The History and Reason for Jewish

Dietary Laws
Claire Stapleton

History 134

17 February 2017
 Many religions across the world and over periods in history have had restrictions on food

they can eat and how it is prepared, from Christianity, to Islam, and to Judaism. In Judaism, the

dietary laws and the term kosher are derived from kashrut (Hutt, 1994). Kashrut comes from the

term Kaf-Shin-Reif, which means proper or correct (Tracy, 2011).

Contrary to popular misconception, rabbis or other religious officials do not bless food

to make it kosher, Jewish Dietary Laws states, instead they are blessings that Jews recite before

they eat their food. The term kosher does not mean food that is blessed by anybody, it mainly

refers to the origin and overall health effects of the food. In the Torah, Vayikra-Leviticus-Chapter

11 states the food that can and cannot be eaten, mainly referring to unclean animals as those

that cannot be eaten (Vayikra). However, according to kashrut, even the permissible animals

must be prepared in a specific way.

Where do these laws come from and what is the reason for it? It has been a debate over

the years of scholars as to what the origin of kosher was and why. Some believe that the reason

Israelites started eating kosher was to separate themselves from their other non-practicing

citizens (Making Sense of Kosher Laws). In Deuteronomy 12:23-24, it states that the blood of

animals cannot be eaten. For the blood is life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh

(Making Sense of Kosher Laws). The reasoning behind this could be for health reasons, perhaps

many years ago people were realizing that they would get sick when they ingested the blood of

animals, so they deemed it unholy. On the other hand, it could just be a truly spiritual act of life,

recognizing that blood gives life and you should not ingest that life.

This brings us to the topic of Mary Douglas 1966 essay, The Abominations of

Leviticus, published in the volume of Purity and Danger. Douglas discusses the difference in
the food laws, whether they be a reason of wholeness, or holiness. She stated that there was

biblical emphasis on wholeness and completeness, and that the idea of holiness was given

an external, physical expression in the wholeness of the body seen as a perfect container

(Douglas, 1966). This can be interpreted in a way that means that holiness comes from within a

person, and can be held by the person practicing, and that holiness contained inside a Jew

completes the Jew as a whole.

However, despite the theories from researchers and scholars, it is still unclear as to what

the reasons are for the Abomination of Leviticus. One can read Deuteronomy and Leviticus and

see it plainly for what it is; you must not eat certain animals, unclean animals, and the blood of

any animals. But what is the origin of it? It is still up to debate today.

Many modern Jews think that the laws of kashrut are simply primitive health regulations

that have become obsolete with modern methods of food preparation (Tracy, 2011). It is clear

that the dietary laws have health benefits. But, it is not the reason for kashrut. Food can be kept

sanitary and chilled in a refrigerator, but there are certain foods that cannot touch at all or mix

with each other according to kashrut. For example, meat and dairy can never touch. It may seem

like this law is arbitrary with little meaning behind it, however there is evidence that meat and

dairy do not mix well together during digestion, despite how it is prepared (Tracy, 2011). This

again could be do to the thought that maybe thousands of years ago people were understanding

what food and food combinations made them sick, and deemed them unholy and stated they were

abominations.

The short answer to why Jews observe these laws is: because the Torah says so (Tracy,

2011). Even the Torah doesnt state why these laws have come about. Many Jews follow the
Torah without questioning the content or origin behind these laws, because it has been done this

way for thousands of years.

So, what exactly is unholy in kashrut? The Torah states that land animals must have clean

hooves and chew their cud, so this excludes rabbits and pigs. Shellfish and most seafood are

prohibited as well, to be eaten a fish must have fins and scales. The meat must be soaked in a

cold bath for a half hour to be rid of all the blood, and meat and dairy must be kept separate at all

times (Kling, Perkins 1999).

In this day and age, there are Jews that remain completely dedicated to all aspects of the

kosher laws, and there are Jews that still remain faithful but dont follow kashrut completely or

not at all. There are kosher restaurants, and kosher markets to make remaining proper easier.

One could assume that those of the younger and newer generation may be ignoring the old laws

and way of the old world. However, you may be surprised.

In a recent survey, nearly a quarter of the Jewish millennial population are keeping

kosher, a rate that is almost double that of their parents (Faxx, 2014). Some state it is for moral

values, and for some it is about keeping their identity and their roots.

Regardless of where the laws of kashrut came from and why they were made, Jews from

all over the world can bond and relate to each other over the preparation of their food. Food has

always been something to bring people together, and the way it is prepared is a way to bring

people together, regardless of their faith.

Works Cited
Mary, Douglas. "The Abomination of Leviticus." Purity and Danger. London: n.p., 1966. 41-57.

Print.

Mary Douglas assesses the possible reasons for kosher and kashrut, mainly focusing on

the paradigm of holiness and wholeness, starting from within and working

outward.

Faxx, Israel. "Kashrut Sees A Resurgence Among Millennial Jews." Business Insights: Global.

Israel National News, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

Faxx discusses statistics of millennial Jews practicing kosher and relating them to

previous generations, as well as discussing personal reasons for young practicing

Jews.

Hutt, P.B. "The Jewish Dietary Laws and Their Foundation." (1994): n. pag. Digital Access to

Scholarship At Harvard. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

Hutt describes the laws of kashrut and analyzes them with reference to biblical passages.

Kling, Simcha, and Carl M. Perkins. "What Is Kashrut." Magen Tzedek RSS. N.p., 1999. Web. 19

Feb. 2017.

Kling and Perkins explain kashrut from all aspects in simple and brief terms.

"Making Sense of Kosher Laws." Biblical Archaeology Society. N.p., 12 Oct. 2016. Web. 19 Feb.

2017.

The Biblical Archaeology Society helps those understand the kosher laws and discusses

briefly some of the dos and donts of eating kosher traditionally.

Rich, Tracy R. "Kashrut: Jewish Dietary Laws." Judaism 101. N.p., 2011. Web. 17 Feb.

2017.
 Rich analyzes and completely discusses the laws, preparations, and possible origins of

kashrut in this FAQ style article, answering questions from many aspects.

"Vayikra - Leviticus - Chapter 11 (Parshah Shemini)." Tanakh Online - Torah - Bible. N.p., n.d.

Web. 19 Feb. 2017.

This is the complete chapter of the Torah that discusses in full length the rules of kashrut

and eating kosher as it was originally produced.