ABSTRACT
The Bible (Old Testament, Tanach) contains a long series of prohibitions concerning food. Prohibited are certain foods from any animal that does not have both cloven hooves and chew its cud (pigs) (Lev. 11:3; Deut. 14:6) or fish/seafood that does not have fins and scales (sturgeon or shrimp) (Lev. 11:9; Deut. 14:9) as well as rules concerning the combinations of foods that may be eaten. Added to these rules are specific laws concerning slaughter and the preparation of meat (Deut. 12:21). In total, these laws are called “kashrut,” and food that is acceptable under these laws is called “kosher,” meaning “fit” or “proper.” Whatever the initial intent of such laws, and there is a long historical debate about them, they were seen as part of rituals parallel to the sacrifices of animals and food stuffs at the Temple.
