“…Thus shalt thou say unto the children of
the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for
ever,
Exodus 3:15
THE
LAWKEEPERS’ MONTHLY JOURNAL
<><><><> FEBRUARY /
MARCH ’08 <><><><>
OUR GOD BLESS US
AND REMEMBER HIS
COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB!
“I
am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the
I
am the LORD your God.”
Numbers
15:41
“Can a woman forget her sucking child,
that she should not have compassion on
the son of her womb?
yea, they may forget, yet will I not
forget thee.
Behold, I have graven thee upon the
palms of my hands;
“…thy walls are continually
before me. Thy children shall make haste;
thy destroyers and they that made thee
waste shall go forth of thee.”
Isaiah 49:15 - 17
“Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to
the Gentiles,
and set up my standard to the people:
and they shall bring thy sons in their arms,
and thy daughters shall be carried
upon their shoulders.”
Isaiah 49:22
<><><><><>
<>ALL MONTHLY EDITIONS ARE A TRIBUTE<>
TO
<>THE GOD OF
<>TAKING BACK HIS
UNIVERSE<>
AND
<>MANIFESTING THE SECOND GREAT
EXODUS<>
OF
<>THE SEED OF THE CHILDREN OF
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith
the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the
children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The LORD liveth, which brought up
and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from
all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
Jeremiah 23:7,8
FOR
<><><><>HIS
HOLY NAME’S SAKE<><><><>
<>
And God said moreover
unto Moses, <>
Thus
shalt thou say unto the children of
the LORD
God of your fathers,
<>the God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,<>
hath sent
me unto you:
<>this is my name for
ever,<>
<>and this is my memorial unto
all generations. <>
Exodus 3:15
Therefore
say unto the house of
I do not
this for your sakes, O house of
And I
will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen,
which ye
have profaned in the midst of them;
and the
heathen shall know
that I am
the LORD, saith the Lord GOD,
when I
shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
Ezekiel 36:22,23
<><><>
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set
his hand again
the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which
shall be left,
from Assyria, and from
and from
the islands of the sea.
And he shall set up an ensign for the nations,
and shall assemble the outcasts of
the dispersed of
Isaiah 11:11,12
“Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall
no more be said,
The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of
But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of
and from all the lands whither he had driven them:
and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto
their fathers.”
Jeremiah 16:14,15
<><><><><>
ESTABLISHED FOR
THE
RECOGNITION, EXALTATION, AND PRAISE OF
THE
MOST HIGH GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB
AND
HIS EVERLASTING BOOK OF THE LAW
<><><><><>
“Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
and thy law is the truth. Thou art near, O LORD;
and all thy commandments are truth Concerning thy testimonies,
I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever.
Thy word is true from the beginning:
and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for
ever.”
Psalm 119:142,151,152,160
“Ye
shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger,
as
for one of your own country:
for
I am the LORD your God.”
Leviticus 24:22
“For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto
them,
as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?
And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and
judgments
so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this
day?”
Deuteronomy 4:7,8
“Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man,
and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the
LORD.”
Jeremiah 17:5
<><><>
“The LORD is well
pleased for his righteousness’ sake;
he will magnify the
law, and make it honourable.”
Isaiah 42:21
“Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the
judgments,
which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might
do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God,
to keep all his statutes and his commandments,
which I command thee, thou, and thy sons and thy son’s son,
all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be
prolonged.
Hear therefore,
and that ye may increase mightily,
as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee,
in the land that floweth with milk and honey.”
Deuteronomy 6:1 - 3
<><><>
“O earth, Earth, Earth,
HEAR the WORD of the
LORD.”
Jeremiah 22:29
COME<>OFTEN<>TO<>LEARN<>ABOUT
THE<>TRUE<>AND<>LIVING<>GOD!
<><><>
EXALTATION OF THE MOST HIGH GOD OF
“O give thanks to the
Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
“To him that smote
And brought out
With a strong hand, and
with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.
To him which divided
the
for his mercy endureth
for ever:
And made
Psalm 136:3,10 -
14
*****
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE LAWKEEPERS,
CO.:
ALL PRAISES BE TO THE MOST
HIGH YIHOVAH,
ELOHIM OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND
JACOB
PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME
FOR HE IS WORTHY TO BE
PRAISED!!!
