, I decided to pick it as my topic for research. As I entered the synagogue, my immediate thoughts were wow, this is much different than my church. There was not a big alter in the front of the synagogue with a crucifix above it. Instead, there was just a small raised area with an area in the center with carvings in the wood. The Jewish religion uses the Star of David as their symbol, not a cross. There were two Braddock 2 menorahs on either side of this space. There were no pews, but rather seats. My church has a huge chandelier in the middle of it; this only had lights in the ceiling. There were no stain glass windows where as my church is lined with them on both sides and in the front, above the alter. It has been historically against belief for statutes to be present in the synagogue. This synagogue seemed modern, and my church is very old with much history. In the front of my church painted on either side is The Lord’s Prayer and The Nicene Creed Prayer. There were no prayers on the walls of the synagogue. The Jewish men also wore a kippa, and there is no type of head covering for men in my church. When trying to follow along during the service I had great difficulty, due to the fact, that they read right to left. They also spoke some of the service in Hebrew. My religion will at times say things in Latin, but we read from left to right. “Jewish tradition is focused much more on religious practice than on religious belief, whereas various denominations of Christianity focus about equally on religious practice and faith.” (Cohen 1) The basis of Judaism is justice whereas, Christianity is love. The Sabbath is the key point of Jewish life.
It is the basic institution for all Jews. There should be no work, trade, electricity use, or car use on the Sabbath but there is no law in my religion restricting these types of things. Judaism’s service is celebrated from sundown on Friday to sundown Saturday. Christianity’s service is on Sunday. “The Jewish community pays homage to an articulated order of the world and the dignity of life and living form.” (Kass 42) One way this is done is through eating to protect order, life, and form. They eat for both life and thought (Kass 42). My religion does not practice this type of honor toward holiness. The only time we have afood restriction is during Lent on Fridays when we do not eat meat. The means of salvation for Judaism is God, good deeds, and complete faith as for Christianity it is …show more content…
Christ’s Braddock 3 death, passion, and his resurrection. At no point through the service I observed did they say “In the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” this is because they only believe one God. They believe that he was a real man and is not part of their liturgy as the son of God. My religion believes that he was born of a virgin through God, and is spoken of in the scriptures. Jesus by name in Judaism is a fellow Jew and not mentioned in texts. I confess my sins openly to God weekly as opposed to Judaism where they individually repair sins and confess asking for forgiveness on Yom Kippur. Today’s Jewish communities have a lot of potential for the future. However, its Jewish law enforcement is minimal. The only place where a cohesive Jewish community exists is Israel (Weine 10). The basic anthropological lesson is taught in Genesis. It follows this sequence. First, man sinned and ate the fruit (Garden of Eaden). Secondly, before there were laws (Cain to the flood) man can not help himself and not only eats the bread but also eats meat. Thirdly, there is a formation or classes of people (Descendents of Noah) as man continues to eat meat but now it is accepted by law and is looked at as respecting the blood of life. Lastly, one group of people are believed to be in line with a holy one, and practices to become holy themselves. (Kass 44-45). “These laws are an ancient set of obligations, a practice of attentiveness or separation, and a way of eating and attending to all matters with respect to food while sensitized to what is defined as sacred, set apart.” (Hess 329) Now, we are ready to discuss the laws of Kashrut. Kashrut is not merely rules that state foods that are permitted to be eaten or foods that are forbidden. It is how the Jewish community lives. Eating as stated before is easy, so they place constraints and controls to elevate it. This is because Judaism focuses on raising up parts of life from unholy to the holy. Braddock 4 Kashrut is a way to describe the food as clean and edible, therefore meaning food that is fit to eat.
