Kosher Menu

Kosher Menu

Breakfast

Drink: Orange juice

Food: yoghurt with fruit and toast with butter

Lunch

Drink: Water

Food: Chicken (killed by Shechitah) and lettuce sandwhich

Dinner
Drink: Water
Food: Beef Brisket (cow killed by Shechitah, meat from front of cow)
Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil  
• 1 (4 pound) beef brisket
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 onions, thickly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil in a large deep skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Season the brisket generously with black pepper. Place in the pan and cook until the surface is a rich brown color, not burnt, but dark. Lift the roast and scatter the onions in the pan. Place the uncooked side of the roast down onto the onions. Repeat the browning process.
2. Add the garlic to the pan, and fill with enough water to almost cover the roast. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid or tight-fitting aluminum foil. Simmer for 4 hours, turning the roast over once halfway through. The roast should be fork tender.
3. Remove the brisket to a serving platter. Bring the broth in the pan to a simmer, scraping the bottom to loosen any browned bits. Cook until reduced to a thin gravy. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Kosher

Kosher: Food that is allowed

Treyfah: Food which is NOT allowed

•          All plants are kosher but not all animals are
•  Animals must be killed in a special manner and have all blood removed before the meat can be eaten.
• In Leviticus it says “These are the animals which you are permitted to eat... anything which has a completely split hoof and chews the cud, this you may eat...”

How are the animals killed?

-          Jews may only eat animals and birds that have been killed by Shechitah.

-          Shechita is killing the animals by slitting the throat with a very sharp knife

-          This has been shown to be painless to the animals, as causing pain to living things is against Jewish law.

-          The theory is that the sharp knife cuts the carotid so that the animal loses consciousness before they are able to feel pain.

Which animals are Kosher?

Kosher	Non-Kosher
Chicken	Pig
Sheep	Rabbit
Cow	Camel
Fish with fins	Eel
Goat	Most birds

-          All vegetables and fruit and dairy products are kosher

A Kosher Kitchen

“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk”

-          Jews who keep kosher kitchens do not eat meat and dairy foods together.

-          Separate sets of crockery, cutlery, and cooking utensils are used. After eating meat strict Jews will wait several hours before eating dairy products.

-          Foods which contain neither meat nor milk, fruit and vegetables, may be eaten with either meat or vegetables.

 

The Synagogue

Origins of the Name:

The synagogue is the Jewish equivalent of a church. There are several different terms to describe it: “shul” which emphasises study or “temple” (used by Reform Jews)

Functions of the Synagogue:

·         A house of prayer, worship and religious services

·         A place of study and education

·         Location for religious rituals

·         May be a “town hall”

·         Synagogues achieve funds through donations and annual membership fees (not necessary for worship in the synagogue)

·         Social Welfare agency

• Library of sacred Jewish texts

Organization Structure:

·         Are run by a board of directors

·         Manage and maintain the synagogue

·         They hire a rabbi

·         Services can be conducted without a rabbi, a lay person will take their place.

·         Rabbi provides leadership, guidance and education

·         Do not have a collection plate during service but instead collect money at weekday services which go to charity

·         Membership fees are paid annually to help the synagogue

·         Do not have to be a member to worship at the synagogue

·         Individual synagogues do not answer to any central authority

Ritual items in the Synagogue

·         Prayer services are performed in the ‘sanctuary’

·         Most important feature is the Ark, a cabinet in the wall that holds Torah scrolls

·         Also called the Aron Kodesh (holy cabinet)

·         Is placed to the front of the room, on the side in which Jerusalem is

·         Has doors and a curtain

·         Opening the door and curtain is done by a member of the congregation and is an honour

·         All people stand when it is open

·         In front of the Ark, is the Eternal Lamp, symbolizes the commandment to keep a light burning

·         Menorah (candelabrum) is also in the room

·         In the centre of the room is a pedestal called the bimah, torah scrolls are put in here so they can be read

·         Also used as a podium for services

·         Additional lectern called an amud

Jewish Variants

What is a Varient?

