Kashrut

Because kashrut is one of the first aspects of Judaism, because what we eat also nourishes our soul, the Consistory has sought excellence in this area.

What is Kashrut?

Kashrout refers to all Jewish dietary rules, the source of which is found in the Torah. The laws of Kashrut belong to the chukim, the divine decrees whose basis we cannot really understand. In other words, these dietary principles are part of the religious and spiritual vocation of the people of Israel. Kashrut is a true discipline of life that brings us closer to Gd, because the soul also needs to be nourished.

What are the origins of the laws of Kashrut?

Here are some biblical sources:

• You shall not cook a kid in its mother's milk (Exodus Shemot XXIII, 19).
• And you shall not consume the blood in all your dwellings, neither of the bird, nor of the land animal (Leviticus Vayikra VII).
• These are the animals that you will eat among all the animals on earth. You shall eat any animal that has a cloven hoof, a cloven foot, and chews the cud. […] You will not eat the camel, which ruminates, but which does not have a split hoof: you will regard it as unclean. You will not eat the hyrax, which chews the cud but does not have a cloven hoof: you will regard it as unclean. You will not eat the hare, which chews the cud but does not have a cloven hoof: you will regard it as unclean. You will not eat the pig, which has the cloven hoof and the cloven foot, but which does not chew the cud: you will regard it as unclean. […] These are the animals that you will eat among all those that are in the waters. Those that have fins and scales… These are the birds that you will refuse, and that will not be eaten: the eagle, the sea eagle and the sea eagle; the Kite, the goshawk and what is of its species; the crow and all its species; the ostrich, the owl, the gull, the hawk and what is of its species; the owl, the loon and the owl; the swan, the pelican and the cormorant; the stork, the heron and its species, the hoopoe and the bat […]. (Leviticus Vayikra XI)

What are the essential rules of Kashrut?

The foundations of Kashrut are:

• The choice of animals and the mode of slaughter.
• The ban on consuming blood, sciatic nerve and certain fats.
• The ban on mixing and consuming milk and meat, and profiting from it.
• Preparing the utensils.

What spiritual meanings do these rules symbolize?

• Cleft hoofs are a reminder that we must always tell right from wrong. Without discernment, we risk drifting away from G‑d!
• Rumination symbolizes the study in which the student must ceaselessly reflect and integrate the teachings of the Torah.
• We don't mix milk and meat because we don't mix life and death.
• Blood is not consumed because it symbolizes the soul. It is therefore not necessary to "consume" the soul of the animal with its flesh, it is forbidden. We can just eat his flesh.
• The chehita is a slaughter process that does not make the animal suffer, because its brain is immediately emptied of its blood. Several veterinary studies have confirmed this.

How to recognize the Kosher of the Consistory?

On products approved by the Beth Din of Paris, we find the KBDP logo, the red label of kashrut.The KBDP Logo - Kacher Beth Din de Paris - corresponds to a certification set up by the Consistory of Paris so that products which meet all the criteria of Kashrout can be put on sale in supermarkets or other stores, outside the network of Kosher shops This certification is expected to evolve according to the development of new European standards. The Cacherout logo is recognized as a quality label.