SC - Kosher Food Laws

[Margo Hablutzel]

I note that Sindara and Phillipa responded in part while I was away over the
weekend.  And Franz, I did make the copies I promised, not only of recipes
(including some Pesach stew or soup or casserole-style recipes in addition
to the tzimmes ones) but of a section from one of my books that talks about
the Pesach food regulations, if you want to read it.
	
	So, what you are describing is an ethnic Potroast. Sounds simple
enough.

As far as I know, pot roast *IS* an ethnic food.  This is just one
variation.  (I have many others. This is NOT a period version, BTW.)  The
Irish make it with corned beef; the New Englanders so something between the
two; the Germans add vinegar and spices and call it sauerbraten.........
And don't try to just make a potroast, as there may be ingredients in it
which are OK at other times of the year, but not at Passover.

	So, my only question now is, what are the prohibitions against
mixing meat
	types? Can one have lamb and goat and beef and fowl (and rabbit?)
all in
	the same dish (something like Gyros meat)? Or does the Law require a
	seperation of meat types as well?

No, it doesn't.  A thing is either meat or it is not.  (Fish with scales are
pareve, or neutral, although shellfish is treyf.  And there is some
discussion whether a waterfowl is pareve or meat.  But that gets technical.)
A meat is treyf or it is not.  You can have meats that are not treyf that
are not kosher.  For example, pork is treyf, forbidden (as are most
cloven-foot animals which are not ruminants - which is why sheep and goats
are OK), as is rabbit.  Beef is permitted, but only if it is properly killed
and prepared will the meat be kosher.  Even if you try to prepare it
properly, if something goes wrong the beef has become non-kosher (and
technically, treyf for those who eat only kosher meats - "treyf" translates
more accurately as "unclean").

Birds are warm-blooded, therefore meat.  Fish are cold-blooded, therefore
not meat.  Eggs are pareve, and there seems to be no prohibition against
cooking chicken with eggs (as in, chicken egg foo yung).

Note that for most reform (and even Conservative) people, it doesn't matter
if the meat is kosher or not.  "Ultra-reform" people will even eat treyf.
(It is somewhat a matter of taste; I do not eat pork, which seems to be a
disgustingly popular meat in Ansteorra.  My aunt adores shrimps and my uncle
pigs out on crab, as does one of my Jewish co-workers.)  Also, preparing a
meal in a non-kosher kitchen may make it non-kosher to the truly observant
(the reform don't care) (and we had one overly-enthusiastic person suggest
that we try to kosher the kitchen for the Chanukah event, until I explained
to him in detail how much work this would be - including possibly the
replacement of equipment - and suggested that he speak to the rabbi he had
volunteered to do this, and if he still wanted to do it then he can
undertake the expense and the effort).

And Phillipa is right, it was often too hard to determine from where came
the meat and milk, so the law was expanded to forbid any mixing of milk and
meat.  Since Leviticus, from which kashrut derives, predates the Roman
occupation, I think the argument that it was to keep the Jews separate from
the Romans is not true, especially as I don't remember seeing a lot of "milk
stews" in Apicius (although it's been a while since I perused his work).  I
was taught that it is a cruelty to boil a child in its mother's milk, and
Jews are not a cruel people (one requirement for kosher meat is that the
animal be killed so that it feels no pain - the knives must be VERY sharp).
I have found different reasons for many things Jews do, depending upon which
story the person learned.  Just because someone is "ultra orthodox" does not
mean they have all the right answers!  If they did, nobody would be studying
Torah and Talmud anymore - nor arguing about, excuse me, discussing it.

Note that according to the interpretations of the laws, you must wait two
hours after eating a milk meal to eat a meat meal, but six hours from meat
to milk.  This is why the noon meal was often a milk/fish meal and the
evening meal was meat, because by the time you wake up it's been over six
hours.  You can also cleanse your palate and wash your hands, according to
one of the interpretations, to eat meat after milk in the same meal, but it
is preferred that time also pass.  This is why, at the Chanukah event, since
it is traditional to eat dairy foods for the holiday, we are serving a
dairy-heavy lunch (cheese, cheesecakes, and so on), and a meat supper (since
the fighters will not accept a fish-and-dairy meal after a long day of
fighting!).  For the lunch counter we are offering meats for those who do
not choose to follow kashrut, and a non-dairy vegetarian soup and eggs for
the lactose intolerants and the vegetarians.  Menu subject to change
depending upon our space available.  We're trying to figure out how to do
donuts, since lots of fried foods are also traditional at Hanukkah.

Muslims eat similarly to Jews, but Hindus eat pork and hold cattle sacred,
which explains a lot of the ongoing problems in Pakistan and India.  And
caused the native troops to rebel against the British.  But that's OOP.

	Always let the Jewish lawyer proscribe. Then critics can argue with
HER!

I would defer to my more observant brethren and sistren, but I can provide
some reference books if you like.  There are some good Jewish people in your
Barony whom you can consult, also.  Being a lawyer in modern life gives me a
good handle on modern laws, but not necessarily the religious ones.

Some side issues, which have come up in nonpublic conversations:  Jews are
not constrained in their behaviors on most holidays (we are not talking
about the High Holy Days here).  For example, if I would normally fight or
merchant on Shabbat (Saturday), I am not forbidden to fight or merchant on
the Shabbat during Pesach, or Chanukah, or any other day (excepting HHD).
(Of course, a truly observant Jew would not only do neither, but would not
be at the event at all; one man goes to Pennsic and sits in his tent all
Shabbat.)

One very strange Christian fundamentalist type suggested that since
Leviticus speaks not only of the laws of kashrut (dietary laws) that we
should also be committing sacrifices, which are in the same chapters.  There
is a long explanation why that is silly.  But I have digressed more than far
enough.


	
- ---= Morgan


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	                      Morgan Cain * Steppes, Ansteorra


	                     May God have mercy on my enemies
	                     For they shall certainly need it.

	      For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.

                I intend to live forever -- so far, so good!

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