Jewish kosher tradition is based upon passages from the Torah.
Kosher is the Hebrew word for the types of food that meet the standards of "Kashrut," the Jewish set of dietary laws taken from the Torah. Many people have misconceptions about the rules that make up Kashrut. Despite the complexity of many of the details involved in Kashrut, it derives from a series of quite straightforward rules that are based on passages in the Torah.
Animals
Kashrut allows only certain animals to be eaten by Jews.
For instance, in Leviticus (Lev.) 11:3 and Deuteronomy (Deut.) 14:6, the Torah states that of the animals living on the ground, Jews are only permitted to eat animals with cloven hooves that chew on their own cud. This permits Jews to eat cattle, sheep, goats, deer and bison.
In Lev. 11:9 and Deut. 14:9, Jews are told that of the animals in the water, Jews may eat anything with fins and scales. This forbids Jews from eating shellfish but permits them to eat tuna, carp, salmon and herring.
In Lev. 11:13-19 and Deut. 14:11-18, the Torah lists forbidden birds. Although it does not outright say this, they are all either scavengers or birds of prey. Chicken, geese, ducks and turkeys are permitted by the Torah.
In Lev. 11:22, some insects are permitted, but it is difficult to tell which, so now all insects are prohibited. Lev. 11:29-30 and 42-43 forbid Jews to eat any rodents, reptiles, or amphibians.
In addition to forbidding these animals, any by-product of them such as eggs, fat, or organs is also forbidden.
Slaughter Animals
Deut. 12:21 states that Jews can only eat animals that are slaughtered in the proper manner.
For instance, Deut. 14:21 declares that Jews cannot eat animals that died of natural causes. Numbers (Num.) 11:22 states that the animals can have no diseases or flaws in their organs at the time of death, although this only covers the "flocks and herds," so fish are exempt.
Deut. 12:21 states that animals must be ritually slaughtered with a single stroke to the throat. This process is called shechitah, and the person who performs it is a shochet.
Draining the Blood
Lev. 7:26-27 and Lev. 17:10-14 forbid Jews to ingest blood. Therefore, after an animal is slaughtered, it must be kashered, meaning the carcass is hung so that as much blood as possible will drain from it.
Fruits and Vegetables
Genesis (Gen.) 1:29 states that all fruits and vegetables are permitted to Jews for eating, as long as they are free from insects of any kind. Therefore, fruits and vegetables that tend to attract bugs and worms, such as broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, and raspberries must be carefully inspected before eating.
Mixing Meat and Dairy
Exodus (Ex.) 23:19, Ex. 34:26 and Deut. 14:21 all deal specifically with the forbidden nature of boiling a goat in its mother's milk. This is the only actual passage in the Torah that deals with mixing meat and dairy. It is the Talmud, another religious text in Judaism based on oral tradition, that expands this law to forbid the mixing of any meat and dairy product. The Talmud also forbids the cooking of meat and fish together or the serving of them on the same dish.
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