Jewish people are permitted to only eat foods that are kosher which means fitting or correct according to their dietary laws. For animals to be considered kosher they must have two features. The hooves of the animal must be completely split and form two pads at the bottom and secondly, they must chew cud. As far as meat is concerned, the animals must chew the cud and must have especially humane method of cloven hooves. They can only be slaughtered by someone who can qualify by their skill and piety (Milgrom 28). This means the person must be able to slaughter the animal with a hallowed technique with a painless death, slicing the throat. These animals once killed are still not fit to be eaten, the blood from their bodies must be drained. As stated in Leviticus 17:14b “Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh; for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof; whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.” Thus, explaining why the blood must be drained from the animal. The types of kosher meats are cow, goat, and lamb. Non-kosher animals are pigs, rabbits, camels, and horses. Birds or fowl that prey are forbidden. Birds such as chicken, goose, duck, and turkey may be eaten. Fish with fins and scales, such as salmon and carp are kosher.
Judaism teachers believed that the killing of animals could bring dangers to the human society. They believe that if a person could kill a living animal
without hesitation, they could eventually bring death just as capriciously to the highest living thing, man (Milgrom 27). This belief came from personal experiences when their Jews lived as victims of hunter-sportsmen using the same skills as those perfected in the hunt. They watched these skills be applied to the greatest hunt of all warfare. Braddock 5 Dairy is the next category of kosher food. All dairy products like milk, cheese, and butter must come from a kosher animal. No dairy product can be eaten within any combination with meat or fowl. The final category of kosher is parve. This area contains foods that do not contain either meat or dairy products. Fruits, vegetables, and grain are all parve in their natural state. Any parve item can become either dairy or meat when cooked together. There are other rules of living kashrut. The separation of dairy and meat products is one. These items cannot be cooked together. The foods may be stored in the same refrigerator or freezer, but may not come in contact, with one another. Utensils are even part of this kosher life. Pots, pans, or cutlery cannot be used for both kosher and non-kosher foods. It is believed that the flavor may have been absorbed into them. This practice also includes kosher categories of food and dairy. There is also a waiting time period between eating meat and dairy. This time- period varies between three and six hours after meat. However, after eating dairy participating members may rinse their mouths and eat a neutral solid such as bread. According to the rabbis, the laws of Kashrut not only help us discipline our own meat-eating habits, but also teach us compassion. Calves cannot be killed the same day as its mother, and an egg cannot be taken from the nest when the mother in nearby. These are examples that show the sensitivity of Jewish Law. These Jewish Laws unite a group of people in mind and stomach and form a strong bond of friendship. Kashrut is a tie that binds the Jewish community together. Braddock 6 Religion is a belief that that has emotions and reactions to different types of behaviors. The Jewish religion, accordingly, possesses a pattern of behavior, emotions, and attitudes that are charged, with significance, as a result, of Jewish experience, over several millennia (Weine 13). As a communal and personal discipline, kashrut is an opportunity to take the daily activity of eating with an aspect of holiness. However, it is met, through preparing food, types of utensils, or the types of food served, kashrut is a daily affirmation of values and identity. It is a basic element in building commitment in Judaism (Weine 469). Through my visit and observation of the synagogue and their religious service, and my research on kashrut I have learned and experienced many things that probably never would have otherwise. I have learned that kashrut is a way to keep eating as a part of the religion so that killing does do not become easy. It is a practice to stay pure and honor their God. I also discovered that although they have many different practices than my religion they still have many of the same beliefs. Works Citied Cohen, Adam B., Joel I. Siegel, and Paul Rozin. "Faith versus practice: Different bases for religiosity judgments by Jews and Protestants." European journal of social psychology 33.2 (2003): 287-295. Hess, L. M. (2012). Encountering habits of mind at table: Kashrut, Jews, and Christians. Cross Currents, 62(3), 328-336. Kass, L. R. (1994). Why the dietary laws?. Commentary, 97(6), 42. Milgrom, J. (1959). Jews are not hunters: biblical kashrut as an ethical system. The Reconstructionist, 25(11), 27-30. Weine, M. (1950). Jewish law and Jewish life. The Reconstructionist, 15(18), 9-14.
