Shabbos Table

Keeping Kashrut is one of the most important laws in Orthodox Judaism. It was the class I attended that cemented my belief that this was the right religion as with me, everything must make sense.

The practice of koshering animals is a religious ritual that is expected by the followers of the Jewish faith. According to Jewish law, animals that can be eaten must be slaughtered in a specific way and their meat must be prepared according to specific dietary restrictions.

The reason of koshering animals this way is to make sure that their meat is not only safe to consume, but also meets certain spiritual and ethical standards in the Jewish tradition in a way of acknowledging and honoring the importance of life and the value of every living creature.

The Process

Koshering meat involves salting the meat to remove any remaining blood, rinsing it with cold water, soaking it for a set amount of time in cold water, and then salting it again.

The meat must be also be kashered under the supervision of a rabbi or other authorized person to ensure that it meets all of the requirements of Jewish dietary laws.

The specific processes of koshering an animal depend on the animal being koshered. In general, however, koshering involves a few basic steps:

1) The animal must be slaughtered in a specific way by a trained kosher slaughterer or shochet.

2) The meat must be soaked in water to remove any blood.

3) The meat must be salted to draw out any remaining blood.

4) Certain parts of the animal, such as the sciatic nerve and certain types of fat, are also removed.

What animals are kosher?

In Judaism, there are specific guidelines for determining if an animal is kosher or not. Domestic animals – cows, sheep, goats, and deer – are kosher if they have cloven hooves and chew their cud.

Fish are kosher if they have fins and scales, and birds are kosher if they are not birds of prey and have a particular type of gizzard.

The Word from the Torah

The laws of kashrut, or kosher dietary laws, can be found in the Torah in several places, including in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.

These laws describe the types of animals that are considered kosher and okay to eat, as well as how these animals should be slaughtered and prepared.

The laws of kashrut also prohibit certain combinations of foods, such as mixing meat and dairy products together but that’s for the next post.

Until then, happy learning with me.