Kashrut: Fact, Fiction and In Between part 6

The method of kashering (making kosher; removing the blood), is stated in rabbinic sources as follows:

"We wash, soak, salt, and rinse the meat, then throw it into a pot"

We have two major interpretations of this statement. The more common and accepted one is that this is a description of our standard Kashering process. The "throw it into a pot" is really saying that after this process, the meat may even be boiled. There is little question that raw meat may be eaten without kashering, as long as the surface blood is washed off. When boiled, the blood leaves the flesh, becoming forbidden at that point. It is then reabsorbed during the cooking process, rendering the meat unkosher. After soaking and salting, this is no longer a concern. What about the blood we see even after cooking? That is only "juices", not true blood.
An opposing view, expressed by certain medieval rabbis, and championed by RAMBAM, and followed by the Yemenites even today, says that this is totally a wrong interpretation. Salting does NOT remove blood, except to a depth of about a centimeter. One must soak and salt the meat to remove the blood near the surface. Then, the meat must be plunged into boiling water, thus sealing in the blood that is in the flesh, so that it will not be able to become forbidden by becoming separated. After a short period of boiling, the meat is good to go. While the Talmud, when speaking of broiling, says "the fire draws", no such statement is found about salt until several centuries after. According to this interpretation, virtually all meat dishes are actually non-kosher! At one time, this process, known as Halita, was practiced in many places, but eventually, all except Yemen went over to the standard practice. I must say, that this topic caused me angst for many years. I saw meat after kashering. It was clear that salt did nothing beyond a surface effect. The claim of many rabbis that although twenty minutes of salting is enough, the fact that we normally do a full hour gets out all the blood, is demonstrably preposterous. I asked Sima that any meat we cook at home be subject to halita. For meat we eat elsewhere, or which is pre-prepared (my favorite cut of meat is "tube steak" otherwise known as the "hotdog"), I relied, very reluctantly, on the common practice. When I learned from one of my sons, who worked in the kashrut industry, that stores regularly "freshen up" meat that is past its prime by adding blood drippings, my conscience really knew no peace. My world took a drastic turn for the better when about six years ago an article on yahoo news had a headline "Blood that drips from meat is not blood". The article stated that virtually all the blood leaves the animal at slaughter. What drips out later is not blood, but myoglobin. Myoglobin looks like blood, but is actually a substance produced by muscle tissue breaking down after death, If one looks carefully, the myoglobin is much less viscous than actual blood. I confirmed this with several physicians, and a veterinarian. For the first time, I understood that when the Talmud says that "dam evarim" (blood of the organs) is only forbidden by rabbinic law, it wasn't referring to capillary blood, as I had thought, but to myoglobin. I realized immediately the amazing knowledge of the ancient rabbis. They wanted us to remove even the semblance of forbidden blood, and required us to take reasonable measures to remove it, but not to go crazy. We still do halita on fresh meat, but only as a stringency. I recall the Talmudic statement "if they (the Jews) aren't prophets, they are still the sons of prophets". One more issue regarding blood, is blood found in eggs. That will be my next topic.

Kashrut: Fact, Fiction and In Between part 5

After the lungs have been checked, there is no need to see if other problems are present, as their rarity makes any defect unlikely. However, if, as the viscera are removed, something looks "strange", the shochet must examine further. Often, a rabbi must be consulted. If it is known that there is a specific local danger, additional organs will need to be checked. When I lived in Cincinnati, a series of tornadoes swept through the Midwest in April, 1974. The pastures were strewn with debris. The cows ate the debris, including nails. Many of the cows had punctured digestive organs. The local rabbinate required the shochatim to check these organs at that time, as problems were far from rare. In the case of poultry, the bird is opened at the craw, and the viscera, especially the gizzard, are examined for punctures. The next step is the removal of blood. The Torah has many exhortations against consuming blood "for the blood is the life". Until a few decades ago, this was done by the homemaker. The meat processing plant had only to ensure quick delivery to the consumer. The rabbis, immediately after the Talmudic period, instituted that the process of removing the blood must take place within seventy-two hours of shechitah. After that, the blood would be too congealed. If, before that time has passed, the meat is rinsed with water, an additional seventy-two hours are allowed. Today, most kosher meat facilities do the removal of blood at the plant. In Israel, where cattle are scarce and of poor quality (Rabbi Ovadia Yosef quipped "I had never seen such bad-looking cows as these in all the land of Egypt" (Genesis 14:19), most meat is imported from South America and Western Europe (especially France). In the stricter levels of Kashrut, the meat has the blood removed there, after which it is frozen and shipped. In lower standard Kashrut, the meat is first frozen in the country of origin, and the removal of blood is done either by the consumer, or the local butcher shop. The shipping process can take weeks, so the three-day rule becomes problematic. Many accept a somewhat controversial opinion that once frozen, coagulation ceases, and the three days are not counted until the meat is defrosted. Israeli consumer groups are opposed to the removal of blood at the country of origin, as it involves soaking and salting which makes the meat heavier, and one is thus paying for water at the price of meat. How is the blood removed? The only perfect way is to broil the meat. The blood is drawn off by the fire. In the case of the liver, this is the only way to "kasher" (make kosher) the meat. (In Ashkenazi tradition, this is also done with certain other organs). The meat must either be broiled on a spit (where the blood can freely drip), or on a grill with a slant, so the blood will drain away. For other meats, although broiling is ideal, another process is employed in most cases. The meat is washed of any surface blood, soaked in water for a half-hour or more, excess water is removed, and the meat is then covered in coarse salt ("kosher salt", really KOSHERING salt), and allowed to sit in the salt for an hour at least, while placed on a slanting surface so the blood may drain. In an emergency, twenty minutes is sufficient. After that, it is rinsed three times. This was a common sight in virtually every Jewish home when I was a child. Jewish day schools even gave a course in this to girls in their senior year of High School. By about 1960, this responsibility was, in most cases, transferred to the butcher shops. Although this process was standard in nearly all Jewish communities, and was advocated by virtually all rabbis, there is an alternative view advocated by RAMBAM (and some others), that this procedure is inefficacious, At an event such as a wedding, one can still see the Yemenites leave before the meat course is served, as they do not consider meat handled in the usual way to be kosher. They have a different process, known as "halitah", which I will discuss next time.

