Kashrut & Our Kitchen
“You prepare a table before me” (Psalm 23:5). Sha'arei Shalom maintains a kosher, non-meat kitchen, and holds a considered, gracious stance on kashrut: rooted in Torah, respectful of Jewish tradition, and free of judgment toward those whose practice differs.
Adapted from our congregational kitchen policy statement.1
What is “kosher”?
The word “kosher” literally means “fit, appropriate, acceptable.” Its noun form, “kashrut,” refers to the dietary laws of Judaism that define which foods are acceptable for Jewish people to eat and which are not.
The Torah's definitions are found in Leviticus 11 and 17 and Deuteronomy 14. Land animals must have split hooves and chew the cud; poultry must fly and not be a bird of prey; fish must have fins and scales. The blood of a kosher animal must be drained before it is eaten, and a young goat may not be boiled in its mother's milk.
In historic Jewish law and practice, three applications stand out: meat is kosher only when slaughtered by a trained shochet so its blood is properly drained; milk and meat are never eaten together; and separate dishes are kept for meat, dairy, pareve foods, and Passover. Within the Jewish community today, observance ranges from very strict to very lenient.
Kashrut in Messianic Judaism
Messianic Jews generally understand the B'rit Chadashah (New Testament) as affirming the value of Torah, and therefore its kashrut standards. Yeshua said he did not come to abolish the Torah (Matthew 5:17); Shaul (Paul) affirmed near the close of his ministry that he had committed no offense against the Law of the Jews (Acts 25:8); and the Jerusalem Council's ruling in Acts 15 presupposes that Jewish followers of Yeshua would normally keep the Torah's kashrut standards.2
As in the wider Jewish world, Messianic individuals, families, and communities hold different levels of observance. Some apply the Torah's standards apart from rabbinic interpretation; others voluntarily adhere to the rabbinic interpretations as well. We discourage the phrase “biblically kosher”: it does not exist in the wider Jewish community, and it typically overlooks the Torah's own requirement that blood be properly drained. We prefer to speak simply of “our kashrut standards” and “our level of kashrut observance.”
We view kashrut as an area in which it is okay to agree to disagree. It is not an issue upon which one's eternal destiny hinges; salvation is a gracious gift of God. We do not judge or condemn other Messianic Jews, non-Messianic Jews, or non-Jewish Christians for their practice in this area, and we do not claim our approach is the only correct one. We seek to avoid division, encourage discussion rooted in Scripture, and remain sensitive to individual convictions, callings, and customs.
The vision for our kitchen
Faithful to Scripture
We seek to be faithful to the plain meaning of Scripture with respect to kashrut, adhering to the instructions outlined in the Torah. Yeshua declared that he did not come to abolish the Torah (Matthew 5:17), and Shaul affirmed that the Torah is holy, righteous, good, and spiritual (Romans 7:12-22).
Respect for Jewish tradition
Our kashrut standards promote informed respect for Jewish tradition. Keeping a recognizable standard establishes common ground with the wider Jewish community, is a good testimony to Jewish people, and shows that we take kashrut seriously even where our practice differs.
Enriching our walk with Yeshua
Kashrut reminds us that preparing and eating food is a holy enterprise, set apart to God. Our kashrut standards are for our entire congregational community3—keeping a common standard reminds us of our interconnectedness, of God's physical and spiritual provision, and of Yeshua, the bread of life.
Our kitchen guidelines4
These guidelines apply to food prepared in, brought into, and served at Sha'arei Shalom.3
Our kitchen
A non-meat kitchen
Our kitchen is a non-meat kitchen: only dairy and pareve items are permitted, including meals individuals bring into the building (such as by staff or volunteers). No one, including caterers, may use the kitchen for meat or poultry products, and the refrigerator stores perishable dairy or pareve items only.
No non-kosher ingredients
Foods that contain non-kosher ingredients may not be served at Sha'arei.
Periodic kashering
The kitchen is kashered periodically throughout the year, and definitely in preparation for Passover.
Personal dishes
People who bring dishes for oneg are encouraged to bring them home without washing them. If a dish needs to be washed, a sink is designated for this purpose.
Cleaning products
All cleaning products in the kitchen should be marked with a kosher certification symbol. Sha'arei Shalom's preferred line of cleaning products is Seventh Generation.
Ingredients
Fish
Kosher fish is considered pareve and may be prepared in, and served at, Sha'arei. Only fish that has both fins and scales is considered kosher; shellfish is not. If there is a question about a particular fish, we recommend the cRc kosher fish list.
Cheese
All cheeses are permitted unless there is an obvious addition of a non-kosher substance. Animal rennet is often included in cheese and is not acceptable; cheeses with vegetable rennet are increasingly popular and are acceptable.
