# Is Biodiesel Kosher and/or Halal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 29, 2023, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831 "2023-11-29T01:38:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EnolaStraight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/1 "2023-11-29T01:38:57Z")
Biodiesel is a renewable resource made from trans-esterizing/de-glycerizing plant-derived shortening and animal-derived fat. This includes pork grease. Given that observant Jews and Muslims eschew the eating of pig flesh, does this proscription of consumption extend to the internal combustion of fuel? ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/2 "2023-11-29T01:47:00Z")
Petroleum is made of old dinosaurs, Jews use gasoline. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/3 "2023-11-29T01:56:14Z")
I think you have to look elsewhere in Leviticus for the relevant laws: > **[Burnt offering (Judaism)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnt_offering_(Judaism))** > > A burnt offering in Judaism (Hebrew: קָרְבַּן עוֹלָה, qorban ʿōlā) is a form of sacrifice first described in the Hebrew Bible. As a tribute to God, a burnt offering was entirely burnt on the altar. This is in contrast to other forms of sacrifice (entitled zevach or zevach shelamim), which was partly burnt and most of it eaten in communion at a sacrificial meal. > During the First Temple and Second Temple periods, offerings took place forty-five times daily offered on the altar as a burnt animal > i... ---
**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:** [November 29, 2023, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/4 "2023-11-29T03:16:27Z")
Jews can wear clothes made from non-kosher animals, so burning them in a car engine should be fine. Granted, not all rabbis agree with this and there is considerable controversy about Jews raising pigs, for example. But in general, the prohibition is against eating non-kosher animals and nothing else. The prohibition against touching pig carcasses is generally interpreted to mean only during specific holidays. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/5 "2023-11-29T06:47:02Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > Petroleum is made of old dinosaurs. . . I suspect you’re joking, but just in case you’re not: Petroleum is made of old seaweed, algae, and bacteria, not dinosaurs. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/6 "2023-11-29T07:05:09Z")
Are you able to certify no dinosaurs went into the mix? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/7 "2023-11-29T08:55:05Z")
> [@EnolaStraight](#): > > Given that observant Jews and Muslims eschew the eating of pig flesh, does this proscription of consumption extend to the internal combustion of fuel? With Jews the pig problem is largely that of eating them. While you can always find an outlier if you look for one, using non-food products derived from pigs is not usually prohibited. Although having one as a pet would be quite unusual. Muslims are more pig-averse than Jews, their religious laws prohibiting not only eating but using things made from pigs, touching pigs, being near pigs, and pig imagery. I don’t see Jews having a problem with pork-derived biodiesel but I suspect Muslims would be reluctant or entirely opposed to it. Well, the observant ones - there are secularized Muslims, too. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/8 "2023-11-29T10:27:55Z")
I was [paraphrasing](https://youtu.be/MabLtuTpDw8?si=WawwUSvzge9sy_kj) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/9 "2023-11-29T12:34:48Z")
I was expecting that link to lead [here](https://youtu.be/i_FB9myOy90?si=6eR7Oyh_A4JdCUwL). ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/10 "2023-11-29T12:58:20Z")
Also a good movie! ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/11 "2023-11-29T13:01:43Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Are you able to certify no dinosaurs went into the mix? I’m no expert in either Kosher or Halal, but I believe unintentional contaminates in food doesn’t disqualify it. i.e. water in NYC is technically not Kosher (or vegan) due to small crustaceans in it, however it is considered Kosher by intent regardless of it containing unclean animals. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/12 "2023-11-29T13:27:08Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > I’m no expert in either Kosher or Halal, but I believe unintentional contaminates in food doesn’t disqualify it. i.e. water in NYC is technically not Kosher (or vegan) due to small crustaceans in it, however it is considered Kosher by intent regardless of it containing unclean animals. Indeed, you are not expert. When those “crustaceans” (specifically copepods) were not known to be there there was no problem but once discovered then it very, very much was a big deal to the more Orthodox communities in New York City. It was a **very** big deal to a lot of people who wound up installing water filters or moved to exclusively bottled water. If the water contains unclean animals it is unclean water for purposes of consumption. Nothing “technical” about it for those folks. _New York Times_ gift link so all can read freely: > **[The Water's Fine, but Is It Kosher? (Published 2004)](https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/07/nyregion/the-waters-fine-but-is-it-kosher.html?unlocked_article_code=1.CE0.AYZR.s6NXOBj1irFs&smid=url-share)** > > Tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews in New York City must filter their tap water after rabbi finds it contains tiny crustaceans called copepods, which are not kosher; photo; drawings (M) ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/13 "2023-11-29T13:35:11Z")
Here’s xkcd on the subject; [https://what-if.xkcd.com/101/](https://what-if.xkcd.com/101/) > [@](#): > > No matter where it came from, only a small fraction of the oil in your plastic dinosaur could be directly from real dinosaur corpses. If it came from a Mesozoic-era oil field fed heavily by land matter, it might contain a slightly larger share of dinosaurs; if it came from a pre-Mesozoic field sealed beneath caprock, it might contain no dinosaur at all. However all the water we drink includes water that used to be inside dinosaurs, And inside pigs, or seafood, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/14 "2023-11-29T14:11:25Z")
I recall some Rabbis believing that children should not have certain pets. I always thought they believed the family may inadvertently consume some portion, like hair. ---
**Author:** ![EnolaStraight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/15 "2023-11-29T14:14:14Z")
It had occurred to me that vegans, who eschew ALL animal-derived products like leather and certain cosmetics, would have nothing to do with lard-based biodiesel. Jews and muslims might reject biodiesel on the same criteria. Lest a conscientious bio brewer marketed a “plant only” brew of bio…and market it at a premium, the way Organic Food is higher priced. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/16 "2023-11-29T14:21:20Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I recall some Rabbis believing that children should not have certain pets. I always thought they believed the family may inadvertently consume some portion, like hair. Every religion has their extremists. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/17 "2023-11-29T14:46:34Z")
Considering all those Torah scrolls, apparantly the question occurred to some people whether you may write them with ink that involved (non-Kosher) wine or oak galls: [https://stamforum.blogspot.com/2012/02/ink-kosher-vs-non-kosher.html](https://stamforum.blogspot.com/2012/02/ink-kosher-vs-non-kosher.html) They seem to be arguing about it, but basically yes? ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/18 "2023-11-29T18:38:54Z")
Kashrus rules (with a few small exceptions) deal only with eating and drinking. There is no problem with a Jew using biodiesel in his or her car or other internal combustion engine. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/19 "2023-11-29T18:41:01Z")
That is incorrect. Some rabbis may eschew pets for spiritual or Kabbalistic reasons, but it has nothing to do with inadvertently eating a small portion of a pet. Zev Steinhardt (who grew up with two dogs) ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831/20 "2023-11-29T18:44:47Z")
As someone who is currently writing a Sefer Torah, I can address this. There is a general rule that anything used in the making of tefillin, mezzuzos and Sifrei Torah have to be “min hamutar b’ficha” (made from that which is permitted to your mouth – i.e. kosher animals). However, that restriction only applies to the species and not the individual animal. So, for example, if you have a cow that died without slaughter, you can use it’s skin for these purposes, even though the individual animal is not kosher to eat. This law is something that is particular to the writing of Sifrei Torah, tefillin and mezuzos, and does not really apply to kashrus law. Zev Steinhardt [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biodiesel-kosher-and-or-halal/993831.md?page=2)