The Evangelical Dictionary of World Religions by H. Wayne House

Author:H. Wayne House
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Reference/World Religions, Christianity and other religions—Dictionaries, REL015000, REL033000, REL020000
ISBN: 9781493415908
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group

KOSHER (KASHER) . The basic meaning of the word kosher is something that is “fit” or “proper,” but kosher became the key rabbinic term for anything that is ritually fit, proper, or permitted. This is in contrast to terefah (or simply treif), which refers to something that is nonkosher or something that is ritually unclean or unfit.

When applied to food, kosher covers foods permitted by the Mosaic law. Therefore, beef would be kosher but pork would be terefah. However, even permitted meats can be nonkosher if they were not ritually slaughtered in the proper way. The term is also applied to nonmeat food items such as “kosher pickles.” This is often based on the way they are prepared and how they are stored. Since Mosaic law prohibits cooking a goat in its mother’s milk, dairy and meat cannot be either cooked or stored together. While many dishes can be ritually cleaned to become kosher, others must be thrown away after becoming unkosher. Due to these minute restrictions, many Orthodox Jews have two complete kitchens. Less-affluent Jews have two sets of dishes and storage containers. So ritual stipulations concerning food by rabbinic theology go beyond Mosaic law. The term kosher is also applied to items that may be proper for certain days but not for other days. Thus matzot (unleavened bread) may be kosher for all other days of the year but marked as “not kosher for Passover” if, in the preparation of the matzot, the rules necessary to make sure that no leavening could occur were not followed. Also, wine is kosher for Passover, but beer and whiskey are not, since these are made from grain or vegetables that can contain leaven.

The term kosher is also applied to the tzitzit—the tassels on the corners of Orthodox Jewish garments—if they were properly spun, and to the tefillin (phylacteries) and mezuzot (small rectangular boxes nailed to the doorways of Jewish homes), which contain scrolls that have been properly written.

See also JUDAISM

Bibliography. Rabbi B. Forst, The Laws of Kashrus: A Comprehensive Exposition of Their Underlying Concepts and Applications; Rabbi Y. Lipschutz, Kashruth: A Comprehensive Background and Reference Guide to the Principles of Kashruth; C. Roth, “Kosher,” in Encyclopedia Judaica, edited by C. Roth; I. Singer, “Kosher,” in The Jewish Encyclopedia; I. Welfeld, Why Kosher? An Anthology of Answers.

A. Fruchtenbaum

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