Two or more people or things that have slight differences in opinions. The three major variants or streams in Judaism are Conservative, Orthodox and Reform (Liberal or Progressive)

Orthodox	Conservative	Progressive
·         Men and women sit separately in Synagogue ·         Strict ·         Most traditional ·         Speak Hebrew ·         No marriage outside of religion	·         Men and women sit together ·         Moderate ·         Laws can be changed	·         Regard the Torah as evolving and adapting ·         Allowed to marry people in other religions ·         Relatively new 19th century

-          Relaxed practise and fits in society: Progressive

-          Individual praying and occasional conversation in service: Progressive

-          Traditional beliefs but addressing contemporary needs: Conservative

-          Men and women sit separately in the synagogue: Orthodox

-          Men and women sit together and participate fully in service, prayers and rituals: Conservative and Progressive

-          Women do not practise in all rituals: Orthodox

-          English used for part of service: Progressive

-          Strict dress and dietary law: Orthodox

-          They always worship in Hebrew: Orthodox

-          Women can lead services and become Rabbis: Progressive

Jewish Festivals

Rosh Hashanah:

-          Jewish New Year, the first high holidays which is the Day of Awe celebrated 10 days before Yom Kippur

-          Falls once a year during the month of Tishrei (September)

-          They observe the sounding of the shofar, which is the rams horn trumpet, the shofar is  not blown if the holiday falls on Shabbat

-          Lasts 1-2 days

-          One of the main reasons the apple is used is because of its sweetness. Coupled with the added sweetness if the honey, it is symbolic of the ultra-sweet year they hope God will grant them.

Sukkot:

-          The Festival of Sukkot begins on Tishri 15, the fifth day after Yom Kippur. It is quite a drastic transition, from one of the most solemn holidays in our year to one of the most joyous.

-          This festival is sometimes referred to as Zeman Simkhateinu, the Season of our Rejoicing. Sukkot lasts for seven days.

-          Sukkot has a dual significance: historical and agricultural. The holiday commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Sukkot is also a harvest festival

Yom Kippur:

-          Yom Kippur means ‘Day of atonement’. It is a day of trying to make up for your sins

-          It is the most Holy day in the Jewish Calender

-          Anyone who is over the age of bar/bat mitzvah is expected to fast all day

Hanukkah:

-          Hanukkah is a celebration of Jewish people gaining freedom. It is the most well known Jewish festival, but not the most significant as it is not written in the Torah.

-          It is celebrated for eight days and nights.

-          It begins on the 25^th of the  Jewish month of Kislev (late November/December)

-          In Hebrew the word “Hanukkah” means “dedication.”

-          Some of the Hanukkah traditions include: lighting the hanukkiyah, spinning the dreidel and eating fried foods.

-          Jews celebrate Hanukkah in replace of Christmas because they do not believe the Jesus is the Messiah.

-          Hanukkah means “Festival of Lights.”

Passover:

-          Passover begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance. Agriculturally, it represents the beginning of the harvest season in Israel, but little attention is paid to this aspect of the holiday.

-          The primary significance of Passover is to commemorate the story of Exodus, in which ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt.

Tu B’Shevat:

-          Tu B'Shevat is a minor Jewish holiday known for the New Year for trees. Tu B’Shevat It occurs on the 15^th day of the Hebrew month.

-             This holiday lasts from sunset of the first day through up until sunset of the next day.

Shavout:

-          Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks.

-          It is also known as Hag Matan Torateinu (the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah).

-          Shavuot is not tied to a particular calendar date, but to a counting of 7 weeks from Passover.

-          Work is not allowed on Shavuot.

-          They stay up the entire first night of Shavuot and study Torah, and then pray as early as possible in the morning.

Shabbat:

-          Shabbat is the day of rest

-          “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that He had done.”

-          Exodus tells Jews to “keep the Sabbath day holy

-          Shabbat begins on sundown Friday and ends on sundown the next day

-          Religious services are held on Friday night and Saturday morning. The family usually attends these

-          At night, they study the torah or talk before going to bed

Omer Period:

-          Omer means a measure of grain that was once offered at the temple of Jerusalem

-          They give this to God as a way of saying thanks for the good harvest

-          The period of Omer is between Passover and the festival of Shavuot

-          It lasts for seven weeks

-          It is a period of mourning because during this period many years ago a rabbi and many of his students died of the plague