The Beginner's Guide: How to Keep Kosher?

The world is full of various products serving as food for humans: fruits and vegetables, baked goods, meat, and dairy products. However, the Book of Books—the Tanakh—intervenes in the Jewish diet, advising: Even if everything is tempting to the eyes, heed my words: you may eat this, but not that.

Why does it matter what we eat? Food integrates with the soul of the consumer and becomes part of him. Due to its profound impact on a person, we must consume food that is healthy for both body and soul. When a person eats, the body receives the material portion, while the soul absorbs the spiritual essence of the food. Eating forbidden food defiles one’s soul.

The Midrash Rabbah states that "In the future, Hashem will prepare a great feast for His righteous servants, and anyone who did not consume forbidden foods in this world will be privileged to partake in it in the world to come." The Chafetz Chaim teaches that one who is meticulous about kashrut earns the divine light of Hashem as a crown on their head and merits great reward in the afterlife. According to the Zohar, when a person is cautious about forbidden foods, a divine image rests upon him, striking fear into all creatures of the wild and birds of the sky. In the book, "The Pure Table" it is written that a person who is strict about kashrut is elevated and exalted in Heaven, and many sins are forgiven, more so than through hundreds of fasts."

The "Sefer HaChinuch" (Commandment 362) explains the rationale behind the commandment of kosher food: "Because impurity weakens the intellectual soul's strength, confuses it, and separates it from the perfect superior intellect, causing a division until it is purified. As it is written regarding impurity: 'Do not defile them, lest you become defiled by them,' meaning the wells of intellect become clogged by impurity."

Kosher Animals

Animals and Cattle

In the Book of Leviticus, the Torah lists the signs of pure animals and cattle permitted for consumption, which include: chewing cud, split hooves, and cloven hooves. All pure animals are herbivores from the mammal family. The commonly consumed animals today include cows, goats, and sheep, and sometimes deer or buffalo.

Birds

In the Book of Leviticus, the Torah lists 24 bird species that are forbidden as food. Nowadays, only birds with a well-established tradition of kashrut are permitted for consumption, such as chicken, turkey, duck, dove, and goose.

Fish

The signs of kosher fish are fins and scales. Kosher fish include tuna, salmon, carp, tilapia, Nile perch, mackerel, and cod.

Shellfish and other seafood (such as clams) are not kosher because they do not have scales. Additionally, all marine mammals (like whales and dolphins) are not kosher.

Kosher Slaughter

For meat to be kosher, it is not enough for it to come from a pure species, but the animal and bird must undergo slaughter as described in the Torah (fish do not require slaughtering). In this procedure, a certified slaughterer cuts the animal's trachea and esophagus with a special, extremely sharp, slaughter knife. The slaughtering process also cuts the neck vein, causing an almost instant death with minimal pain to the animal.

A kosher slaughter also includes inspection, removal of forbidden fats, and salting. It is crucial to ensure that the meat is kosher-certified, which verifies that the slaughter process was performed according to halacha.

Glatt Kosher Meat

Meat and Milk

The Torah prohibits eating meat and milk together and even cooking them together. The sages prohibited eating meat and milk in the same meal and using the same utensils for their preparation. Therefore, in a kosher kitchen, there must be two separate sets of pots, pans, plates, and cutlery—one for meat dishes and the other for dairy.

After eating meat dishes, the custom is to wait 6 hours before eating dairy products. However, after consuming dairy, meat can be eaten without waiting. Nevertheless, one should consume something else (like bread) and thoroughly rinse out the mouth before eating meaty foods.

For more on separating meat and dairy, click here.

Ever Min HaChai

The prohibition of "Ever Min HaChai" applies to both Jews and non-Jews. The Torah forbids the consumption of any limb removed from a living animal before its death.

Chalav Yisrael

Only milk from a kosher animal is fit for drinking. Rabbinical law requires supervision during milking to ensure the milk indeed comes from a kosher animal. This issue is less prevalent in Israel, where most dairy farms are operated by Jews and supervised by various kosher organizations. But abroad, where most dairy farms are owned by non-Jews, the problem is more common. Some poskim allow consuming dairy products abroad based on the supervision of local health authorities. Nonetheless, many make sure to consume only products obtained by or supervised by a Jew, and in Israel, this is much more closely adhered to. The practical implication in Israel mostly pertains to imported dairy products or products containing imported milk powders.