Kashrut: Fact, Fiction and In Between part 4

There are eighteen types of organic defects that can render an otherwise kosher animal non-kosher. However, the halachah is that since most animals ARE assumed to be without defects, there is no need to do a post-mortem examination to look for defects. Only if we happen to see it, must we check it out. However, in the third century, a rabbinic enactment was made that we must check the lungs. Why? Two reasons are given. First, the lungs, unlike other organs, are subject to many common problems. Although a minority of animals have these problems, it comes close to being half. (Other defects might be 1 or 2 percent). Secondly, when the animal's chest is cut open in order to remove the viscera. the lungs are immediately visible, and therefore easy to check. Even after this enactment, however, if the lungs are lost (e.g., grabbed by a dog), the slaughtered animal is nevertheless presumed to be kosher. The primary problem with the lungs is adhesions. Fluids in and around the lungs often harden into string-like connections with other parts of the lung, or with other organs. The adhesion themselves are not the problem. The problem would be that the adhesion often is formed where there is a hole in the lung. A hole would render the animal non-kosher. Also, the adhesion may be in a place where it is fairly certain that it will eventually tear, thus ensuring a fatal lung defect. In the latter case, the animal is already considered to be non-kosher. In the former, we need to ascertain if there is already a hole. The adhesion would be carefully peeled off. The lung (or part of it) would be placed in water, with air being blown in. If it bubbles, we know that there is a hole, and the animal would be declared non-kosher. if no bubbles, the animal is kosher. In some places, however, where meat was plentiful, the custom became to not check for holes, but to consider the animal as non-kosher if an adhesion was found. This is known as "glatt" (smooth, without question), "Halak" in Hebrew. Glatt has become almost universal in the U.S. kosher meat pants as well as in most other countries since about 1990. The term is often used loosely to mean "strictly kosher". Therefore, one will find even dairy restaurants declaring themselves "glatt"!  You will recall that in Ashkenazi tradition, custom trumps sources. The great Ashkenazi "voice" in the Shulchan Aruch is known as RAMA (Rabbi Moshe Isserles). He testifies that it is the accepted custom of Ashkenazi shochetim to consider an adhesion to be a problem only if it is white or yellow. Clear would never be an issue. Thus, an animal with clear adhesions would be called "glatt" even though it might be not kosher at all based on most classical sources. We thus have "Halak Beit Yosef" (glatt in accordance with the view of the author of the Shulchan Aruch, Rabbi Yosef Karo). This is now becoming accepted in many communities. Where I live, although there are few Sepharadim, many of the butcher shops only sell Halak Beit Yosef. The late sage, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, ruled that although Halak Beit Yosef is the only one that should be used if possible, the others should be considered kosher also. So, at a communal meal, or at the home of an Ashkenazi, other kinds of kosher may be eaten by Sepharadim, even non-Glatt. Two objections to this system are cost, and the view of RAMBAM. In non-glatt , about 70% of the animals pass inspection. In glatt, about 30% pass. In Halak Beit Yosef, it comes out to about 15%. This greatly increases the price to the consumer. Moreover, even though RAMBAM is the single most esteemed halachist in Sepharadic tradition, with 70% of the Shulchan Aruch based on his rulings, it is often overlooked that he was extremely lenient about adhesions, unless it could be proven that a hole was already present. Although I am a fanatic about Sepharadi halachah, I will freely use non-glatt meat, as long as it was properly supervised. Sadly (and scandalously), a campaign of delegitimization has been going on against those remaining kashrut agencies that certify non-glatt.  More next time.

