Keeping Kosher for the Gentile

[IronWill]

Okay, coming from a Protestant Gentile here who knows little about the and Kosher laws, how exactly does one keep Kosher? Keeping Kosher would probably be one of the most difficult things for me, as I was raised eating pork and such. And I gotta admit, as much as I know about the filthy, disgusting habits of pigs, shrimp, crabs, etc, I love my porkchops and sausage and scrapple and fried shrimp and crabmeat. And not only that, I have very little knowledge about keeping kosher, other than the laws on the clean and unclean animals in the Bible. And besides all that, I don't cook. I'm a bachelor who just pops meals in the nuker at the end of the workday. My family would probably almost have a heart attack if I were to tell them that I was keeping Kosher now...my brother's already think I'm a nut after going Mennonite a couple years ago. I've grown up eating pretty much anything that got near the plate, lol.

[Chizuk Emunah]

Shalom Ironwill.
The laws of kashrut are applicable for both Jews and goyim. In Ex. 23:19, Lev. 7:23-26, 11, 17:13 & 19:26, as well as Deut. 12:21-23, 14:19-21 & 22:6-7, HaShem gives us the laws for kashrut. They include everything from the types of animals we may eat, to the procedure for kosher slaughter (shechitah).

As for it being difficult to keep kosher, it's really not that difficult. Once you make the decision, you find it gets easier and easier as time goes on. The only difficult aspect of keeping kosher is the fact that almost everyone else doesn't. Thus, it requires more effort to locate kosher food (really this only applies to meat, as most foods themselves are either kosher, or have a kosher label).

As for being the microwave kinda guy (we can all relate there), check your local grocery store. You will probably find kosher ready made meals in the frozen section. If not, check in with your local Synagogue and see where they get their kosher food.

I hope that helps.

[Mark]

Hi "Will",

First there are a lot of different levels or ideas of what kosher is. For some, it means only buying foods with a rabbi's seal of approval. There are several seals out there; the most common is a "K" with a circle around it. (If you do a internet search on kosher seals you can get a whole list of them. It means that the food has never come into contact with any unclean thing from birth to the time it is served to you- that it was slaughtered in a ceremonially approved way and that none of the equipment used throughout the entire process had ever come into contact with anything unclean at any time... at least, they really hope not. Others on the farther extreme will only eat clean animals at home (but being served unclean meats outside of the home is okay. Most of us fit somewhere in between.

It's not that eating unclean meats is unpleasant or not tasty. It is not even, for many of us, that we believe that they are unhealthy. The simple fact is that our Lord commanded us not to eat meats that are unclean and we want to obey Him because we love Him.

There are "kosher" alternatives that are pretty good. It's not the flavor that is unclean, it is the animal. There is turkey bacon and turkey ham out there (but be careful to see that they haven't been cooked in pork fat).

It's funny because this seems to be the one big issue that the "church" has trouble with. Even Sabbath is an "acceptable alternnative" to most Christians; but to say that God doesn't want us to eat unclean meats is abomination- it's as if (for them) it has become a sin not to eat the unclean.

I want to encourage you to make every area of your life worship of Adonai. We give Him our testimony. We give Him our tithe. We give Him our time. Yet, we miss the fullness of relationship He longs to share with us if we do not also give Him our treasures.

If you are not in a community of Messianic believers, I suggest you simply avoid meats condemned in the Scriptures- simply that means we eat poultry, fish (except catfish), beef and lamb. Most importantly, pray to Adonai as you shop for your groceries and make that part of your day a thing of worship. You will find that He is true to steer you in the right direction as you seek His pleasure.

bon apetite,

Mark

[Yitzchak]

Shalom,

One of the main points that I think often is overlooked, is why HaShem gave us the Laws of Kashrut.

Read Vayikra (Lev.) 20:22-26

I will only put in bold the verses regarding the Kashrut.

v25 You are therefore to make a distinction between the clean animal, and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean, and you shall not make yourselves detestable by animal or by bird or by anything that creeps on the ground, which I have separated for you as unclean. Thus you are to be holy to me, for I the L-rd am holy, and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine

When one studies this, we come to realize that while eating the unclean things could have ramifications regarding good health, this is not what HaShem says in His Word.

We learn from this, that eating these things make us detestable before G-d, and that it was His desire to have a people that were holy, and set apart from the nations of the earth.

I for one have found it quite easy to cut out all of the unclean things from my diet, and while I am probably still not the healthiest person in the world, I know that by obeying this command, that I am holy unto the L-rd, and He does not find me detestable.

Shabbat Shalom and a Joyous Purim to all,

Yitzchak

[R' Y'hoshua Moshe]

What a blessing it is to have so many brothers in Messiah whom believe in Yeshua The Messiah and whom are zealous for ! You all have given great advice!

If you are not in a community of Messianic believers, I suggest you simply avoid meats condemned in the Scriptures- simply that means we eat poultry, fish (except catfish), beef and lamb.

Amen. This would probably be the best advice for someone beginning their journey into a kosher lifestyle. Keep it simple at first. Little by little you will learn more and more how to live a kosher life. Don't worry about what your friends and family think. Worry more about what your Heavenly Father thinks. You will find that this will be a great witnessing tool for you to be able to speak about G'd and the scriptures. We will be praying for G'd to lead you in these situations.

We learn from this, that eating these things make us detestable before G-d, and that it was His desire to have a people that were holy, and set apart from the nations of the earth.

Thank you for pointing this out as this is the exact reason our Heavenly Father has given us for Vayikra (Lev.) 11. No doubt following His mitzvah (commandments) are also healthy for us as we read in Devarim (Deut.) chapter 28.

