# factual question re: judaism and kosher **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 6, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818 "2012-09-06T01:22:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dr.Colossus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.colossus/32/9423_2.png) [@Dr.Colossus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Colossus)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/21 "2012-09-06T03:03:33Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > That’s a different issue. Smoking cigarettes on the Sabbath is certainly forbidden by halacha, but there are plenty of Orthodox smokers who manage to abstain for a day. as well as the straight dope post linked above about the non-kosher ingredients in cigarettes, i found [this](http://www.oukosher.org/index.php/common/article/7762). i found another article that says cigarettes are not trief, but remain un-kosher due to health reasons. i would like to reiterate what i said in my last post for clarification: is there doctrine forbidding trief to simply _be_ in a kashered home? what is the process of kashering? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/22 "2012-09-06T03:04:58Z")
> [@Dr.Colossus](#): > > [Are cigarettes vegan? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=603640) > > what i was told is the problem is bring any non-kosher items into the house. consuming them there wasn’t the issue. cross-contamination doesn’t _seem_ to be the issue, since i have been asked not to bring anything personal, in a bottle, as a beverage or anything else. > > allowing the trief over the threshold was the issue. > > that is why i wondered if there’s law or principle in play that disallows someone bringing trief beyond the mezuzah. Have you ever met someone who was first-generation, or even recently naturalized, and who ranted to Heaven and Hell about how “immigrants are destroying [insert country here]”? Both conversion and migration involve cultural shifts: some people spend their life pining for “the old country”, some try to be “more Roman than the Romans”. Your friend sounds like she’s the second kind in anything she takes her hand to. She doesn’t know the rules well and doesn’t understand their whys and wherefores, so she applies them with a heavier hand than someone who’s really familiar with them. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/23 "2012-09-06T03:13:44Z")
> [@Dr.Colossus](#): > > is there doctrine forbidding trief to simply _be_ in a kashered home? > what is the process of kashering? No. The process for kashering depends on the material being kashered. A metal sink would have to be cleaned and then have boiling water poured on it. Metal cutlery is also immersed in boiling water. A granite countertop would also have boiling water poured on it. Wooden or corian might have to be sanded down. The self-cleaning cycle on most ovens is usually hot enough to kasher them after they’ve been thoroughly cleaned. Ceramic or plastic dishes generally can’t be kashered. Etc, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/24 "2012-09-06T03:18:16Z")
I cleaned for a handful of very observant Jewish families and brought my own lunch to go in the fridge. No one ever peeped so long as I only stored the contained food in the fridge, never ate it in the house (to their knowledge). If your friends have a basement kitchen it’s got to be kashered on its own. Two of my families kept the basement kitchen strictly ‘kosher for Passover’ and simply didn’t use their upstairs kitchen during Passover (rather than kashering it for Passover’. I’ve never seen the exact same kosher rules from house to house. Same goes for placement of mezuzot - front door only, only exterior doors, all rooms w/ a door, all doorways except bathrooms or basements or closets, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/25 "2012-09-06T03:59:21Z")
> [@Dr.Colossus](#): > > is that actually a thing Jewish people do…that there’s a law regarding even allowing non-kosher items to ever enter you home? No, not really. But it does sound like the kind of thing that a religious tourist might think up, especially if he or she were looking for ways to be really conspicuous about there latest sectarian enthusiasm. See, e.g., Walter Sobchak. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/26 "2012-09-06T14:37:32Z")
dontbesojumpy: > [@](#): > > is that actually a thing Jewish people do…that there’s a law regarding even allowing non-kosher items to ever enter you home? > > if so, what is the logic? > if so, what about the families that lived in the home before (it’s a mid-70s era home, so many people lived there before). It’s not Jewish law to not let non-kosher food in the house, but non-kosher food on ones table, dishes and the remnants of it in the sink or dishwasher - mainly if it’s hot (unlikely for diet soda, of course) - can render the item in question unfit for use for kashrut-observers. Certainly the easiest way to prevent that possibility is to stop it at the door rather than control the spread of it once it’s inside. Regarding the families that lives there before, assuming she didn’t buy it from other kashrut-observant Jews, the appliances would need to be rendered kosher (“kashered” in the common parlance). This involves (amongst other things) pouring boiling water over metal that isn’t directly exposed to fire (e.g., a stainless steel sink) and running a blowtorch over an oven (using the self-clean cycle in a self-cleaning oven is also acceptable). Ceramic (e.g., porcelain or enamel-covered sink basins) cannot be made kosher, and ditto for surfaces that are plastic or rubber (such as the interior of dishwashers, and the racks in them). > [@](#): > > bear in mind she also nearly disfriended me for purchasing some medical specimen human skulls on behalf of a friend (they were never for me to own). she claimed those people’s soul would never reach heaven because their body was separated. i’ve never heard any religions say that–esp not of the Abrahamic variety. Not true that it would prevent the souls from reaching heaven, but it is certainly considered disrespectful of the sanctity of the human body. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/27 "2012-09-06T14:43:02Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I can’t answer for how common the belief is, but yes, it exists. We were taught in nursing school that for some cultures (Orthodox Jews\*\* _and Muslims were_ mentioned specifically\*\*, but it was suggested we ask everyone), _any body parts, including bandages with large amounts of blood on them, should be packaged for return to the patient’s family so they could be buried with the patient._ Off topic but…??? ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/28 "2012-09-06T15:05:03Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Off topic but…??? Yes. Some Orthodox Jews believe that the requirement to bury all body parts together extends to blood and tissues that might otherwise be lost. Michael Baden, who was the New York City medical examiner for quite a while, wrote about a special autopsy protocol for Orthodox Jews that basically came down to placing the decedent on a sheet that had been laid out on the table to catch any extra blood or whatever, and to put that sheet, gloves, and any other material that had blood on it into the body cavity for subsequent burial. Furthermore, some Orthodox Jews consider autopsy to be mutilation, so Dr. Baden had to be very diplomatic about approaching families. Autopsies aside, I assume there is a protocol in place to handle body parts that are removed from a living patient. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/29 "2012-09-06T15:25:02Z")