Hear, O
(Deuteronomy
6:4)
WHAT IS
THE LEVITICAL DIETARY LAW vs. WHAT IS “KOSHER”JEWISH DIETARY
LAW?
The Dietary Laws set forth in the book of
Leviticus are very clear on the flesh of the field, fish on the sea, fowls of
the air and creeping things on the earth that can be consumed as food. The 11th chapter of the book
of Leviticus states what “Thus saith the LORD” unto the children of Yisrael
regarding what is “clean” and “unclean”:
“Speak unto the children of
In contrast, the “Jews” follow their own
dietary laws. A website called
“Judiasm 101” describes the “kosher” laws as follows:
Kashrut is the body of Jewish law dealing
with what foods we can and cannot eat and how those foods must be prepared and
eaten. "Kashrut" comes from the Hebrew root Kaf-Shin-Reish, meaning fit,
proper or correct. It is the same root as the more commonly known word "kosher,"
which describes food that meets these standards. The word "kosher" can also be
used, and often is used, to describe ritual objects that are made in accordance
with Jewish law and are fit for ritual use.
Contrary to popular misconception, rabbis
or other religious officials do not "bless" food to make it kosher. There are
blessings that observant Jews recite over food before eating it, but these
blessings have nothing to do with making the food kosher. Food can be kosher
without a rabbi or priest ever becoming involved with it: the vegetables from
your garden are undoubtedly kosher (as long as they don't have any bugs, which
are not kosher!). However, in our modern world of processed foods, it is
difficult to know what ingredients are in your food and how they were processed,
so it is helpful to have a rabbi examine the food and its processing and assure
kosher consumers that the food is kosher. This certification process is
discussed below.
There is no such thing as "kosher-style"
food. Kosher is not a style of cooking. Chinese food can be kosher if it is
prepared in accordance with Jewish law, and there are many fine kosher Chinese
restaurants in
Food that is not kosher is commonly
referred to as treif (lit. torn, from the commandment not to eat animals that
have been torn by other animals).
Why Do We
Observe the Laws of Kashrut?
Many modern Jews think that the laws of
kashrut are simply primitive health regulations that have become obsolete with
modern methods of food preparation. There is no question that some of the
dietary laws have some beneficial health effects. For example, the laws
regarding kosher slaughter are so sanitary that kosher butchers and
slaughterhouses have been exempted from many USDA regulations.
However, health is not the only reason for
Jewish dietary laws. Many of the laws of kashrut have no known connection with
health. To the best of our modern scientific knowledge, there is no reason why
camel or rabbit meat (both treif) is any less healthy than cow or goat meat. In
addition, some of the health benefits to be derived from kashrut were not made
obsolete by the refrigerator. For example, there is some evidence that eating
meat and dairy together interferes with digestion, and no modern food
preparation technique reproduces the health benefit of the kosher law of eating
them separately.
In recent years, several secular sources
that have seriously looked into this matter have acknowledged that health does
not explain these prohibitions. Some have suggested that the prohibitions are
instead derived from environmental considerations. For example, a camel (which
is not kosher) is more useful as a beast of burden than as a source of food. In
the Middle Eastern climate, the pig consumes a quantity of food that is
disproportional to its value as a food source. But again, these are not reasons
that come from Jewish tradition.
The short answer to why Jews observe these
laws is: because the Torah
says so. The Torah does not specify any reason for these laws, and for a
Torah-observant, traditional Jew, there is no need for any other reason. Some
have suggested that the laws of kashrut fall into the category of "chukkim,"
laws for which there is no reason. We show our obedience to G-d by following these laws even
though we do not know the reason. Others, however, have tried to ascertain G-d's
reason for imposing these laws.
In his book "To Be a Jew" (an excellent
resource on traditional Judaism), Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin suggests that the
dietary laws are designed as a call to holiness. The ability to distinguish
between right and wrong, good and evil, pure and defiled, the sacred and the
profane, is very important in Judaism. Imposing rules on what you can and cannot
eat ingrains that kind of self control, requiring us to learn to control even
our most basic, primal instincts.
Donin also points out that the laws of
kashrut elevate the simple act of eating into a religious ritual. The Jewish
dinner table is often compared to the Temple altar in rabbinic literature. A Jew who
observes the laws of kashrut cannot eat a meal without being reminded of the
fact that he is a Jew.