Kashrut: Fact, Fiction and In Between part 3

The Torah forbids the eating of animals that either died of themselves or that were "torn". This prohibition of carrion was understood to mean any animal that was killed by any other means rather than shechitah, or that has a deadly condition. Originally, shechitah was done at home. In fact, the Hebrew word for "kitchen", is "mitbach", which literally means "the killing place". By Talmudic times there were special professionals called "Shochetim" who also sold the meat. Today, shochetim are employed by kosher processing plants. In smaller communities, they usually work for the local kosher butcher. Although in recent centuries this was done only by men, with much literature written as to the permissibility of women performing this function, many documents have emerged in the last century that prove that in many places women were also doing this, with rabbinic approval. The rules of shechitah are fairly simple. Although these rules are often interpreted as humane measures, there is no indication in sources as to the reasons behind them. A knife, called a "chalif", is prepared. It must have no nicks. The shochet passes the chalif over his fingernail, in order to find even the smallest defect. He has special sharpening tools handy. In large plants, where speed is of the essence, there will be a different person to check and repair the chalif. The knife must be checked before every animal. He then recites a blessing "Blessed are You..O L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, who sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning shechitah". If many animals are to be slaughtered, one blessing suffices for all. The animal to be slaughtered is laid on the ground. In many places, it is hoisted mechanically by its hind legs instead. As many consider this inhumane, this has been abolished in most places. The shochet then cuts the animal's throat. He must cut both the trachea and the esophagus, and also sever the arteries of the neck, insuring a swift death for the animal. If less than these were cut, there are rules for different situations. The shechitah must be done with no pause, and no pressing applied to the throat without movement of the chalif. That it must be done with one motion is a popular fiction. The key is that there be no pause. Ashkenazic tradition invalidates the shechitah for a pause of even a moment. Sepharadic and Yemenite traditions allow a brief pause, and this is in line with the Talmud. However, the Ashkenazic approach has today become standard. As the Torah forbids the consumption of blood, the animal must be allowed to bleed freely. If the animal were to be stunned, as is done in non-kosher slaughter, this would lead to shock; a condition in which the blood goes to the internal organs. In some places, the secular authorities are content with stunning immediately after shechitah, rather than before. This is actually permissible, but rabbis are not happy with this. The Chief Rabbi of one European country recently resigned his position, rather than acquiesce to government interference in halachic areas such as this. A rare example of Jewish-Muslim cooperation is the joint protest over government interference in Shechitah, as the Muslim Halal is virtually identical to our shechitah. Shechitah is banned in Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg and Switzerland. The Netherlands is expected to follow suit shortly. After the animal has died, the shochet must examine the trachea and esophagus, to make certain that they have not been torn from their place before the shechitah has been completed. Poultry shechitah is done with the shochet holding the animal, and grasping its trachea and esophagus, as these often fall into the body cavity, making proper examination impossible. The Talmud enumerates eighteen bodily defects which will render an otherwise properly slaughtered animal non-Kosher. How this is applied, and has led to different shechitah systems in different groups, will be the topic of my next post.

