Judaism: Dietary Laws (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))

Jewish Dietary Laws

• Jewish laws around food are known as kashrut

• The Kashrut Laws cover all of the rules relating to food including;

  • The type of animals a Jewish person can eat

  • How they are prepared

  • The prohibition of consuming blood and certain forbidden fats and sinews

  • The prohibition of consuming flies and insects

  • The prohibition of mixing meat and milk and many other aspects of diet and food preparation

• These rules are contained within the mitzvot and mainly within the Books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus

• For example, the Book of Leviticus says that only animals which have cloven hooves and which chew the cud are permitted

  • The pig does have cloven hooves but does not chew the cud and is therefore forbidden

• Following the rules around food shows obedience and self-control

• Food that is allowed is called kosher (meaning fitting or correct) and food that is not allowed is called treif

  • Examples of treif food include shellfish, pork products and food that has not been slaughtered in the correct way, known as shechitah 

Food Laws within Orthodox and Reform Judaism

• There can be differences between the way that kashrut is observed between Orthodox and Reform Jews

  • Orthodox Jews keep all the rules of kashrut

    • Some have separate utensils and perhaps fridges for the preparation and storage of meat and dairy products

  • Although Reform Jews may choose to observe all of the kashrut, they believe this is down to personal choice

    • Some Reform Jews observe a selection of the laws

    • Others observe kashrut at home but not elsewhere

Kosher & Trefah

• Kosher means fit and proper according to Jewish Law and can be used to refer to certain actions but most frequently refers to food and diet

• The opposite of Kosher is Trefah or Treif, a word to describe actions and foods that are forbidden

• There are strict rules which govern Kosher laws and these are based on scripture

  • Land animals must have cloven (split) hooves and must chew the cud, meaning that they must eat grass

  • Seafood must have fins and scales, and so eating shellfish is not allowed

  • It is forbidden to eat birds of prey as they are not considered clean birds, meaning birds that do not eat other animals, but poultry (chicken etc.) is allowed

  • Meat and dairy cannot be eaten together, as it says in the Torah: 

• Jews who follow these dietary rules cannot eat cheeseburgers for example because it mixes meat with cheese (which is made from milk)

• Often this rule is extended further so that people wait up to six hours after eating meat before they eat dairy

• Examples of trefah or treif foods include shellfish, pork products, rabbit or kangaroo

Jewish dietary laws

• Neutral foods can be eaten with either meat or dairy

• These foods are called parev and include vegetables, pasta and rice

  • As long as these are washed thoroughly before eating, no kosher rules will be broken

How do Jews keep Kosher?

• In big cities with large Jewish communities in the UK, there are kosher supermarkets, shops and restaurants catering for the Jewish people

  • Often these are located near synagogues

  • Even in smaller communities where there are fewer Jewish people, many major supermarkets have a kosher food section

  • Many food manufacturers produce ordinary foods to kosher standards

  • Also, some foods and drinks are labelled ‘parev’ to show that they contain no meat or dairy

• Some Jews will avoid eating out at dinner parties, non-kosher restaurants and cafes

• Some Reform and Liberal Jews will be less strict about the rules when eating out or at friends’ homes

• Lots of Jews may stick to vegetarian or vegan options when eating out, as all of these foods are parev

Slaughter & Preparation of Meat

Slaughter of Meat

• Eating meat within Judaism is acceptable and this is written in scripture

• For meat to be consumed it must be kosher,

• Meat is only considered kosher if it has been prepared according to Jewish dietary laws

• Meat is also viewed as trefah if that has not been slaughtered correctly, known as shechitah

  • The person who can act as the slaughterer (Shohet) must be proficient in the practice, and be a believing, pious Jew

  • It is the custom that the shohet must receive written authorisation from a recognised rabbinical authority regarding his qualifications for the role

• During the slaughtering process:

  • Animals must have their throats cut with a sharp knife by a shochet, a person trained to slaughter animals in a kosher way

  • Judaism forbids causing unnecessary pain to animals so the throat is cut with a razor‐sharp knife, causing an immediate lack of consciousness and death

  • The blood must then be drained from the animal because the Book of Deuteronomy (12:23), forbids Jews to eat or drink blood

• No animals that have died naturally can be eaten

• It is forbidden to slaughter the parent with its young on the same day

• It is forbidden to eat animals that have been killed by other animals. This prohibition is taken to include other diseases or disorders that afflict the animal and cause it to die

• The batte din or the Jewish tribunal are the ones who regulate kosher butchers to ensure that kosher rules are maintained

Separation of Milk & Meat

• The biblical text forbids cooking a mixture of milk and meat

• Based on scripture three distinct rules have been developed that Jews must adhere to

  • Not cooking meat and milk together (regardless of whether the result was eaten)

  • Not eating milk and meat together (regardless of whether it was cooked together)

• Jews must therefore be careful about what they eat and how the food is prepared

  • Jews who follow these dietary rules cannot eat cheeseburgers for example because they mix meat with cheese (which is made from milk)

  • Often this rule is extended further so that people wait up to six hours after eating meat before they eat dairy

  • It also means that all dairy products and the utensils used for serving them must be kept apart from meat products and utensils within the kitchen

  • Some Jewish kitchens have two separate counters for meat and milk to avoid mixing them

Jewish kitchen with separate areas for meat and milk