How
Difficult is it to Keep Kosher?
People who do not keep kosher often tell me
how difficult it is. Actually, keeping kosher is not particularly difficult in
and of itself; what makes it difficult to keep kosher is the fact that the rest
of the world does not do so.
As we shall see below, the basic underlying
rules are fairly simple. If you buy your meat at a kosher butcher and buy only
kosher certified products at the market, the only thing you need to think about
is the separation of meat and dairy.
Keeping kosher only becomes difficult when
you try to eat in a non-kosher restaurant, or at the home of a person who does
not keep kosher. In those situations, your lack of knowledge about your host's
ingredients and food preparation techniques make it very difficult to keep
kosher. Some commentators have pointed out, however, that this may well have
been part of what G-d had in mind: to make it more difficult for us to socialize
with those who do not share our religion.
General Rules
Although the details of kashrut are
extensive, the laws all derive from a few fairly simple, straightforward rules:
- Certain animals may not be eaten at all.
This restriction includes the flesh, organs, eggs and milk of the forbidden
animals.
- Of the animals that may be eaten, the
birds and mammals must be killed in accordance with Jewish law.
- All blood must be drained from the meat
or broiled out of it before it is eaten.
- Certain parts of permitted animals may
not be eaten.
- Fruits and vegetables are permitted, but
must be inspected for bugs
- Meat (the flesh of birds and mammals)
cannot be eaten with dairy. Fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables and grains can be
eaten with either meat or dairy. (According to some views, fish may not be
eaten with meat).
- Utensils that have come into contact with
meat may not be used with dairy, and vice versa. Utensils that have come into
contact with non-kosher food may not be used with kosher food. This applies
only where the contact occurred while the food was hot.
- Grape products made by non-Jews may not
be eaten.
- There are a few other rules that are not
universal.
The Details
Animals
that may not be eaten
Of the "beasts of the earth" (which
basically refers to land mammals with the exception of swarming rodents), you
may eat any animal that has cloven hooves and chews its cud. Lev. 11:3; Deut.
14:6. Any land mammal that does not have both of these qualities is forbidden.
The Torah specifies that the
camel, the rock badger, the hare and the pig are not kosher because each lacks
one of these two qualifications. Sheep, cattle, goats, deer and bison are
kosher.
Of the things that are in the waters, you
may eat anything that has fins and scales. Lev. 11:9; Deut. 14:9. Thus,
shellfish such as lobsters, oysters, shrimp, clams and crabs are all forbidden.
Fish like tuna, carp, salmon and herring are all permitted.
For birds, the criteria is less clear. The
Torah provides a list of
forbidden birds (Lev. 11:13-19; Deut. 14:11-18), but does not specify why these
particular birds are forbidden. All of the birds on the list are birds of prey
or scavengers, thus the rabbis inferred that this was
the basis for the distinction. Other birds are permitted, such as chicken,
geese, ducks and turkeys. However, some people avoid turkey, because it is not
mentioned in the Torah, leaving room for doubt.
Of the "winged swarming things" (winged
insects), a few are specifically permitted (Lev. 11:22), but the Sages are no
longer certain which ones they are, so all have been forbidden. There are
communities that have a tradition about what species are permitted, and in those
communities some insects are eaten.
Rodents, reptiles, amphibians, and insects
(except as mentioned above) are all forbidden. Lev. 11:29-30, 42-43.
Some authorities require a post-mortem
examination of the lungs of cattle, to determine whether the lungs are free from
adhesions. If the lungs are free from such adhesions, the animal is deemed
"glatt" (that is, "smooth"). In certain circumstances, an animal can be kosher
without being glatt; however, the stringency of keeping "glatt kosher" has
become increasingly common in recent years, and you would be hard-pressed to
find any kosher meat that is not labeled as "glatt kosher."
As mentioned above, any product derived
from these forbidden animals, such as their milk, eggs, fat, or organs, also
cannot be eaten. Rennet, an enzyme used to harden cheese, is often obtained from
non-kosher animals, thus kosher hard cheese can be difficult to find.
Kosher slaughtering
The mammals and birds that may be eaten must be slaughtered in accordance with Jewish law. (Deut. 12:21). We may not eat animals that