Judaism Step-by-step

Worship 3 - Kashrut

Kashrut (dietary laws)

(a) Describe the special rules Jews have about food (Kashrut) and explain why they are important. [8]

This is the basics - to help answer a question like that [1999 Q3], have a look at:

Judaism 101's detailed Kashrut
The Revision Site's more straight-forward Kosher Food
Virtual Jerusalem's Keeping Kosher

You might be asked [2000 Q4]:

(b) Explain how Jews might try to obey the mitzvot (laws) about food in their daily lives. [7]

This is unusual, because we would expect a HOW and WHY question. However, all of the rabbis I've ever spoken to say that the only reason to keep the food laws is because you are required to do so. Surprisingly, I have met some Reform Jews who keep kosher. They say:

It is a useful discipline - if you can keep the food laws, you will be more likely to keep the moral laws like do not steal
It gives you a sense of identity - eating kosher food is a very 'Jewish' thing to do
It shows commitment to Judaism and obedience to God

These points aren't relevant to the HOW questions above, though. In essence, it is not much different to (a) above. You would be expected to focus on the practicalities of separate sinks and separate cutlery for meat and milk, as well as care in use of ovens etc.; careful use of storage spaces such as the fridge; informed shopping - looking for a range of kosher labels or using an up-to-date kosher food guide; consulting a rabbi regarding problems (the baby has just thrown its milk-covered dummy into the stew and it's Friday evening - do we go without food, cook on Shabbat or just eat the stew?); appropriate waiting times (one hour after milk but 3 to 6 hours after meat); care in preparation of food (looking for bugs in salads etc.); only eating out at kosher restaurants.

For (c) the following came up [1996 Q3]:

'The Jewish food laws are no longer necessary.'

This is where you can bring in some of the points above about the value of keeping kosher. You need to balance this with strong arguments about the effects of keeping kosher - not being able to eat at non-Jewish friends' houses; the difficulty of getting kosher ingredients if you don't live in a large Jewish congregation etc.

Choose the question you LEAST like the look of above to sharpen your skills.

____________________________________________________________________________________