What are the rules about kosher foods?

Answer 1

Because God commanded them (Deuteronomy 14).In the Torah there are many laws which might not make sense to us, such as rules about keeping kosher. These laws are known as chukim. Observant Jews keep these laws not because they have to seem sensible to us, but because God has commanded us. However, observant Jews also believe that every commandment, including the commandments of keeping kosher, were given for beneficial reasons. For one example, it has been said that keeping kosher teaches to control one's desires. Judaism teaches that when a Jew passes by a plate of chicken parmigiana he should not say, "that's disgusting, how could one eat that." But rather, he should acknowledge he enjoys the smell, and say, "That smells good, but I follow the Torah and I am not going to eat that." I've also heard that calcium (found in dairy) inhibits the absorption of iron (found in meat) and vice versa, so eating them together would interfere with obtaining the nutrients.

Answer 2

It is very complicated to explain. Every food has its own rules. Milk cant be mixed with meat, and fish cant be eaten with meat. Most people wait 30 mins after eating dairy before eating meat, and 3 hours after meat before dairy. Even if food is kosher it must be prepared with uncontaminated supplies to remain kosher. Birds can't be wild birds and fish need to have fins and scales. Animals need to have split hooves and they need to chew their food twice like cows. After following these rules one must properly kill an animal with a flawless knife, with a sudden move, so the animal don't feel any pain. Then the lungs must be checked for diseases and many other body parts as well. Vegetables often need to be soaked in vinegar to kill and remove insects.

There are many other conditions that need to met as well but these are the basics.

Answer 3

There are many rules, but these are the highlights:

Meat and milk are not allowed to be prepared or eaten together.

Fish and vegetables must not be cooked together.

For meat: Only animals that have split hooves and chew their cud are kosher. Only milk from a kosher animal may be eaten (as opposed to milk from not kosher animals). All animals must be ritually slaughtered, and some parts of the animal (even if it is kosher) may not be eaten.

For birds: The bird must not be a scavenger or a predator, and must have a local tradition as a food animal

For fish: must have fins and scales

For insects: Although there are several species of kosher locusts, the species names are lost, so most Jews will not eat insects.

All utensils must be ritually clean, and only used for kosher items, and no meat utensils with milk and vis-versa.

Answer 4

The basic rules of kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) to follow are:

* Any meat or poultry has to be certified kosher.

* Fish has to be from a kosher species, skin on. If the packaging the fish is in has kosher certification, it doesn't have to have the skin.

* Meat and dairy cannot be combined in any way, poultry qualifies as meat in this case. Even products that contain dairy byproducts (whey, etc) cannot be combined with meat.

* Fish and meat cannot be served on the same dish or at the same time.

* In North America, milk is considered acceptable by most groups. Some groups do require kosher certification for milk. Almost all require kosher certification for dairy products (cheese, etc). There is a higher level of certification for dairy products called Chalav Yisroel.

* Any processed ingredient must have kosher certification.

* Some groups do not eat certain vegetables because it's too difficult to clean them of all bugs and dirt (broccoli, cauliflower, romaine lettuce, asparagus, etc).

* Some groups require that a Jew is involved in the food preparation process of cooked food in some way, even turning on the stove/oven qualifies.

Depending on what's being served and where, some people require supervision by a mashgiach. A mashgiach is a religiously observant Jew who is well versed in the laws of kashrut.

Answer 5

There are hundreds if not thousands of laws surrounding kashrut. The key rules are:

1. Animals must have both split hooves and chew their cud.

2. Fish must have scales and fins.

3. Birds must not be hunters/scavengers and must not be one of the forbidden species specified in the Torah.

4. Meat and dairy must be kept completely separate.

5. Animals cannot display any sign of injury and disease.

6. Animals and birds must be slaughtered in a specific manner and drained of all blood.

7. Consumption of blood is forbidden.

Answer 6

There is space here for only a quick and inaccurate summary: The only land animals that may be eaten chew their cud and have cloven hooves. Carnivorous and carrion eating birds are not kosher. Land animals and birds must be slaughtered specially and all blood must be drained from the corpse. The only sea animals that may be eaten have both fins and scales. Milk must come from a kosher animal. Milk and milk products may not be included in the same meal as meat or meat products, and for this purpose, fish are not meat. Unfertilized eggs are not meat. All vegetables and vegetable products are inherently kosher, but depending on the vegetable, it may be necessary to take special care to eliminate small insects.