The Practical Guide to the Laws of Kashrut by Rabbi Pinchas Cohen, Maggid Books, Jerusalem; ISBN 978-1-59264-434-6 ©2015, $17.95, p. 75, plus glossary and figures
By Fred Reiss, Ed.D.
WINCHESTER, California–The Hebrew word kosher means “proper” or “fit,” and in the case of food, the term kosher refers to food that God says is acceptable to eat. Many people, both Jews and non-Jews, know that to be kosher, an animal must be slaughtered in a particular way. Some might even know that subsequently, the meat is salted to remove any remaining blood.
What does it take to have a kosher kitchen? Using only kosher meat? Never eating milk and meat together? Having two full sets of pots, pans, utensils, etc., one set for milk and one for meat? How about having two dishwasher, ovens, and ranges? Being recognized by a rabbinic authority?
The Torah, the Five Books of Moses, the primary source of Jewish laws, specifies what can and cannot be eaten: land mammals (Lev. 11:3; Deut. 14,6), fish (Lev. 11:9; Deut. 14,9), birds (Lev. 11:13-19; Deut. 14:11-18), and winged insects (Lev. 11:21). On three occasions the Torah commands that one “not boil a kid in its mother’s milk” (Ex. 23:19; Ex. 34:26; Deut. 14:21). Today, it is very unlikely that one will actually boil a kid in its mother’s milk as meat and dairy products are purchased at a store, which most likely obtains them from different sources. So, this commandment is operationalized, as not eating milk products and meat together at the same meal.
The rabbis who codified Judaism’s Oral Law, between the second and fifth centuries, derived and promulgated a multitude of guidelines from these terse biblical sentences. Furthermore, Ashkenazi folk practices, beginning in the High Middle Ages, added stringency to some of these rabbinic dicta. For traditional Jews, creating and maintaining a kosher kitchen requires following all the rules, which is no easy feat, as the regulations governing kashrut are quite complex and contain many subtopics.
A Practical Guide to the Laws of Kashrut by yeshiva head Rabbi Pinchas Cohen is an incisive description of the laws of kashrut together with their operational instructions. Of particular importance is what to do when an error occurs. For instance, when milk gets into a meat pot or a milk utensil is used on meat, and vise versa. Cohen gives a clear accounting of how to correct these and other mistakes in accordance with Jewish tradition.
Cohen then takes the instructions for correcting errors and extrapolates them to creating a modern-day kosher kitchen, which includes products and devices unavailable in ancient days, such as Pyrex and Duralex as well as all types of electrical appliances.
Since insects are by-and-large forbidden to eat, Cohen explains the proper way to inspect and clean fruits and vegetables to ensure their removal. He also describes the proper use of gelatin, often derived from the intestines of pigs, and what foods prepared by non-Jews may and may not be consumed. Kashrut’s regulations, which formed over a long period of time, in different cultures, and under varying circumstance are sometimes different for Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews. Those differences are amply described in A Practical Guide to the Laws of Kashrut, along with occasions when lenient interpretations of the regulations are permitted.
Cohen notes that an animal with a defect rendering it unsurvivable is automatically non-kosher, regardless of how it is slaughtered, and any product derived from this, or any non-kosher animal, such as their milk, eggs, fat, or organs, cannot be eaten either. Additionally, there are some Jewish authorities requiring a post-mortem examination of the lungs of cattle to determine whether or not they are free from defects. If the lungs are blemish free, the meat is labeled “glatt (smooth) kosher,” disclosing that the lungs are smooth, implying a higher kashrut level.
Shemitta is the command to keep Israel’s land fallow every seventh year and tithes allude to donating a portion of one’s food to the Temple priests. Of course, Diaspora Jews do not live in Israel and the Temple and priesthood no longer exist. Nonetheless, traditional Jews adhere to these commandments. A Practical Guide to the Laws of Kashrut concludes with keeping Shemitta sanctity in the kitchen and separating out the tithes.
The importance of A Practical Guide to the Laws of Kashrut is large in proportion to its size, delivering a clear and vital blueprint for anyone wishing to create and sustain a kosher kitchen. Indeed, the significance of A Practical Guide to the Laws of Kashrut goes beyond the home; it is a useful and valuable reference tool for synagogues and their libraries, rabbis and scholars, and kosher caterers, just to name a few.
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Dr. Fred Reiss is a retired public and Hebrew school teacher and administrator. He is the author of The Standard Guide to the Jewish and Civil Calendars; Public Education in Camden, NJ: From Inception to Integration; Ancient Secrets of Creation: Sepher Yetzira, the Book that Started Kabbalah, Revealed; and a fiction book, Reclaiming the Messiah. The author can be can be contacted via fred.reiss@sdjewishworld.com. Comments intended for publication in the space below must be accompanied by the letter writer’s first and last name and by his/ her city and state of residence (city and country for those outside the U.S.)