History of Religious and Food Essay Example

animals for consumption, restriction for consumption of blood and lastly restriction for mixing of milk and meat.

They further discussed the significances of the kosher laws. Firstly, they contend that the constraint of the laws is the origin of human freedom. This means that the basis for the Jewish ethics and holiness are inseparable from the law. The dietary laws play a major role in building their moral behavior. They believe that even when slaughtering an animal, correct method should be followed to ensure that there is no infliction on the animal. If the protocol is incorrectly followed, the food is taken to be unfit. Regenstein’s and Chaudry say that following the laws; one becomes strengthened and dedicated to the Judaism religion. One is also required first to understand and practice the kosher lifestyle to be a full member of Jewish culture.

• Sered, Susan Starr. “Food and Holiness: Cooking as a Sacred Act among Middle-Eastern Jewish Women.” Anthropological Quarterly 61 (1988): 129–39.

Jews have a different belief pertaining food cooking. They believe that cooking the traditional foods serves a very important purpose than quenching the hunger. In 1984 and 1985, Sered carried a research on the lifestyle of the illiterate Middle-Eastern Jewish women in Jerusalem. She found out that women strong believe that their major role in life is feeding others and has a religious background, especially when providing food to the needy which is referred to as mitzvah.

Sered highlights that food a symbol used to pass on the Jewish traditions from one generation to another and also divine blessings. Jewish women teach their children how to cook, and their children will pass to theirs. This practice

preserves the Jewish ethnic identity. Jewish women strongly hold that their faith is tied to the kind of food they consume

• Sherwin, Byron L. “Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah.” In Partnership with God: Contemporary Jewish Law and Ethics. N.p.: Syracuse UP, 2004. 150–68.

Sherwin looks at the perspectives given by the Jewish to distinguish between boys from girls. The Bar Mitzvah is taken to be for the boys, and the Bat mitzvah is for the girls. The four F's characterize both mitzvah-bar and bat. They range from food, family, faith and fun. Sherwin’s viewpoint is different. He believes that the observance of the mitzvahs has been abused. There is a lot of extravagances associated with preparing expensive parties hence lowering the actual meaning of the ceremonies at the first glance. The ceremonies become the grounds for the parents to show off. He further points out that a child can be a Jewish without actually having the bar or bat mitzvah. He emphasizes that one’s Jewish status is a representation defined by the religious laws. He defines on how one can become a Jewish. The main reasoning is that being Jewish does not require one to be a bar bat mitzvah. What matters is the common faith and background.

• Levine, L. (2016). Keep it Kosher. Prepared Foods, 185(2), 76-83

In this article, Levine discusses the rules for maintaining kosher, halal, as well as other religious diets that can be dizzying. He also elaborates on the issue that Seventh-day Adventist believers are not forced to be vegetarians. Levine also explains on the Jewish Kosher and Islamic halal laws encircling more than evading pork. According to the author, the Jewish law

provides numerous foundational elements for maintaining kosher. Evading non-kosher animals, like pigs, or ingredients from a particular part of an animal that is kosher. For example, the front part or the blood of beef, goat, lamb or other allowed mammal is the best-recognized rule set in the Jewish religion/culture. The author also clarifies that preparing or eating meat as well as dairy items together is prohibited and an individual ought to wait for a selected period before switching from meat to dairy and vice versa.

Conclusion

In analyzing deeply the Jewish dietary laws, the laws tend to give more room for the explanation behind their rationale throughout the religious history. If the laws were intended to control or serve as the code of conduct, concluding the basis on which they were founded would be easier. Hebrews strongly believe that kashrut is timeless and should be highly upheld by every believer as a guiding principle for every generation. The restriction on food is upheld as a reason for maintaining their faith and ethical behavior in their religion.