Kashrut: Fact, Fiction and In Between part 2

Before continuing, I would like to clarify one point. One often hears, especially in non-Orthodox circles, the term "Biblical Kashrut", meaning observing only those parts of the dietary laws that are clearly specified in the Torah. We must bear in mind that one of the main functions of the Oral Torah is to give the definitions of Torah commands, as handed down to Moses. For example, the Torah only lists as prohibited on Shabbat the making of fire, and gathering sticks. Beyond that, it simply says that we are to do "no manner of work". We have received by tradition that the term "work", refers to a specific thirty-nine activities. Those who claim that it is for each person to decide what he or she considers "work", how do we explain that violation of Shabbat is (theoretically)  a capital offense? Each person could say, "I did not consider that activity as work". So in kashrut, an improperly slaughtered cow is every bit as non-Kosher as a pig. It is Biblically prohibited. First, let's take a look at permitted and prohibited species. (Only a few laws apply to fruit and vegetables, which I hope to cover later in this series). The Torah permits mammals that are ruminants, and have split hooves. The Torah enumerates four species that meet only one of these conditions (or appear to) and warns us not to make a mistake. The Torah likewise makes a distinction between domesticated (behemah) and wild (hayah) animals. In the former, certain areas of organ fat are forbidden. These would be those fats that in a sacrifice were burned on the altar. In the latter, the fats are OK (as there were never sacrifices of wild animals), but the blood requires burial, as is also the case with fowl. We are also forbidden to eat the sciatic nerve, and its adjacent fat and flesh. (First fiction dispelled: It is not true that Jews do not eat the hindquarters of an animal. Rather, after the sciatic nerve and surrounding flesh have been removed, the hindquarters would look like hamburger. This is also very labor-intensive. Therefore, in most places, the hindquarters are sold to a non-kosher meat plant. Where this is not practical, the carving (nikur in Hebrew, treibering in Yiddish) is done, and the hindquarters are eaten). For fowl, the Torah gives us no sign of what is kosher, but lists the names of twenty-four birds that are forbidden. All of them are birds of prey. All other birds are permitted. However, the identification of these forbidden birds is, in many cases, doubtful. Therefore, most Sepharadim will use a bird that has signs that it is not a bird of prey. Ashkenazim, on the other hand, will not use any bird that we do not know has been consumed by Jews from time immemorial. A dispute came in several centuries ago about turkey. It was not known before the discovery of America, and some rabbis therefore considered it non-kosher. Others pointed out that it is so close to the chicken, that it is illogical to say that it is a forbidden species. Today, nearly all do consume turkey. Fish must have fins and scales. However, only scales that can be removed from the fish without breaking the skin are considered valid scales. Bony coverings are not accepted as scales. (So no catfish). Two controversial points here: First, sturgeon. It has scales that are difficult to remove, but it can be accomplished with harsh chemicals. Second, swordfish. It has no scales when caught, but, ichthyologists (fish scientists) claim that they do when they are young, which would render them kosher. The Conservative movement has accepted that. Orthodox rabbis have opined that until we see with our eyes such a young fish, that loses its scales when grown, we cannot declare it kosher. The Torah forbids all insects, except certain species of locusts. Most communities have lost the tradition of which species are kosher. Yemenites have maintained the tradition. Most non-Yemenite rabbis are not willing to accept the Yemenite tradition. A few do. There is an annual banquet in Jerusalem where foods that are normally considered to be non-kosher, but actually are, are served, with the goal being to perpetuate the laws of the Torah, over customs based on "we don't know". Some oppose this, preferring to maintain what they consider to be tradition. In my next post, I will examine kosher slaughter (shehitah) and examining the carcass for defects that may render the animal not kosher.

Kashrut: Fact, Fiction and In Between part 1

In 2002, shortly after my return to the States, I attended a lecture hosted by the Long Island Board of Rabbis. The speaker was a rabbi who publishes a Kashrut magazine. He waxed eloquent about the pitfalls of buying bread at a bakery without rabbinic supervision., He went through a number of "horror stories", about terrible violations that can occur. Now, he is right about that. Many ingredients in baked goods can be problematic, or downright forbidden. (E.g,. lard). But he wasn't talking about those things. He was trying to show esoteric problems that would occur to no one. In the end, he asked for questions. I said "Excuse me, but every one of your examples is, from the standpoint of the Shulchan Aruch, actually kosher". He let out a frustrated whispered remark "I didn't think anyone here would be Orthodox" (i.e., knowledgeable in halachah). He then said "speak to me when everyone leaves". I did. He said to me "Where are you rabbi?" I answered "Island Park". He said "the people of Island Park didn't hire you to tell them that things are kosher. .They hired you to tell them that things are not kosher". He was wrong. The vast majority of my congregants didn't keep kosher at all. A handful kept a kosher home, but would eat nonkosher outside. One had even told me "my wife and I would really like to take you and Sima out to a nice restaurant, but can't because of the 'kosher business'".I immediately realized, however, that what this rabbi was really saying, is that "although kashrut is fairly simple (until we get into questions such as what to do when dairy accidentally falls into meat), we must make it hard, so as to disempower the consumer, making him dependent on a billion-dollar kashrut industry..not to mention my paranoid magazine". Kashrut covers many areas. Some are Biblical law, some are rabbinic enactments. Some are "decrees" designed to prevent intermarriage. A few are health tips, based on the medical knowledge of a bygone era. Some commonly observed ones are actually folklore, still kept even though denounced by all rabbis. The Torah does not give a reason for Kashrut. But the words "sanctify yourselves" occur frequently in the context of kashrut. The reason may therefore be surmised that the vast majority of these rules are not in place for health reasons (although we are commanded to guard our health), but for holiness. The Torah has laws that sanctify every area of life. Eating is no exception. In this series, I hope to outline the major areas of kashrut. I will explain the basic laws and how to apply them (not difficult!), when a rabbi must be consulted, different practices of different communities and their different concerns, as well as pointing out folklore, or pure fiction, fed to a gullible public in order to bring more revenue to the coffers of supervising agencies. Hold tight for the ride.