Does eating "kosher" mean that the food eaten is processed a certain way?

Question

I do not eat pork myself and I am a Christian. How does kosher food differ from regular food? I know all blood is removed. But is it acceptable for Orthodox Jewish people to accept blood transfusions since they do not eat blood? I mean no disrespect, I am just curious and do not know much about the Jewish diets. Thank you.

Answer 1

Kosher, means "fit to eat/fit for consumption." Kosher today means that it is a certain kind of food prepared in accordance with the laws of the Bible to make it okay for Jews to eat. The kosher laws are long but they're very simple when you get down to it.

We can only eat animals that have a cloven hoof AND chew the cud--so cows are fine, pigs are not. (We can also only eat a certain part of the cow. The sciatic nerve in cows is not kosher, so in the Diaspora only the front end of the cow is kosher, while in Israel they cut out the nerve so all the cow can be used.) We can only eat birds that are not birds of prey or scavenger birds. We can only eat fish that have both fins and scales (no shellfish.) We cannot mix meat and dairy, and this means that meat dishes are cooked and served on separate pots and dishes than dairy dishes are. (Jewish households have two sets of dishes, one for meat, one for dairy, and another set for Passover and probably a finer set for Shabbat--but that's another story.) We also must wait a certain amount of time after eating meat before we can eat dairy because meat contains proteins that are not digested by saliva so are still in your mouth a time after you eat it. Fibers from meat can also get stuck in your teeth and mix with dairy. So, to stop this, we wait a certain amount of time. Ashkenazi Jews usually wait 6 hours, Sephardi Jews usually 3, and some sects of Dutch Jews 2.

The animals we can eat also have to be slaughtered and prepared a certain way in order to be kosher. All the equipment used has to have been sterilized so that the only things that have ever touched it is kosher food--if a kosher slaughterhouse bought equipment from a non kosher slaughterhouse going out of business (unlikely, since it would be such a hassle to kasher the items, it's more worth it to just buy new stuff) it would have to kasher the equipment by dunking it in boiling water. The animal should be kept as comfortable as possible and then it's throat is cut with an extremely extremely sharp knife so that it dies instantly and feels no pain--once it is dead it is hung upside down to let all the blood drain away. The process of killing and bloodletting and then processing is all supervised by a rabbi to make sure it is being done in accordance with the Bible--the rabbi does not "bless" foods. He gives them his "blessing" in the sense that he gives it the A-OK to eat, his stamp of approval. But rabbis cannot "bless" things. As I said before, in the Diaspora, the back end of the cow is just cut off as it contains parts that are non kosher (and because the market for kosher meat is usually small, it is more expense than it is worth to cut out the sciatic nerve) and usually sold to a non-kosher butcher or, if one cannot be found, discarded.

Although blood is not kosher to be eaten we can receive blood transfusions (there is no law against it, just against eating blood) as long as it is clean and as long as there is a need--human life trumps all, even the Torah.

Thank you for your polite questions. :-)
Peace

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Does eating "kosher" mean that the food eaten is processed a certain way?
I do not eat pork myself and I am a Christian. How does kosher food differ from regular food? I know all blood is removed. But is it acceptable for Orthodox Jewish people to accept blood transfusions since they do not eat blood? I mean no disrespect, I am just curious and do not know much about...

Answer 3

there are several laws in keeping kosher.
How food animals are killed is one of them.

- What animals can be eaten at all
-some foods can not be eaten together
-some foods can not be prepared in the same pots/pans or served in the same dishes
I am sure there are other rules i have not even heard of.

Check KOSHER in Wikipedia to learn more details.

I have never heard that Orthodox Jewish people can't have blood transfusions, but it is certainly possible that some groups within Orthodox Judaism practice this, just as some parts of Christianity practice this.

Answer 4

Kosher means it was processed in accordance with Levitical Laws under supervision of a Rabi. Eating blood has nothing to do with transfusions.

Answer 5

kosher[1,adjective]kosher[2,transitive verb]kosher[3,noun]

Main Entry: 1ko·sher
Pronunciation: 'kO-sh&r
Function: adjective
Etymology: Yiddish, from Hebrew kAshEr fit, proper
1 a : sanctioned by Jewish law; especially : ritually fit for use b : selling or serving food ritually fit according to Jewish law
2 : being proper, acceptable, or satisfactory

http://www.webster.com/dictionary/kosher

Answer 6

There's a lot of food that I can't eat just one.. Fries, Oreos, Doritos! basically any chocolate too

Answer 7

Jewish follow the OT!

Answer 8

It means a rabbi gave the food his blessing, IIRC

Answer 9

The food is blessed.

Answer 10

Has no animal fats.