Keeping Kosher
Chapter 1
What Does It Mean to Keep Kosher?
Chapter goal: Understand what kashrut covers and how it applies to an ordinary meal.
- 1What Does “Kosher” Mean?Define kosher and kashrut. Introduce three questions students will revisit throughout the course: What went into the food? How was it prepared? How will it be served?12–15 min
- 2Where Do the Laws of Kashrut Come From?Introduce the Torah, the Oral Torah, rabbinic law, and established minhag through a few examples that students will study later. Explain why the source of a rule matters without requiring students to memorize source references.12–15 min
- 3Keeping Kosher as a MitzvahExplain kashrut as a mitzvah practiced through everyday choices. Address the common assumption that a rabbi makes food kosher by blessing it. Introduce the practical role of supervision.12–15 min
- 4What Makes an Entire Meal Kosher?Trace one chicken-and-rice dinner through shopping, preparation, and serving. Introduce the kinds of questions raised by the chicken, seasonings, cookware, and dessert.Coming soon
Practice exercise
Give students a dinner menu and a short description of how it was made. Ask them to identify what they can verify and what they still need to ask.
Content coming soon — this will be published after review by a rav experienced in practical kashrut.
Chapter quiz
Test the vocabulary, the purpose of supervision, and the difference between an ingredient question and a preparation question.
Content coming soon — this will be published after review by a rav experienced in practical kashrut.