An Entrée to Judaism

By JEFFREY A. SPITZER

How to Keep Kosher: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Jewish Dietary Laws
By Lisë Stern
320 pages. Morrow Cookbooks. $24.95.

I'm a foodie. I also teach rabbinic literature. When I opened up How to Keep Kosher, I first looked at the recipes (that may tell you more about me than about this book) and I was happy to see recipes for rosemary sweet-potato kugel, apple-pear charoset, spiced fish stew, honey layer cake with caramelized apples, enchilada lasagna. Lisë Stern, I thought, knows food! But when I noticed that she reminded the reader about how to warm a (admittedly) non-traditional enchilada lasagna on Shabbat, I realized she also understands the details of keeping a kosher and Sabbath-observant home.

In Deuteronomy it says, "One does not live by bread alone, but by all that comes out of the mouth of God does one live.” But in Stern's hands, what could have been a simple, "how-to" guide to keeping kosher—"Kashrut for Dummies," as it were—has become an entrée to much of Judaism. Stern inverts the cliché of the assimilated, gastronomic Jew whose Jewish identity is tied to nostalgic memories of bubbe's matzoh balls, or, as a classmate of mine once said with a straight face, "Yeah, I'm Jewish; I eat a bagel every Yom Kippur." For Stern, explaining the origins and process of keeping kosher, transforming a home into a kosher home, and preparing food for Shabbat and the holidays is an opportunity to teach about Judaism more broadly and to describe much of what "comes out of the mouth of God."

How to Keep Kosher begins with a description of the ritual hows and whys of keeping kosher and then turns to the three basic tenets of kosher philosophy: not eating specific animals, separating milk and meat, and proper slaughter and preparation of kosher meat. Stern then discusses, in very practical terms, the process of making a kitchen kosher, preparing food for Shabbat, how food is used throughout the Jewish calendar year, especially on Passover. She concludes with about 70 pages of recipes, 20 pages of sources (including contact information for kashrut organizations as well as websites for general Jewish learning), a bibliography, and a useful index.

Stern's meticulously researched book gives a transdenominational perspective on why people keep kosher. She assumes no background whatsoever and briefly explains details of the origins and development of Jewish law, the nature of Jewish affiliations, and differences between the various denominations. She then includes reflections on the meaning of kashrut to a surprisingly broad group of Jews drawn from her friends, relatives, acquaintances, and teachers.

Jewish dietary laws, as Stern explains, serve to create and define community; restrictions on eating food prepared by non-Jews prevent social contact. Of course, as she also notes, differing interpretations of the rules of kashrut prevent social contact among different kinds of Jews. How to Keep Kosher describes all about choosing different levels of observance of kashrut; some Jews who keep kosher only use items with rabbinic supervision, others check ingredients, others are concerned about the environmental impact and issues of cruelty to animals (eco-kashrut).

While Jewish dietary laws can unfortunately keep Jews apart, all the streams of Judaism find their way into How to Keep Kosher. Stern regularly refers to the broad range of rabbis and experts from all the movements with whom she consulted. Throughout the book, Stern carefully delineates differences between different Orthodox approaches to kashrut (differences on milk and baked products) and food preparation for the Sabbath.

She also describes differences between Orthodox and Conservative Judaism. Not only does she discuss the fairly well-known differences concerning swordfish, cheese without rabbinic supervision, and gelatin (Orthodox prohibit and Conservatives generally permit), but she also addresses differences on the kashrut of veal (some Conservative rabbis prohibit and Orthodox rabbis permit), combining fish and meat, whether wine needs supervision, kashering ovens and dishwashers, various Passover rules, and a variety of other topics. She also includes perspectives that are clearly influenced by ethical vegetarianism, which she qualifies as nonhalakhic, but which she sees as relevant to how some Jews keep kosher.

Stern's larger agenda of using food as a lens through which to explore Judaism becomes particularly apparent in her discussion of Shabbat, the Jewish holidays in general, and Passover in particular. Throughout, she includes descriptions and reasons of how Jews sanctify time. She explains rather extensively what Shabbat means in the Bible and how the Biblical verses inform traditional observance. She also details the categories of traditionally prohibited activities relevant to cooking and warming food. These chapters are rather heavy on the technical Hebrew terms (all in transliteration), and might be confusing for some readers. On the other hand, Stern's personal, conversational tone describing her experiences as a child and as an adult is quite engaging.

Stern knows food; she also knows how to teach Torah to a transdenominational audience. For people looking to learn more about kashrut and Judaism in general, this book is a great reference and fun read.