So what happens if some poor guy gets his arm sliced off in an accident? And lives another 50 years. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/30 "2012-09-06T16:00:41Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > So what happens if some poor guy gets his arm sliced off in an accident? And lives another 50 years. The severed limb needs to be buried respectfully and according to tradition. It doesn’t need to be buried with the rest of the body 50 years later. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/31 "2012-09-06T16:09:43Z")
> [@ZPG\_Zealot](#): > > For some highly religious Jews it’s not a matter of cigarettes being kosher or not, but that smoking them on the sabbat meets their definition of a forbidden work activity. It’s not “work” activity per se. It’s creative activity. You’re creating fire when you light a cigarette. Not sure if you can light one off an already existing fire though. In any case, quite a few rabbis have stated their opinions that cigarette smoking is anti-Halakhic due to the Halakha’s prohibition on self-harm. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/32 "2012-09-06T16:18:41Z")
Re Treif Foods When my friends come over, we often order Chinese food. I generally ask that they use plastic utensils (generally provided by the restaurant) and paper plates (which I provide) so I don’t have to worry about kashering dishes. OTTOMH I can’t think of a treif soda- and definitely know of none that’s widely available in the US. I would be worried about the gum and candy in your pocket. Some gums and some candies are made with confectioners’ glaze. As confectioners’ glaze is a secretion of the lac beetle, it’s not kosher. Re Amputation A moment’s thought should make it clear that amputated body parts don’t need to be buried with the rest of the person. If that were true, every Jewish man would have to have his foreskin stored somewhere so it could be buried with him. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/33 "2012-09-06T16:42:36Z")
> [@Dr.Colossus](#): > > the husband ran an errand and brought me back a diet soda. the wife grabbed it and checked the label for a Kosher emblem, then told me since she was converting the rest of the way, they would not be allowing Treif (non-kosher) products into the new home. > > is that actually a thing Jewish people do…that there’s a law regarding even allowing non-kosher items to ever enter you home? Some do. Some don’t. We don’t insist that every food item that comes into our house be certified kosher, though we do read ingredient lists to make sure there’s no non-kosher meat in anything, and no dairy in anything we would use with meat. > [@](#): > > if so, what about the families that lived in the home before (it’s a mid-70s era home, so many people lived there before). There is a process for making your appliances, counters, etc kosher if they have been used with non-kosher foods before. We go through this process every year when we clean our kitchen for Passover. It’s a pain in the butt to do. Different Jews are going to have different opinions on exactly what is required for it, and the details may vary depending on the materials used in the kitchen. Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi are kosher. They make kosher-for-Passover versions of both. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/34 "2012-09-06T16:55:47Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I was never clear if this was required for non-fatal loss of body parts. I mean, if you have a foot amputated but you’re then discharged to home alive, do you want your foot in a paper bag? What the hell are you going to do with it for the next 40 years? Apologize for the smell and have awesome Hallowe’en costumes. ---
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/35 "2012-09-06T17:15:18Z")
We are observant Jews and our home is kosher. I seem to remember some time ago that I bought some food item without looking at the label to see if it was kosher; turns out it wasn’t It wasn’t that big a deal; I brought it back to the store the next day. That being said, we do have a dog and we do use canned dog food. We don’t use the entire can at once, so we keep it in the fridge, properly sealed. I don’t know if there even is kosher canned dog food. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/36 "2012-09-06T17:27:10Z")
Ask and [ye shall receive](http://www.evangersdogfood.com/?p=kosher). ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/37 "2012-09-06T17:52:36Z")
If I recall my letter to Doctor Laura trivia, should she also be checking out any less-than-middle-age females coming into the house before allowing the menfolk near them certain times of the month? Is she young enough that you should be asking her when she is unclean? Or is that one of those Old Testament laws that has been ignored during the cherry-picking (sorry?) of what to obey? ---
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/38 "2012-09-06T17:55:42Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > If I recall my letter to Doctor Laura trivia, should she also be checking out any less-than-middle-age females coming into the house before allowing the menfolk near them certain times of the month? Is she young enough that you should be asking her when she is unclean? > > Or is that one of those Old Testament laws that has been ignored during the cherry-picking (sorry?) of what to obey? That has to do only with married women and their husbands. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/39 "2012-09-06T18:07:03Z")
**md2000** That letter was debunked in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=26247) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818/40 "2012-09-06T18:29:29Z")
Well, not really. It explains which bits of Leviticus should be followed and which shouldn’t, but it doesn’t explain _why_, which is all anyone really cares about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-question-re-judaism-and-kosher/633818.md?page=3)