Kosher

[moonlightdelerium]

Okay, so Kosher is jewish dietary law but how does one render food kosher. I've been told it has to be blessed by a rabbi but that is just not practical because the nearest synagogue is roughly an hour away. What foods are kosher and which ones are not. Finally, how seriously should the laws of kosher be taken?

[the dauer]

Okay, so Kosher is jewish dietary law but how does one render food kosher.

Depends on the type of food. Some things are naturally kosher, like vegetables, unless they come into contact with something that is not kosher. A kosher animal must also be slaughtered in a kosher manner. This is a general introduction:

http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm

I've been told it has to be blessed by a rabbi but that is just not practical because the nearest synagogue is roughly an hour away.

A rabbi doesn't bless food, but rabbis do inspect the production of kosher food to make sure everything's being done properly. Food that has been watched in such a way recieves a heksher, which is a symbol you can find on the package of food. If you are Jewish and are planning to begin keeping kosher, it would be a good idea to purchase a guide to kashrut which would go over all of the different laws.

What foods are kosher and which ones are not.

I am not answering this simply because it will be addressed in the above FAQ. The FAQ presents an Orthodox view of kashrut. Other denominations will vary in their guidelines for following the dietery laws. For example, the Conservative movement allows grape products without a heksher and allows foods without a heksher if the ingredients are scrutinized.

Finally, how seriously should the laws of kosher be taken?

It depends who you ask. For the Orthodox every mitzvah is important, no matter how small or large it may seem, they are all important. Someone else might not consider the mitzvot divinely inspired and therefore they might choose to either disregard the laws of kashrut, observe them to a lesser stringency, etc.

Some choose to follow eco-kashrut, which is a modern idea of applying the same dedication found for kashrut to matters of health, the treatment of animals, etc. Sometimes this means vegeterianism and sometimes it might just mean eating organic food and free range animals. It can also be applied to things like the materials we buy and how we dispose of them, and anything else that could be harmful to the environment, our bodies, or the creatures of this earth.

Dauer

[moonlightdelerium]

Okay, heres another question. I read that all "creepy crawly" creatures are not kosher but how is it possible to ever eat a vegetable or fruit that never came in contact with an insect?

Thanks for all of the information, I appreciate it.

[the dauer]

The insects are not food at that time. They're just insects. It is in the same way that a kosher animal that is living may come into contact with an unkosher animal that is living, but at this point they are not food. The mixing becomes an issue if, say, a counter used for preparing pork is also used for preparing kosher beef. Or even if a counter used for preparing unkosher beef is used for preparing kosher beef.

Dauer

[moonlightdelerium]

Okay, well that makes sense now, thanks for all of your help :)

[drumminmama]

a silly joke Rabbi Avi recycled at Pesach dinner:

The rabbi's assistant would always leave very quickly after the day's teaching was done. Curious, the Rabbi decided to follow the young man. He followed him for several blocks when the man went into a Chinese restaurant and ordered (and ate) moo shu pork.
Aghast, the Rav confronted him when he came out.
"How could you do this?" the Rav asked, tears streaming down his face.
"Did you see me walk into the restaurant?" asked the assistant.
"Well, yes," the Rav said.
"Did you see me order the pork?"
Yes.
Well, did you see me eat it?"
Yes, I saw it all," the Rav said, getting angry.
"Well then, it was all done under rabbinical supervision."