Why can Jews not eat cheese?

Answer 1

Celery or lettuce (for Spring season), dipped into salt water (which represents tears) mirroring the pain felt by the Hebrew slaves; matzo, reminder of unbaked bread made in haste to felling Egypt; shank-bone, reminder of animal sacrifice on Passover in the Temple, Bitter herbs, symbolizing the bitterness and harshness of the slavery; Charoset, made from chopped nuts, grated apples, cinnamon and sweet red wine in the European tradition; Spanish tradition.dates and honey, chopped nuts, cinnamon, and wine; and A roasted hard-boiled egg, symbolizing the sacrifice for Passover made in Temple.

Answer 2

Wrong. Jews can eat kosher-prepared cheese. Many cheeses are available with kosher-certification on the package.

There are some cheeses, such as camembert, that require the use of rennet, an animal product, in their production. Such cheeses are considered a mix of milk and meat according to Jewish law and therefore are not permissible for consumption. However, most common cheeses (chedder, mozzarella, parmigiana, american, etc.) can be prepared in a kosher way.

Answer 3

To commemorate the slavery in Egypt and the Exodus and its miracles. During the Seder meal, other traditional foods are eaten in addition to the matzah: bitter herbs, parsley, wine and haroset (see below). Salt water, a roasted egg, and a bit of roasted meat are also on the table.
During all the days of Passover, matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten; while leavened foods such as bread, cake, cookies, cereal and pasta are forbidden. Certain prayers are added in the synagogue services, and the Torah is read each day.
Here is the symbolism of the items on the Seder plate:

• Matzah - this represents the haste in which the Israelites prepared to leave Egypt.
• Wine - the four cups represent the four expressions of redemption in Exodus 6:6-7.
• The bitter herbs (maror) symbolize the harsh slavery which the Israelites suffered in Egypt. Horseradish and/or romaine lettuce are traditionally used for maror.
  
• Salt water (see below).
• Charoset - A sweet mixture representing the mortar used by the Jewish slaves to build the storehouses of Egypt. In Ashkenazi Jewish homes, charoset is traditionally made from chopped nuts, grated apples, cinnamon, and sweet red wine.
  
• Karpas - A vegetable other than bitter herbs, traditionally parsley, which is dipped into salt water at the beginning of the Seder. The dipping of a simple herb into salt water (which represents tears) recalls the pain felt by the Israelite slaves in Egypt.
  
• Beitzah - A hard-boiled egg (which is then burnt on one side), symbolizing the korban chagigah (festival sacrifice) that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem and roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night. Although both the Pesach sacrifice and the chagigah were meat-offerings, the chagigah is commemorated by an egg, a symbol of mourning.
  
• Z'roa - A roasted lamb or goat shank-bone, chicken wing, or chicken neck; symbolizing the korban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice), which was a lamb that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem, then roasted and eaten as part of the meal on Seder night.

Pesach (פסח, or Passover) is important to us since in it we relive the Exodus from Egypt and our birth as a nation, both of which were preparations for receiving the Torah from God.

The highlight of Passover is the Seder meal. This meal is of great importance in Judaism. It is a 3325-year old continuous tradition that began on the night of the Exodus from Egypt (see Exodus chapter 12), and is fully detailed in our ancient Oral Traditions (Talmud, chapter Arvei Pesachim).
The Seder meal is one of those occasions, like Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, that Jews all over the world, Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike, observe in common. During the Seder, we keep the essential mitzva and customs of handing Jewish traditions down to the next generation, with the traditional Seder foods and the ceremony of reading the Passover Haggadah which retells the events of the Exodus.

*See also the Related Links.

Link: What is the Passover Haggadah?

Link: How is the Seder celebrated?

Link: What is the importance of the Israelite Exodus?

Answer 4

Because the God-given Torah prohibits those foods for us.

In order to be kosher, food has to be prepared according to the kosher-laws (see Deuteronomy ch.14).
* Meat must be from those land animals which have split hooves and chew their cud (such as beef and mutton)
* Fish have to have scales and fins. The kosher diet excludes shellfish.
* Birds cannot be amongst those listed as forbidden in the Torah (Deuteronomy ch.14) and cannot be hunters/scavengers. In actual practice, today we eat only poultry-species concerning which we have a tradition that they're permitted, such as chicken and turkey.
* Animals must be slaughtered in the manner specified by Jewish law and must be free of all disease. In actual practice, those who keep kosher purchase meat which is certified as kosher.
* As much blood as possible must be removed from meat before cooking, since consumption of blood is forbidden (Leviticus ch.17). This is done by the kosher butcher.
* Dairy and meat cannot be combined in the same meal and there's a waiting period between eating one and then the other. After dairy: 1/2 hour. After meat: 6 hours for most Jewish communities.
* Fruits and vegetables should be checked to be sure they're free of bugs. Some Jews avoid cauliflower, asparagus, and the like, because of the difficulty in checking them.
Additionally, food must be prepared and handled following kashrut-laws and with kosher ingredients only. Any food that does not meet these requirements cannot be eaten by those who are religiously observant. Foods which are purchased should be labeled as having had kosher supervision during their processing.

Answer 5

Food mixing rules come from the Torah.