The decision of the Jews was to follow Jewish beliefs and customs. Jewish Christians insisted that salvation was a free gift of God’s grace acquired through trusting in Jesus Christ.
Judaism, the religion of the Jews, is one of the oldest religions in the world. Judaism, in fact, is the oldest of the three major religions that believe in a single God. The other two, Christianity and Islam, have been strongly influenced by Judaism, which is a big part of western civilization today. In the beginning, Jews were a tribe, a band of nomads, more than likely shepherds that may have died out if they would have remained merely shepherds. Jews were one of many “nations” to be found in the ancient Near East.
...al and traditional beliefs. Women make their decision about whether to have sex during menstrual cycle by finding and comparing information from various sources. The decisions women make are closely related to their cultural, social and religious backgrounds. Uniquely to Judaism,the laws regarding menstruation are made to intensify the arousal, attractiveness and desire at the very emotional level in husbands and wives to promote emotional and not only physical closeness during sexual intimacy. The law of family purity is not intended to humiliate women or make them feel unclean, but rather it is clear that monthly period is a powerful gift from God ,that serves to preserve the close and healthy relationship between husbands and wives, and progress to the different stages of growth in a marriage.
Judaism Judaism was a parent of Christianity, and we probably know more. about it than any other religion, excluding our own, right off the top of our. heads. Then the sands were sunk. The ancestors of the Jews, called the Israelites, established a kingdom in Canaan-the land of Milk and Honey. The Israelites first began to see themselves in a special relationship with their God at about 1000 B. C. E. God had selected them to be a Chosen People.
In regards to religion, most of the Jewish population practice Judaism. Judaism is one of the world’s oldest religions, being over three thousand years old (Schub T & Pravikoff D, 2013). One religious practice of the Jews is circumcising their sons. The Jewish Written Law, or Torah, compels the father to make sure that his son is circumcised on the eighth day of life. Although the topic of circumcision is somewhat controversial, the Jews strongly believe that the ritual is created by G-d himself and that “He certainly knows what’s good and not good for us” (Rich T.R., 2011). In addition to religious practices, Jews tend to have a resting day, also known as Sabbath Day. During Sabbath, the Jews avoid any form of work, which includes driving, walking, and even going as far as to refrain from pressing the bedside button in a hospital setting (Schu...
My good friend Ben is a young man who was born in Washington D.C. His parents, both Conservative Jews from Israel, immediately began raising him in a strict religious environment. Many aspects of his life were influenced by his family’s religious views without him even knowing it. One aspect of his youth that he grew particularly fond of was the food that his parents fed him. After much confusion about what Jews typically eat, he explained to me the concept of “Kashrut.” Within the culture, it is known as the body of Jewish law that deals with what foods they can and cannot eat and how those foods must be prepared and eaten.
The core ethical teachings of Judaism are the Commandments of the Torah, the Prophetic Vision and the Book of Proverbs. These ethical teachings are all ultimately derived from the Jewish Bible or Tanakh. The importance of these teachings are to provide Jewish adherents with informed moral choices. One of the most important ethical issues that a Jewish adherent may face is pollution, decisions must be made in favor of methods that involve less rather than greater destruction to the earth because according to Bal Toshkit in the Prophetic Vision, the destruction of God’s creation is prohibited. The commandments of the Torah provide Jewish adherents with ethical and moral teachings of Judaism.
Primarily, the restrictions placed on the consumption of certain types of meat, a limitation that continues in rules for maintaining a Jewish kosher home, relates directly to what is viewed as the rules for the holy people of God. The people of God, then, are expected to recognize that “God is to be obeyed, concluding that circumcision and the prescriptions of Mosaic law are still obligatory” (1).