Kosher certifications abroad will explicitly label "Chalav Yisrael" on the products manufactured from milk that was monitored during milking. In contrast, in Israel, products usually will note "for those who consume non-Jewish milk" or a similar comment for products produced from imported milk.

Non-Jewish Cooking

To prevent assimilation, our sages forbade eating foods cooked by non-Jews. There are many detailed laws about this prohibition, but a key point in kosher food is ensuring that a Jew prepared the food; if not, the food is prohibited.

Plant-based Foods

Even in plant-based foods, kosher observance is essential. We will discuss grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Grains

There are commandments regarding the kashrut of grains. One includes separating challah—a sacred commandment that rectifies Eve's sin. This commandment is executed when kneading a substantial amount of dough (over 2.65 lbs or 1.2 kg of flour) for baking, from which a small portion is removed and burned.

When using more than 3.5 lbs (1.6 kg) of flour (or 5 lbs according to another opinion), the blessing "al hafrashat challah" is recited.

In the times of the Temple, the "challah" was given to the priest. As soon as the challah is separated from the dough, the dough is kosher for baking bread or any other product.

There are additional commandments regarding the kashrut of grains, including the prohibition against eating new grains until the Omer offering is brought.

Kosher in Tree Fruits

Fruits growing during the first three years after a tree's planting are called "orlah" and are not kosher to eat. This rule applies to trees in Israel and abroad. One cannot eat fruits from a newly planted tree until three years have passed, and a specific process must occur to kosher fruit from the fourth year of growth.

Kosher in Vegetables

Tithes

"Tithes" is a collective term for several tithes that must be separated from the agricultural produce grown in Israel, which were traditionally given to priests and Levites. Products that were not tithed are called "tevel," and are not kosher to eat. When purchasing fruits, vegetables, and grains grown in Israel (and products containing them), it is crucial to ensure tithes have been separated.

For more on the tithes commandment, click here.

Shmita

In Israel, agricultural activities must cease during the seventh year. Produce grown on land that was worked on during the shmita year is not kosher. Today (unlike in past times before the extensive re-settlement of Israel), as Israel prospers agriculturally, shmita laws are very relevant to us all. Therefore, when purchasing plant products (such as canned goods, frozen goods, etc.) or fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains in the shmita year (and the following year), it is necessary to confirm shmita laws were observed.

Inspecting Foods for Insects

Among the laws of kosher foods, the Torah includes the prohibition against eating creeping creatures: "Every swarming creature that moves on the ground is detestable; it shall not be eaten." The passage continues to include all kinds of swarming creatures: "Anything that crawls on its belly or moves on all fours or many parts shall seem detestable and shall not be eaten, for they are detestable."

After detailing the prohibition, the Torah concludes with the reason for its importance: "For I am Hashem who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your Hashem; so you shall be holy, for I am holy." From the word "brought you up," the Talmud teaches: "Said Hashem: If I have brought Israel up from Egypt solely for not defiling themselves with creeping creatures, it would have sufficed." The Talmud elaborates further that due to their repulsiveness, the Torah places extra importance on the prohibition of insects. The people of Israel are sanctified to Hashem, and this sanctity demands unique separation.

The sin of eating insects is particularly severe due to the multiple prohibitions repeated in the Torah. Eating non-pure animal meat, like pork, violates one Torah prohibition. However, eating aquatic or land insects violates four to five prohibitions; eating bird insects, like a fly, violates six Torah prohibitions. Because of this, it is vital to examine all foods for flies, worms, and insects.

Even flour requires inspection for insects, as do other products like pasta, rice, etc. Despite kosher certification on products, they must be checked for insects before use.

For hundreds of lectures and articles about kosher food, visit the "Kosher" section on the Hidabroot website.

For the complete guide for kosher observance abroad, click here.