Kosher – known vs. unknown

What is not kosher, and what is… kosher and kashrut. We’ve all heard the word “kosher” before in our lives, but do we know what it exactly means?

“Kosher” means ritually flawless, pure, in other words prepared according to Jewish regulations. In Judaism, kosher refers to not only food, but anything – the object, the need, what is ritualistically fit, permitted or commanded according to the Torah laws, that is, “chukim”. These laws do not require any other explanation or justification; they require obedience to God and imitation of his holiness. “Kashrut” is thus the prototype of the nature of the entire Torah – it brings God’s presence into every aspect of material life.

Jewish culture has been a part of the history of Bratislava for centuries. The exhibition project Slovak National Museum – Museum of Jewish Culture in the Zsigray Mansion directly in the space of two kitchens presents the rules of orthodox Jewish communities in the most diverse spheres of everyday life with an emphasis on eating, dietary principles in the kitchen, clothing or the production of kosher wine.

From the first area, animals that are allowed to eat will present a method of ritual slaughter, as well as kosher food preparation and preservation. Special attention is paid to the exhibition of beverages, especially wine. According to biblical law, it is strictly forbidden to interfere with certain physical aspects of God’s order, for example, by crossbreeding animals, sowing a field with several kinds of seeds, tying an ox and donkey together in a plow, but also by mixing wool and flax in the production of clothing. The rules of correct combination of materials in clothing, decoration of spaces with different types of textiles are discussed in the next part of the exhibition, which presents their use on all occasions of ordinary and festive life.

Get to know not only the eating habits of Orthodox Jewish communities in Slovakia, which lived according to the principles of kosher.