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What is Kashrut?

Kashrut is the body of Jewish law dealing with what foods we can and cannot eat and how those foods must be prepared and eaten. Following the Jewish dietary laws of kashrut is a way to elevate the act of eating from mundance to holy, follow the Torah, lead a Jewish lifestyle, identify with the Jewish People, and pass on Jewish traditions to the next generation.  In general adherence is considered keeping kosher.

What Does Kosher Mean?

Following the processes for preparation of foods which are acceptable according to Jewish dietary laws.  Food is often manufactured this way and marked appropriately.

What Foods Are Not Kosher?

Pork is the big one and bacon is typically the kosher soft spot.  Th Torah tells us the signs of a kosher animal are that it chews its cud and has split hooves. Pigs have split hooves but do not chew their cud. Basically beef lamb, chicken and turkey are allowed.

What is Treif?

Treif anything that is not kosher or everything else

Although Jewish movements and religious leaders share a core of monotheistic principles, Judaism has no formal statement of principles of faith such as a creed or catechism that is recognized or accepted by all.

Below is a summary of Jewish principles of faith. A more detailed discussion of these beliefs, along with a discussion of how they developed, is found in the article on Jewish principles of faith.

• Monotheism.
• God is one.
• God is all powerful (omnipotent), as well as all knowing (omniscient). The different names of God are ways to express different aspects of God’s presence in the world.
• God is non-physical, non-corporeal, and eternal.
• To God alone may one offer prayer.
• The Hebrew Bible, and much of the beliefs described in the Mishnah and Talmud, are held to be the product of divine Revelation.
• The words of the prophets are true.
• Moses was the chief of all prophets.
• The Torah (five books of Moses) is the primary text of Judaism.
• God will reward those who observe HIS commandments.
• God chose the Jewish people to be in a unique covenant with God; the description of this covenant is the Torah itself.
• There will be a moshiach (messiah)
• The soul is pure at birth. People are born with a yetzer ha’tov, a tendency to do good, and with a yetzer ha’ra, a tendency to do bad. Thus, human beings have free will and can choose the path in life that they will take.
• People can atone for sins. The liturgy of the Days of Awe (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) states that prayer, repentance and tzedakah (dutiful giving of charity) atone for sin.

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NY State has approved the Hebrew Language Academy Charter School. It’s will open this fall in Brooklyn to teach the Hebrew language “and aspects of Jewish culture”. Sponsors want to “instill Jewish identity without the private expense of Jewish day schools,” according to the Jewish Daily Forward.

Jewish Day schools teach religion along with the secular curriculum so this proposal is controversial within the Jewish community. There could be blowback to the new group of 15 unnamed millionaire philanthropists who want to spread this concept nationwide. The Forward writes:

Critics have variously argued that Hebrew language charter schools impermissibly erode church-state boundaries, potentially balkanize Jews from the rest of society, and create a false dichotomy between Jewish religion and culture.”

The Hebrew proposal also comes two years after a similar request for an Arabic-focus public (not charter) school was nearly derailed in 2007 under protests that it would foster Islamic religion and, possibly radical politics. The Khalil Gibran International Academy, also in Brooklyn, opened last year.

Is that possible? Biblical Hebrew is the language of the Torah but modern Hebrew is the language of Israel. Likewise, Classical Arabic is the language of the never-translated Quran but modern Arabic is the language of a minority of Muslims worldwide.

Is this too close to the church-state line are they getting with public funds? If catholic schools taught in Latin, could they get funding?

Where do faith, culture and religion split?  Can they? Does it matter?

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