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What does Keeping Kosher mean?
Without food we can't live. We all have
heard the famous line, "Man does not
live by bread alone..."
The verse comes from Torah [Bible] and
is a reference to the miraculous manna,
which fell from heaven daily during the
Jewish people's sojourn in the
wilderness. The conclusion of the verse
is that "rather, by the utterance of
God's mouth does man live." Thus, it is
reminding us about the true source of
human sustenance and where it comes
from.
What
Kosher is NOT:
The modern
World has often thought the "laws of
kosher"
were based on hygiene. It was believed
by some that kosher animals were
healthier to eat than non-kosher
animals. It was also noted that the laws
of purity (Leviticus 11-15) not only
describe the difference between clean
and unclean animals, but also describe
other phenomena related to health. Thus,
it was natural for many to assume that
all the laws of kashrut were merely
hygienic in intent and origin. Also
wrong is the belief that kosher
means blessed by a Rabbi.
What
make something un-Kosher?
Food may
be designated non-kosher for a several
of reasons. They include the species
involved (for example; pig and fish
without scales and fins) the manner in
which the food was processed (animal
improperly slaughtered, or the mixing of
milk and meat); or time (leavened
product not properly disposed of prior
to Passover or food cooked on the
Sabbath).
You
are what you eat and the spiritual
connection between man and God.
What
Kosher is:
Basically,
Dietary laws or rules
Rules such
as do not mix milk and meat to which
animals you can eat. There is nothing
intrinsically wicked about eating pork
or lobster, and there is nothing
intrinsically moral about eating cheese
or chicken instead. But what the Jewish
way of life does by imposing rules on
our eating, sleeping, and working habits
is to take the most common and mundane
activities and invest them with deeper
meaning, turning every one of them into
an occasion for obeying (or disobeying)
God.
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