Monday 7 December 2009

A Kosher Goose: A kosher Home

Boka Tov;
To answer Betty's question (what makes a goose kosher) is really what makes any meat or fowl kosher.
For an animal to be kosher, it must have split hooves and it must chew its cud. (Examples: cow, goat, lamb.) Non-kosher animals include pig, camel, and rabbit. Fowl such as chicken, turkey, certain duck, and certain goose are kosher. Animals and fowl must be slaughtered by a specialist (a shochet) and then soaked and salted to remove the blood. All carnivorous (meat-eating) animals and fowl, and the blood of all animals and fowl, and any derivatives or products thereof, are not kosher.
A shochet. A shochet or butcher plays the same role as the priest of old. He examines the meat for disease and then in a merciful matter, slaugthers the animal. It is then socked in salt water to remove the blood. I grew up knowing what to look for in meat (thanks to one of my uncles) and soaking it in blood.
So what makes any fowl kosher is what it has been raised on, the condition of the farm and the matter it is slaughter. And rabbi overseas these operations to make sure that everything is on the up and up.
The word kosher means 'fit and proper.' All food is kosher.
But the issue really is; what do you call food?
The book of Leviticus lays it out what G-d considers food.
Many believe that at the time of Yeshua's death, this was done away with.
But Yeshua Himself said, He came, not to destroy the Law, to do away with it, but to fulfill it. And since Yeshua is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever, for many of us, this means we keep kosher (clean) homes.
But what is a kosher home?
It is more than what we eat. It is what we wear, what we watch on the news, listen on the radio, read and speak about. It is the way we speak to those we live with and how we treat them. It is the love, honour and respect spouses show to one another, parnets to children and children to parnets. When a child fails, he knows that his mum and dad, while not pleased is willing to love him through the correction. It is when a spouse knows dispite her failings, her husband loves her.
It is a place when people enter the home, they feel not only the love of G-d and those who dwell there, but they feel peace, they feel welcome and don't hurry to leave.
It is more than meat dishes and dairy dishes, the scent Challah filling the air on Shabbath, the kindling of the lights and saying the blessing at meals.
It is the love that goes with it.
I wish you Shalom in your home.

1 comment:

betty said...

thanks Laini for the explanation; I understand kosher but didn't realize how it pertained to animals like the goose, but now it makes sense as you described. so did you find one yet (a kosher goose?)

betty