Bagels
We consider purchased bagels (such as from New York Bagels or Bruegger's Bagels) to be pareve. Bagels may, therefore, be served on Sha'arei platters.
Packaged foods
Packaged foods brought to Sha'arei must be marked with a hechsher: a small symbol from an agency certifying the product is kosher. The most common is the Orthodox Union symbol, a U inside a circle; there are many other kosher certification symbols worth learning to recognize.
Avoid common pitfalls
Animal rennet, sometimes found in cheeses, and gelatin, sometimes found in packaged products, are not kosher and are to be avoided.
Food brought in
Food prepared outside our kitchen
We do not limit the type of kitchens in which non-packaged foods brought into Sha'arei are prepared. When preparing food at home for Sha'arei events, members are expected to make sure it contains no non-kosher ingredients (such as lard or shellfish extracts). For a dish made from a box (such as brownies), a hechsher on the package is strongly encouraged.
Prepared foods brought in
Prepared food brought to Sha'arei should remain on the owner's dish on which it arrives. If it must be moved to a platter, a paper or disposable platter should be used.
Sha'arei platters
Only foods that come directly out of packages bearing a hechsher may be placed on Sha'arei platters. Prepared foods should not be placed on Sha'arei platters.
Snacks for classrooms & nursery
Only pareve snacks should be served to the children, and they should be served on paper goods. Packaged snacks must come from packages marked with a hechsher symbol.
Passover
Passover
During the week of Passover, in addition to the guidelines above, foods classified as chametz (leaven) and all products containing chametz are not permitted at Sha'arei Shalom.
Glossary of important terms & phrases
- Kashrut / kosher
- The dietary laws of Judaism that define which food is and is not fit to eat. The word “kosher” means “fit” or “acceptable.”
- Non-kosher
- All foods that are not fit to eat, including pork, shellfish, fish without fins and scales, non-kosher meat or poultry, and foods made from these products.
- Meat
- Foods that consist in whole or in part of ingredients derived from the flesh of animals. To be kosher, meat must come either from an animal with split hooves that chews its cud (like cows), or from poultry that flies and is not a bird of prey (like chickens), slaughtered and prepared according to the requirements of kashrut under rabbinic supervision. In traditional practice, meat products cannot be served with milk products.
- Dairy
- Foods that consist in whole or in part of milk or products derived from milk. In traditional practice, dairy products cannot be served with meat products.
- Fish
- Only fish that has both fins and scales is considered kosher. Shellfish is not kosher. Kosher fish is considered to be pareve (neither meat nor dairy).
- Pareve
- Foods that in their natural state are neither meat nor dairy. Examples include fruits, vegetables, fish, eggs, pasta, grains, nuts, honey, unflavored coffee, and tea. Pareve foods can be served with either dairy or meat.
- Kosher certification (hechsher)
- Food products are often marked with a hechsher: a small symbol from an agency that certifies the product is kosher. The most common is the Orthodox Union symbol, a U inside a circle; there are many others.
- Chametz
- Leaven and products containing leaven, which are not eaten during Passover.
Notes
- 1.Drafted February 2009. Updated January 2011. ↩
- 2.Two passages in the B'rit Chadashah are sometimes adduced in order to claim that Yeshua abolished the kashrut instructions in the Torah. First, Acts 10: The vision of Kefa (Peter) does not mean that all foods are now “kosher” for Jewish people to eat. Rather, the vision means that Yeshua has broken down all barriers to fellowship between Jews and Gentiles, and that Jewish followers of Yeshua now share intimate fellowship with non-Jewish followers of Yeshua. Indeed, this is the meaning of the vision according to Acts 10:28. Second, Mark 7:1-23: In this passage, Pharisees debate Yeshua's disciples concerning the tradition of hand washing prior to eating. The entire context of the passage is hand washing, not kosher vs. non-kosher food. Mark adds the comment “thus He [Yeshua] declared all foods clean.” Jewish people did not consider non-kosher animals to be food. Since the context of the passage is hand washing, the passage should be understood to mean “thus, He [Yeshua] declared all [kosher] foods clean [even if a person had not washed his hands in the traditional manner prior to eating].” ↩
- 3.We do not require or ask that these standards be kept in the home lives of members and regular attenders, although our standards are certainly a fine model for people to adopt in their personal lives if they feel so led! ↩
- 4.The following policy has helped us in formulating our own: http://www.chkehillah.org/kashrut_policy.htm. ↩
Questions about kashrut at Sha'arei?
Whether you are bringing food for oneg for the first time or want to talk through our practice, the office is glad to help.