Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide

Kashrut – Dietary Laws
The dietary laws are a large part of everyday Jewish life. A full chapter in the Torah –
Leviticus 11 – and part of one in Deuteronomy – 14 – is devoted to them. Not
surprisingly, the dietary laws are the subject of great discussion and debate throughout
the Talmud and all of the codes of law written in the post-Talmudic period. Scholars and
observant Jews have developed many ways of understanding the laws, most sublimely
that kashrut raises the biological act of eating to a holy and spiritual dimension. In The
Blessing of the Skinned Knee, Wendy Mogel devotes an excellent chapter to an
exploration of the ways in which the laws of kashrut can elevate our spiritual selves and
teach children the important values of appreciating food, self-discipline and holiness.
Whatever God’s intention in creating the laws of kashrut, they are among the main tenets
of Conservative Judaism.
We can teach our children that Kashrut reminds us that this is God’s world. It was given
to us as a gift, but with some limits, so we would always remember who gave us this gift.
Kashrut makes the act of eating special, holy, and Jewish.
Educators in Conservative synagogues must be familiar with these basic rules:
1) Meat and milk cannot be mixed.
2) You must use different dishes, pots and pans, and utensils for meat and for milk.
Synagogues approach this in many ways; many have separate kitchens for meat
and for milk to avoid mistakes. You should discuss your synagogue’s policies and
their practical implications with the rabbi and teach them to your staff.
3) Kosher animals have split hooves and chew their cud. Kosher fish have fins and
scales. This means no pork or shellfish.
4) Meat must be kosher, which means it mush have been slaughtered according to
the laws of kashrut; an acceptable hechsher (certification of kashrut) will show
that the shechitah (slaughter) has been kosher.
5) All prepared foods must have hechsher that the rabbi finds acceptable.
6) Fresh fruits and vegetables are inherently kosher. They do not need a hechsher.
7) Parve (pronounce par-ev) foods may be eaten with either milk or meat. Examples
of parve food include fruits, vegetables, eggs, and fish.
Kashrut in the early childhood center
The rabbis of the Talmud spoke of putting fences around the Torah, meaning that
sometimes we must take extra precautions to insure that the basic mitzvot are followed.
There must be some fences around eating in a school, where teachers, children, and
others eat every day, if an acceptable community kashrut standard is to be maintained.
Children
Children should not be allowed to bring food into the school if it could cause meat and
milk to be mixed. Often Conservative schools handle this situation by allowing the
children to bring only dairy or parve food for lunch. This also sidesteps the issue of
Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide
USCJ Department of Education
Maxine Handelman
Handelman@uscj.org
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