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Question 6.2:
How can I learn about Kashrut? Is there a "Kosher" FAQ?

The Union of Orthodox Congregations maintains a FAQ at http://www.ou.org/kosher/primer.html, which would be a good starting point. For Pesach, another good source is the Official Rabbinical Assembly Pesach Kashrut Guide at http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/info/pesahguide/index.html. Some other good sites include:

• Why keep kosher? From the National Jewish outreach program http://www.njop.org/html/Newsletters_and_articles.html#a3.

• An Introduction to the Philosophy and Laws of Immersing Vessels (traditional). http://www.innernet.org.il/tevilah.htm.

• The Official Masorti (Israeli Conservative) teshuva on Pesach and the use of kitniyot http://www.masorti.org/responsa/kitniyot.html.

Another way to learn is to read some of the books in the reading list (Part 2, "Traditional"), and subscribe to some of the periodicals. In particular, we recommend the following books:

[Dre59]

Dresner, Samuel H; Siegel, Seymour. The Jewish Dietary Laws. Burning Bush Press, New York. 1959. United Synagogue Book Service; 1980. Paperback. ISBN 0-838121-05-5.[Conservative authorship. The book presents liberal positions on ingredients, wine, cheese, gelatin, swordfish. Among Conservative rabbis, the book reflects more lenient views.]

[ForXX]

Forst, Binyomin. The Laws Of Kashrus. Artscroll Mesorah. Hardcover. [A comprehensive exposition of their underlying concepts and application]

[Gre85]

Greenberg, Blu. How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household Paperback reprint edition (September 1985) Simon & Schuster (Paper); 1985; ISBN 0-671602-70-5. Jason Aronson (Hardcover); 1989; ISBN 0-876688-82-2.
Paperback: ; Hardback:

[Lip88]

Lipschutz, Yacov. Kashruth: A Comprehensive Background and Reference Guide to the Principles of Kashruth (The Artscroll Series). Mesorah Publications Ltd.; 1988. Hardcover. ISBN 0-899065-58-9.

[Lub89]

Lubavitch Women's Organization. Body and Soul: A Handbook for Kosher Living, Lubavitch Women's Cookbook Pub, NY. 1989. Bloch Pub Co; 1997.Paperback. ISBN 0-826602-39-8. [Short introduction to kosher basics.]

[Lub90]

Lubavitch Women's Organization: Blau, Esther; Deitsch, Tzirrel; Light, Cherna. Spice and Spirit: Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook. Lubavitch Women's Cookbook Pub, NY, 1990, 1997. Hardcover. Reprint edition. ISBN 0-826602-38-X. [Contains detailed information about the laws of kashrut and holidays from the Lubavitch point of view and thus follows Lubavitch customs regarding Kashrut; for non-Lubavitch, use in conjunction with other Kashrut references. Lots of traditional recipes that tend not to fail, if followed. Good section on Passover baking.]

[Wag00]

Wagschal, S. The Practical Guide to Kashruth. Philipp Feldheim; 2000. Hardcover. ISBN 0-873065-61-1.

Also, every Jewish household, if you're at all interested in Kashrus, should subscribe to Kashrus Magazine, published by Yeshiva Birkas Reuven. For information, contact Kashrus at P.O. Box 204, Brooklyn NY 11204. You can call (718) 336-8544 for Visa/Mastercard Orders. Email: kashrus@aol.com. You can also visit the Kashrus website at http://www.kashrusmagazine.com/.

There are also a large number of Kosher Shopping Opportunities on the web, including Kosher.com [http://www.kosher.com/], MyKosherMarket.com [http://www.mykoshermarket.com/], Kosher Cornucopia [http://www.koshercornucopia.com/], Kosher Club [http://www.kosherclub.com], Hamkor Judaica [http://www.jewishsource.com], and Kosher Fest [http://www.kosherfest.com/].

The FAQ is a collection of documents that is an attempt to answer questions that are continually asked on the soc.culture.jewish family of newsgroups. It was written by cooperating laypeople from the various Judaic movements. You should not make any assumption as to accuracy and/or authoritativeness of the answers provided herein. In all cases, it is always best to consult a competent authority--your local rabbi is a good place to start.

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