Judaism was formed around 2000 B.C.E. when Abraham, a shepherd from Canaan, received the word and blessings of God (“Judaism Origins” 1). God told Abraham that he would bless him and his followers, and would ordain him as the leader of a great Jewish nation (Morris and Brown, 9). Jews believe that Abraham and other prophets, such as Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, were selected by God to deliver his message and teaching to others (Morrison and Brown, 10). Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, fathers 12 sons who become the head of the twelve tribes of Israel (“Judaism Origins,” 2). Later, Moses, a prophet of the Lord, received Gods law in the form of the Thirteen Principles of Faith and ...
Just like any other religion they avoided overeating and unhealthy food. People in Sikh religion follow stricken vegetarian diet, as they believe non-vegetarian is spiritually harmful. They believed eating meat causes distraction during meditation and concentration. Meditation is a necessity of Sikhism. People who took an oath to become Sikh for rest of their life, don’ t eat outside, as they believe in-home cooked food. These values started with village people who grow most of the things at home.
There are thousands of religions in this world, and of those, Hasidic Judaism is the most conservative. Throughout history Hasidism has not drifted from the rules and rituals of the 18th century. From the clothing, to the food, everything involved in Hasidic daily life is geared towards becoming closer to God. Around the world there are numerous Hasidic groups, and the largest population is in New York. Hasidic people live in small towns filled with members of the same group, and they all look towards their rebbe for guidance. The rebbe or the rabbi is the teacher of his followers and is responsible for inspiring his people. For Hasidic people everyday they must live by the 613 commandments of the Torah. Hasidic history, study, clothing, food, and communities prove that Hasidic Judaism is the most conservative and orthodox branch of religion for its time.
"Cannibalism is morally wrong according to modern religion. In Christianity, it was used by God as an ultimate punishment for the disobedience of the Israelites during the siege of Jerusalem. Around the sixth century Before Christ, the prophet Jeremiah warned the Israelites of such a holy damnation: “I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh during the stress of the siege imposed on them by the enemies who seek their lives” (Barker, Jeremiah 19:9). Despite the warnings, the Israelites continuously disobeyed God and were rightfully punished. Jeremiah saw God as ultimate and threatened the ultimate crime as castigation for their sins. In Islam, cannibalism is considered haram, or one of the “carnal sins which constitute the most grave danger to man and environment” (Light of Islam). Cannibalism is one of man’s greatest betrayals to God.
Although both religions believe in monotheism, Judaism is based on an absolute deity called Yahweh. The beginning of the Jewish religion and the creation of the world is told throughout the Tanakh or the Hebrew Bible. And the Jewish teachings are known as the Torah. However, the five books of Moses are taught to be the most sacred books of all the scriptures. Just like Muslims, Jews believe that there was prophets that God sent to spread his word, but they do not stand on the belief that just one prophet heard revelations. They belief that all the prophets heard them and there teachings can be found in the Bible. The Jews feel that history begins the same way as the Muslims with the creation of the world by God, but after this they tend to veer off from the Islamic beliefs. They believe that God sent “patria...
Shabbat is the celebration of the Sabbath. Jews recognize sunset on Friday into Saturday evening as their Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day of rest that is set apart from other days, a day in which Jews focus themselves on spiritual gratitude and reflection. Shabbat is considered one of the most important rituals to Jews. Shabbat is the observance of two interrelated commandments; to remember Shabbat (Zakhor), and to observe Shabbat (Shamor) (jewfaq.org). On Shabbat Jews rest themselves from daily tasks and take the time to enrich their minds spiritually.
Dharma throughout our text is defined as law, duty, righteousness, or “religion”. With any of these terms the main goal is to live in a way that upholds and conforms to social order. Dharma is very important to Hindus because this implies the proper way they should act, worship, and behave within their social castes in order to successfully bring good fortunes in the future and ultimately reach moksha and be liberated from the cycle of samsara. I believe the ritual dimension and dharma are very closely linked. Rituals are the specific actions that people perform in order to experience religion which is exactly what the dharma helps explains and acts as guidance for. Dharma explains the laws that one must follow and by following these laws or