I agree with my brethren, eating kosher is like anything we start doing. It is a matter of making simple choices....to eat or not to eat Lev. 11 condemned food. Don't worry, if you dedicate yourself to Adonai and prepare your heart to serve Him in this manner you will have the help of Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) as promised in Yechezk'el (Ezek.) 36:26-27.

And, of course...you always have us to help and encourage you

Berachot aleychem b'shem Yeshua HaMashiach,
(Blessings be upon you in the name of Yeshua The Messiah),

Reuel

[Chizuk Emunah]

Shabbat Shalom rej1s.

You can find the disscussion on Acts 10: here

[Rick]

Thank you

[Shiloah]

I have been wondering a lot about the instructions against eating meat with blood in it. I was reading in B'resheet 8 G-d says to Noach after the flood

"Every moving thing that lives will be food for you, just as I gave you green plants before, so now I give you everything - only flesh with its life, which is its blood, you are not to eat." vs 3 &4

So this precedes the other later covenants and commandments. It was on the heart of Adonai from the start.

This is also stated for Gentiles in Acts 15; "to abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled and from fornication."

It strikes me as strange that something like this that is impressed upon those who want to live lives that please Adonai, is so ignored in the Body of Messiah (meaning the mainstream). ;D

How do we keep this mitzvah if we don't have access to kosher-killed meat? I can buy a few kosher meats at my local supermarket, like Turkey slice, or Pepperoni. But I cannot buy freshly butchered meat. I don't like to eat a lot of sodium nitrate preserved meats, and so the Turkey and Pepperoni would be things I would buy rarely.

Is it enough to buy ordinary slaughtered meat, and try to drain the blood out,and how do I do that? How are animals slaughtered in an ordinary abbatoir - does anyone know? I mean, are their throats cut, or are they killed some other way? I truly want to change my eating habits, (and as I am chief cook around here, my family too) to come into line with this commandment, it is clearly something we should take notice of.

The meat I get in the supermarket is usually swimming in its life-blood.

[Shiloah]

Oh my, I have just done some research on how our meat is killed so called "humanely!" It is enough to turn anyone into a vegetarian!

Apparently the reason the meat is so blood filled is because of course the neck is not slit like Kosher or even Halal. The poor animal has a bolt-gun put to it's head, is stunned and the bolt goes in deep to the brain. Yuk. Apparently they've done research with ECG's and other instruments to detect whether the animal is stressed or not. There is more adrenaline released into the animal's bloodstream in these conditions than when the animals throat is cut. Also, they use electric cattle prods to control the animals before their death.

I have to find me a Kosher butcher.

[R' Y'hoshua Moshe]

If you don't have a "kosher" source, I would either have a butcher do as close as possible kosher kill for you and you may use kosher salt to soak up the remaining blood before you eat it. There will always be a little blood left in the meat. Just try to remove as much as possible. For now, just abstain from animals prohibited in Vayikra (Lev.) 11 and try to get your meat as kosher as possible.

Shalom achot,

Reuel

[Shiloah]

Thank you for this, Reuel. I am wondering, how can salt be non-Kosher? I'm not even sure where I would find Kosher salt. This is a problem living in a different country because probably any brands you could recommend, would not be available here.

Shalom,

Jen

[R' Y'hoshua Moshe]

Shalom Shiloah,

It is kosher salt not because it is made kosher itself, but because it is a special kind of salt (larger granules) which is used to draw the blood out of the meat helping to make it kosher.

Berachot b'Yeshua,

Reuel

[Vaneide]

Shalom you all,


G-d made me undestand that kosher food is for me too, and I don't eat enymore food that the says that I don't have to eat. Now, I think is impossible to know how the aninmal was killed, I can do just what is possible for me to do.

Vaneide.

[Shambam]

This along with a number of other aspects of "doing and living Jewishly" I have wrestled with off and on for a long time. For me, the issue is that, since I am not Jewish, can I accept that fact first squarely on its own terms and if so then, why do I need to do this? Am I just zealous to do the right things because I have a latent wish that I really was Jewish because in my mind they are segullah (precious) or is there a real spiritual process of growing and relating to G-d in all this? I know there is one aspect of obedience that doesn't really need to take that into account, but for me at least, I have found that usually my eagerness to dive in and obey generally eclipses my inner connection and devotion. So much so that to the extent I practice such deeds, I seem to disconnect from any inner appreciation of their real meaning and further of the One who commanded this in the first place. To date, I have stepped back and decided to take this from a more, lets say, Noachic perspective and build slowly from there, taking great care to make sure that I am not racing ahead. Thus, I have put practicing kashrut on the 'backburner' for the time being. By the way, isn't it true that Noahide observance as a ger toshav/ger ha shar doesn't/didn't require keeping such things as kashruth, taharath ha mishpochah, etc? ;D

[Chizuk Emunah]

It is true Shambam, but it is something I readily disagree with. HaShem has told us in his that his commandments were to be observed both by Am Yisrael and the strangers living among them.

Now we can qualify that statment by looking at the minimum requirements for new believers outlined by the Nazarene Sanhedrin in Acts 15. However, we must take into account that those requirements were only to be a starting point, and not the only commandments to ever be observed.

By the way, there is nothing wrong with "living or doing Jewishly." We have a rich heritage and tradition that includes being the only ones to preserve the truth of HaShem's . And I would tell your critics just as much. (As I am sure that is what you are referring to.)

The sages would agree with you, that there is a fine line between performing a mitzvah just because it is a minhag, and performing that mitzvah because you love HaShem and want to be obedient to his . One must be very careful not to cross that line.