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Thinking Man’s Kashrut

Beginning to observe kashrut is not always an easy undertaking, especially if you live in a community that does not support or teach how to do so. In addition to that, as I began to study Torah and tried to implement its teachings I found that there are some big humps to get over. One was that I had to learn quite a bit just to understand the terminology so that I could make sense of what I was being taught.

The learning process can be very frustrating at times, but as I have engaged the process of understanding I have developed the ability to approach the observance of kashrut with my brain still intact. I call this the “thinking man’s kashrut.” Please don’t get me wrong. I am not trying to imply that anyone who does not observe kashrut like me does not use their brain! I suppose the main reason I call it that is because following kashrut requires us to study, to think, and to discern—to engage ourselves in the observance, not to just blindly follow. I see that as G-d’s intention and as the rabbis intention: to get us to think about what we are putting into our bodies.

Really engaging our observance of kashrut requires, first and foremost, that we understand its basic practices. This means studying the Torah’s teachings on kashrut as well as the elements of the Jewish observances of kashrut. These observances cover a wide array of topics, including:

• what animals are kosher,
• blood,
• milk and meat, and
• dishes.

After we develop an understanding of these basic principles, another area to be explored and studied is that of terminology. You will run into many terms both when you are at the grocery store and when you are studying the deeper areas of kashrut observance. For instance, you may see wine referred to as mevushal, or milk as chalav yisroel, or meat as glatt. You may be asked if you want your bread to be pas yisroel or if pas aku"m will be fine. Understanding these terms is an important part of developing a “thinking man’s kashrut.”

The next step in the process is to study the halacha related to kashrut observance. For us, this part of the process has been ongoing. Whenever Pesach comes around we sit down with the invaluable resource of the Internet and tackle the learning curve yet again. We do the same thing whenever we run into a question that we can’t answer. We look it up and learn more about what we are supposed to do. We have also had the opportunity to take a kashrut class; it was ended earlier than it was supposed to because of lack of interest, but it was a great opportunity to get a start on understanding what the halacha says and how it has developed.

I highly suggest that at this point (or an earlier point!) in the process you take advantage of any resources in your community to help you understand the halacha of kashrut. Many Jewish community centers and groups host informational meetings, especially around Pesach. I also suggest you invest in some good resources to help you study the halacha, including Chayim Halevy Donin’s To Be a Jew (for practical application) and a copy of the Shulchan Aruch (for halacha).

The “thinking man’s kashrut” we follow has a few practical components. We accept the interpretations of the larger Jewish community regarding milk and meat and other common areas, but we are careful that our day-to-day observance is infused with leniency in mind (a main tenet of Hillel’s teachings, as well as Yeshua’s and Rabbi Sha’ul’s). That is not to say that leniency is not acceptable within orthodoxy; Rabbi Donin discusses in detail some of these acceptable leniencies on pages 118 and 119 of To Be a Jew. The point is to strike a balance between being machmir wherever possible while still allowing common sense to be a guiding factor.

I think that it is important to say again that an understanding of the elements and issues invovled in kashrut is imperative before we can really develop leniencies in our own observance. We must strive to understand before we can start to make our own changes.

My family’s leniencies come out in practical areas like eating vegetable-rennet cheese and eating out at the few vegan and vegetarian restaurants that fit our list of additional requirements. We are also conscious of the ingredients of foods we purchase and have taught ourselves which common ingredients are problematic.

So, the “thinking man’s kashrut” is an application of study and practice. It is in constant flux, always growing as knowledge increases. As with every area of Torah observance, we are required to do our best and to trust that our efforts will not be in vain. I encourage you: put your brain to the task and don’t look back. The journey is sometimes hard, but the rewards are incalculable.

‏כַּשְׁרוּת‎ — a.k.a. kosher. Literally, “fit” or “fit for consumption.” The laws within Judaism that pertain to eating. See also kosher. More info can be found in my Kashrut section.

‏תּוֹרָה‎ — The first five books of the Bible. Alternately, refers to the entire body of commandments of G-d. The Torah is read in the synagogue on a yearly schedule, starting and finishing on Simchat Torah.

‏מבושל‎ Wine that has been boiled, making it unfit for use in pagan practices. Thus, a non-Jew can handle mevushal wine without making it un-kosher (because there is no chance the gentile would use the wine in a pagan ritual). Some mispronounce it “meshuval.”

‏חָלָב יִשְׂרָאֵל‎ — The Hebrew word “chalav” means milk. Chalov Yisroel refers to dairy products that have been overseen by a Jew from the milking to the bottling or packaging.

‏גלאט‎ — A Yiddish word that literally means “smooth.” The term comes from the strict requirement that the lungs of a kosher-slaughtered animal be smooth and free of any defects. It is now commonly used to denote any food that follows a stricter level of kashrut.

‏פַּת יִשְׂרָאֵל‎ — Baked goods that have been baked by a Jew.

‏פַּת עכו״ם‎ — Baked goods that have been baked by a non-Jew. (“Aku"m” stands for “oved kochavim u’mazalot,”, which means “worshipper of the stars and constellations.”)

‏הֲלָכָה‎ — Literally, “the way to go.” Jewish Law, the practical application of the mitzvot found in the Torah she’biktav and Torah shebal peh. More...

‏פֶּסַח‎ — Passover, a spring festival celebrating the deliverance of the Children of Israel from bondage in Egypt by Moshe.

‏שֻלְחָן עָרוּךְ‎ — Literally, “set table.” Written by Rabbi Yosef Caro in the sixteenth century. It was intended to be the definitive halachic guide for all Israel. Caro was Sefardic, so the halacha is slanted in that direction. The Mapah was added to the Shulchan Aruch to show Ashkenazi halachah. The two works together form the definitive compilation of halacha used in Judaism today.

‏הִלֵּל‎ — A rabbi of the late 1st century b.c.e. who expressed the teachings of the P’rushim well. Yeshua’s teachings fall in line with Hillel’s teachings with ony one exception (divorce).

‏רַבִּי שָׁאוּל‎ — a.k.a. Paul. A shaliach of the early Messianic community and writer of many letters to congregations in Asia Minor and Greece, some of which are contained in the Torat HaShlichim. He was not a “Rav,” as many people call him, because that term was not put into use until after the Second Jewish Revolt in 135 c.e., and then it was only used by the rabbis in Babylonia, who had no formal semichah (ordination). To call Sha’ul a “Rav” would be historically inaccurate.

‏מחמיר‎ — strict.