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Beit Midrash
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- Kashrut
Non-Kosher Ingredients
Rabbi Yosef Albo (15th century) in Sefer Ha’ikarim writes that we should ideally have been vegetarians, and so to remember this and demonstrate that this is our desire in the world to come, we are permitted to eat only some of the animals in certain conditions . The Torah lists forbidden foods, such as animals and insects. In fact , most of the animals are not Kosher. Of mammals - only those that chew the cud and have split cloves (like cattle and sheep ) are kosher. A fish is kosher if it has fins and scales and a bird is kosher if it is in the "kosher list" - a list passed down by tradition but based on Torah law.
The Kosher cattle and birds can be eaten only if they were slaughtered according to Jewish law, no problem was found in the inner parts and the meat was salted.
With all of the modern industrial processes, many foods contain ingredients which aren’t from a Kosher source , so one should eat only products that display a known kosher symbol
Mixture of meat and milk
Even if the ingredients are kosher, if there is a mixture of meat and milk, the food is not kosher. The mixture is whether the meat and milk were cooked together, eaten together and in many cases, even if the meat was cooked in a dairy pot or vice versa. Many people build two sinks in their home, making it easy to separate meat and milk.
Cooked by Gentiles
For reasons of saving the Jewish people from assimilation and exclusion from idolatry, the sages considered foods cooked by a gentile as not kosher. Bread baked by a private person (not a bakery) is prohibited, unless a Jews helped in the baking, even by adding a small piece of wood to the oven . This applies to other foods to if the dish is good enough to be served for important people. The Ashkenazim consider that also with cooked food, if a Jew helped a bit it is Kosher, while the Sephardim require that the Jew should actually put the food on the fire .
The Halacha is more severe regarding wine, which becomes not Kosher even if only touched by a non Jew. The act of drinking wine together can lead to a very close relation and there is a higher danger of marrying out. Another reason is that wine was brought to idols as part of the act of worship. This rule applies only to wine that has not been cooked or pasteurized and only when the bottle is open.
Time when the food is forbidden
Usually if food is kosher, it is kosher all of the year. There is an exceptional case - chametz on Passover. Chametz is one of the five grains (Wheat, Barley, Spelt, Oats and Rye) which came in contact with water and started rising. Chametz is Kosher all year round but is forbidden during Passover.
These are only four factors from many law of kashrut. One should not rely on the ingredient list but should buy products labeled with a known Kosher symbol or from stores that have a Kashrut certificate.
The Laws of Kashrut A Sweet Change of Pace
What beracha does one recite over chocolate-covered raisins?
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 5- "Proofs of G-d"
This may be the most important class of the entire book, where we finally get to the Jewish proof of the existence of G-d and truth of the Torah. We should follow His own direction where He tells us how to get to Him: through the Nation of Israel: Jewish history, Jewish prophets (and today, prophecies fulfilled), and national reward & punishment towards Am Yisrael.
Ein Aya One Humanity, One Creator, One Jerusalem
Rav Kook innovatively and beautifully explains this aggadeta where our sages say that after Jerusalem was destroyed her cinnamon fragrance is only found locked in a particular kingdom's treasury.
Shlach Lecha "Why So Many Don't Make Aliya?" - Parshat Shlach
This short article deals with the weird phenomena that every single time Am Yisrael is meant to enter the Land of Israel, throughout the Tanach, 2nd Temple and until today, they "chicken out" and look for excuses. What's the problem with this mitzvah that proves so challenging. The article, based on sources, suggests that the difficulties of Eretz Yisrael is precisely her secret and beauty!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 4
The class deals with Islam and how the Muslim tries convincing the King of the Khazars, and why he was also rejected.
Beha'alotcha JEWISH STATE= GUIDE TO G-DLINESS & SELFLESSNESS
A Jewish State not only is a good idea, but educates us towards selflessness, altruism and G-dliness in our daily lives.
Ein Aya In Zion Even the Smoke of the Bark is Sweet
Just as Jewish nationalism is different from others, so too our capitol of Jerusalem is totally different than other national capitols. Rav Kook beautifully explains the passage in the Talmud that the trees of Yerushalayim were cinnamon trees.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 3
The second speaker invited to convince the Khazar King is the Christian, who presents their beliefs. Even before the questions of the King, "between the lines", the author R. Yehuda HaLevi already begins disproving them.
Ein Aya "Intimacy: Love, Life & Giving or Egocentric Taking & Expiration"
Today, many confuse between intimacy in marriage, based on love, giving and life which are diametrically opposed to empty "sex", pornography and prostitution which destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. The practical importance of clarifying this topic in today's western society is obvious, especially for young adults.
