Dear Refiner's Fire...

I have several questions about how to live out God's instructions.

At my college, there's a kosher kitchen open in my dining hall. Whenever I can, I go there. However, there are some days and meals that it is not open. If it were open all the time, none of these questions would be an issue, because they abide by Orthodox kosher standards. My problems are related to the laws in Leviticus 11 about how the presence of unclean food can render clean food unclean.

1. Unclean food falling on things,

The kosher kitchen provided paper plates and disposable utensils. It says in Leviticus 11 that if the "carcass" of an unclean animal falls on "anything in which work is done," then whatever it falls on must be washed in water and it'll be unclean until evening. However, "earthen vessels" and ovens must be smashed. The normal plates and silverware in the dining hall have obviously touched sausage and the like, and unkosher foods have been in their ovens.

So, does "carcass" refer to something that has naturally died, or just any dead animal? Is it okay to eat from a plate after evening, because then it's clean? Is all the food that isn't at the kosher station forbidden because it's come into contact with things that have come into contact with unclean animals? Or, does "unclean" in the passage refer to the state that forbids someone from entering the Temple, but isn't necessarily sinful?

In any case, how can I tell which secular restaurants are OK to eat at, if any?

2. Food from the Store.

I have heard things that most food from the store is forbidden, even if it's a fruit or cereal. I have read claims that there might be unclean insects that got into the production, or that a certain apparently clean food was cooked in lard, or that a food uses pork flavor as a hidden ingredient. Is any of this valid, and how much?

On a more broad note, is any meat sold in the supermarket actually kosher? What standards does the USDA have for slaughtering meat, and does any of it align with kosher standards?

3. Other food.

Is anything with eggs automatically suspect, because eggs can have blood spots? Is it standard practice to remove the blood spots before cooking the eggs? Basically, with anything not certified kosher, should I always assume the worst?

4. Eating at home

My family does not eat kosher. This means that unclean animals have touched their plates and silverware, and have been in their oven. Does this mean that I can't eat in their house? I know that based on the answers to the preceding questions, this may or may not be relevant.

Our Response....

The simple answer is: Don't let yourself get wrapped around the proverbial axle. The rabbis have placed all kinds of fences around Torah, partially because of what was written in the Scriptures in days of old when cleanliness was very difficult (no running water or dish detergent, etc). While the Israelites were wandering around in the wilderness, they often had no water at all, and so touching anything unclean was to be avoided at all costs.

If they did come into contact with anything "unclean" - depending on the situation - they had to "live outside the camp" until sundown in order to make sure the germs were killed and couldn't infect someone else. (By the time they returned to the camp, YHWH apparently killed the infection causing germs....) Life was very tough back then and YHWH was simply trying to show people how to be clean from the inside-out in this filthy world. Hence, the constant harping about cleanliness.

However, today we do have ways of keeping ourselves and our dishes and utensils clean, and so it's rabbinical to think we need extra dishes or cannot eat from plates in restaurants or at our Torah-less friend's house. The dishes have been (or should have been!) properly washed....The thing to remember is that you are NOT out there purposely eating "unclean" foods!

If you're chowing down on pork at your friend's house or in a restaurant, then you have a problem....Whether or not pork has ever been served out of the dish you're eating is irrelevant. The dish has been properly washed and all remnants of that pork or shellfish are gone and you're not purposely eating "unclean."

The bottom line is, we live in an unkosher world where it's practically impossibly to get away from "unclean" items. One never knows what lurks in those boxed or prepared food items on the grocery shelves! The best we can do is to read the ingredients and refuse to buy the foods containing anything that we know is not considered "clean." YHWH expects us to obey to the best of our ability the command to stay away from "unclean" foods - He never said we would be held responsible for those we didn't know about. That's where prayer and supplication come in. To coin a Christian phrase: "God knows my heart!" Yes, He does! And He knows when we are truly trying to follow Him....He also knows we live in a world where it's impossible to follow His commands to the letter. That is why Yeshua died on our behalf. Please read Kosher eating.

It's the same thing with obedience to the Sabbath and the feasts. So many people are worried about whether or not they're "doing it right." The thing is, who cares whether or not you're doing it right? Is ANYBODY doing it right today? No! He just expects our WILLINGNESS to obey and do the best we can. Yeshua won't consider us "lukewarm" upon His return if we have at least TRIED to obey Torah!

Philippians 4: 6. Be anxious for nothing; but at all times, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make known your requests before Elohim.