What are some important guidelines regarding what fruits and vegetables may be considered kosher?
Notwithstanding instructions such as Deuteronomy 22:9, “You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, or all the produce of the seed which you have sown and the increase of the vineyard will become defiled” (NASU), there is very little which the Torah in general has to say regarding kosher fruits and vegetables. The original instruction given to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:29 stipulated, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you” (NASU). Kol-eisev, or “every plant/herb,” was considered to be acceptable food for human consumption. Logic, of course, would dictate that if a fruit or vegetable is poisonous, then it would not be acceptable for human consumption.
While the Torah direction would allow for a wide number safe fruits and vegetables to be consumed, there are various Jewish traditions and practices—particularly in the more modern era—which Messianic people need to be aware of, at least for informational purposes. A general resource like The New Encyclopedia of Judaism specifies, “The dietary laws do not concern fruit and vegetables. While there do exist regulations concerning their consumption…the source of these regulations is not in the dietary laws, according to which all fruits and vegetables are permitted.”[1] Some of the main practices observed regarding the consumption of fruits and vegetables, though, are seen in their cleaning and preparation—which can be rather rigorous in making sure that they have been cleaned of all dirt and unkosher insects.[2]
Obviously, anyone who wants to eat fruits and vegetables should make sure that they have been thoroughly washed of dirt and bugs. Yet, some of the Orthodox Jewish stipulations, which have emerged over the past several decades, may be thought to be extreme for some. Challenges emerge from ancient Jewish traditions which were only concerned with bugs seen with the naked eye—to now what can possibly be seen under a microscope.[3] This is likely where other Orthodox Jews, and certainly Conservative Judaism, would say that the ancients were not concerned with such a high and rigid standard—and so neither should moderns.[4]
Today’s kosher-keeping Messianic people, simply need to make sure that their fruits and vegetables are thoroughly washed before eating them. There is no need for contemporary Messianics to adopt a style of washing fruits and vegetables, which would be inconsistent with what the ancients employed. The ancients did not have microscopes to be concerned about every single microscopic organism, and neither should we. The thrust of Mark 7:19 is clear how dirty food “[enters] into…the stomach, and then is eliminated, cleaning out all foods” (TLV) via the process of excretion. The human body is strong enough to see that small bugs and dirt do get removed from our systems. It can, however, be quite useful to see how many processed fruits and vegetables, with various spices or additives, have a kosher-certification on them.
While today’s kosher-keeping Messianics should not be too concerned in terms of the classification, or even hyper-cleanliness, of most of the fruits and vegetables they eat—a much bigger issue which is looming for the 2010s and beyond, is that of GMOs or genetically modified organisms. Because of the highly commercialized food industry, a wide number of fruits and vegetables—particularly in the North American market—have been changed or altered at the genetic level. This is a huge scientific, health, economic, and political debate—which will demand the attention of all people in the near future, especially given the growing emphasis on people eating fruits, vegetables, and meats which are certified “organic.” There are not only possible significant health issues involved with GMOs, but more especially ethical issues.
NOTES
[1] “Dietary Laws,” in Geoffrey Wigoder, ed. et. al., The New Encyclopedia of Judaism (Jerusalem: Jerusalem Publishing House, 2002), 214.
[2] Sue Fishkoff, Kosher Nation: Why More and More of America’s Food Answers to a Higher Authority (New York: Schoken Books, 2010), pp 168-169 summarizes some of the procedures observed by a growing number of Orthodox Jews.
[3] Cf. Ibid., pp 175, 176.
[4] Lisë Stern, How to Keep Kosher: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Jewish Dietary Laws (New York: William Morrow, 2004), 68 offers the more general summary regarding fruits and vegetables, noting the guidelines likely to be observed by the largest sector of the kosher-keeping Jewish community.
