Dietary laws

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Lawrence Kadish writes Ancient Kosher Laws Have Lessons for a 21st Century War against Ebola.


Centuries ago, with an understanding of microbes and hygiene still far in the future, Jews observed that those who ate meat from sick or dead animals would often fall ill and die. Similar woes could result from animals not consumed in a timely way after being slaughtered. While they didn't know of trichinosis, they also saw that eating pork could be fatal.
...there was an understanding among Jews that certain culinary behavior triggered serious illness. As a result, dietary laws were put into place by an observant community that sought to protect the individual and public health. They were then codified by religious leaders for the purpose of creating a collective societal memory of what the faithful could and could not consume.
Read more: http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4873/ancient-kosher-laws-ebola


In an article titled Keeping Kosher: Jewish Dietary Laws  the author opines about the laws of kashrut.


These prohibitions derive from specific instructions in the Torah, primarily in Deuteronomy and Leviticus. These instructions were then interpreted, expanded and modified by rabbis as Jews encountered new cultures and situations.
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3273796770070251781#editor/target=post;postID=2677337988442749596


Lawrence Kadish makes it sound as if the kosher laws were codified by happenstance, as situations arose. The kosher laws, however, have their roots in the Torah with specific verses issuing prohinbitions as to what may not be eaten.


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