Role of Religion, Spirituality, and Faith in Food Choices - Adequate Food for All - page 38

so simply because of personal likes and dislikes. One commentator writes that “a
thing which may be good ( tayyib ) as food for one man or one people may not be so
for another. Certain things may be good and even useful as food but their use might
be offensive for others” (Ali, 1971). The example given was that of the Prophet's
prohibition of eating raw onions and garlic just before going to the mosque; the odor
would be offensive to others. Cooking such items alleviated the prohibition.
Other Islamic dietary considerations include the practice of hospitality and good
manners, moderation even in the good and lawful things, and avoiding intoxicants
of any kind.
Islam joins most other religions in the disciplines of fasting. It is of such impor-
tance that it is listed among the Five Pillars of Islam (along with belief in Allah,
prayer, almsgiving, and the Pilgrimage to Mecca).
Many Islamic practices carry over from Judaism, which has dietary laws that
are rooted in Torah and Talmud, tradition and code. The 11th chapter of Leviticus
begins, “And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, Speak to the
Israelite people thus: These are the creatures that you may eat from among all the
land animals.” The rest of the chapter alternates between, “These you may eat” and
“The following shall make you unclean,” and ends in summary: “These are the
instructions concerning animals, birds, all living creatures that move in water, and
all creatures that swarm on earth” (JPS, 1962). Further instruction is given in the
inal topic of the Torah, in Deuteronomy 14, verses 4 to 21.
There remains speculation about the primary reasons for dietary laws. The twelfth
century Jewish philosopher Maimonides suggested that the food commands were
given primarily for health reasons, but most scholars would attribute the dietary
laws to the Bible's stress on the need for “holiness.” If God is holy, the people of God
must strive for holiness, which includes building a right relationship with God. As
Rabbi Klein wrote, “The Torah regards the dietary laws as a discipline in holiness,
a spiritual discipline imposed on a biological activity. The tension between wanton
physical appetites and the endeavors of the spirit was traditionally explained as the
struggle” between good and evil inclinations—“the two forces that contend with
each other for mastery of the soul” (1979). In addition, food laws encourage a rever-
ence for life: of the beast, the earth, and the neighbor.
The word kosher is almost universally perceived as meaning acceptable, fit,
or proper. Its popular understanding is rooted in the laws of kashrut found in the
Leviticus passage noted. In terms of the food requirements, kosher foods are those
ritually clean and fit to eat. The Hebrew word for nonkosher is trayf , derived from
the Hebrew word for “torn,” from the Levitical prohibition from eating meat that has
been torn by predators. Trayf , however, has come to mean any food that is deemed
not fit to eat.
Through the ages, various branches of Judaism have differed on how to interpret
and incorporate the ancient dietary laws. Orthodox Jews are the strictest observers of
kashrut; Conservative Jews also take the laws seriously, while Reform Jews are less
likely to keep such observances, perhaps considering them outdated in modern cul-
ture. Keeping kosher in the pious Jewish household means devotion to God, showing
deep reverence for life, and preserving the unity of and connection to Israel's roots
as people of God.