#kashruth

[qaraxuanzenith]

Kashrut Flowcharts

I got a bunch of questions about kashrut (the laws of what is kosher) and I got carried away and made a series of flowcharts - detailing kosher animals/meat, kosher eggs, kosher dairy, kosher plants, kosher bread, and kosher cooking (plus one bonus flowchart). I did not make a flowchart for the Kosher for Pesach rules because that is way more complicated.

[achillesmonochrome]

How

[qaraxuanzenith]

Factually Deficient: Replicator Kashruth

This week on Factually Deficient, my blog for spreading misinformation in response to actual questions, I discuss whether food produced in a replicator would be kosher.

Please feel free to read, enjoy, send me more questions to answer with lies, and/or recreate this article with the power of spontaneous generation.

https://factuallydeficient.wordpress.com/2016/07/25/replicator-kashruth/

[foxesandgh0sts-blog]

Is it ever accepted that chicken/poultry is not in the 'meat' aspect of kashrut? It's not mammal and other non-mammals like fish are pareve. I'm kind of dissatisfied with the answers I saw while googling.

[newhampshirer]

The Shochet's Kavanah

On 15 Shevat I learned an amazing concept while studying Likutei Moharan. Rabbi Nachman states that “the Shochet (slaughterer) must concentrate properly on elevating the soul - which is in the blood [of the animal]…(I will summarize here to avoid introducing too many Chassidus concepts at one) doing so denominates the knife a ma’akhelet (that which feeds)…

The reverse is what reminded me of learnings concerning toxicity in meat owing to the release of toxins caused by the stress endured by the animal… If a Shochet is not worth, has invalid thoughts…. No Kavanah, he resembles a murderer of souls. He causes the animal to suffer. This knife is called the “sword of wilderness” since it does not elevate the reincarnated would with the animal.

It lead me to remember an article I saw in the Jewish Press… Where a Writer stated that kashrut was a big business… And thaen went on to cite Rav Moshe Feinstein, z”l, and how he held by non-glatt. What disturbed me was that this individual tried summarizing a huge body of Halacha by simply stating that on Rav ( a Gaon of our times, no doubt) did not hold by Cholov Yisrael or Glatt Kosher.

With all respect Rav Feinstein deserves, I understand thru Rav Nachman’s words that the iker is not the Glatt or not, it is whether there was Kavanah at the time of the slaughter. The meat can be Glatt, but if the Shochet had machshavos zeros he has ruined that meat in ways that are nefarious.

So it brings me to a thought. “Is it best to avoid red meat altogether if we do not know who the butcher is?”. Better to be vegan during the week, or abstain from red meat altogether?

Based on this and some learnings i picked up from Rabbi Lazer Brody on proper eating, I chose to be a weekday vegan and have chicken for Shabbat.