Objections
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Kosher Does Not Require a Jewish ‘Blessing’
TIA responds:
Dear Mr. W.I.,
1. Regarding the first part of your objection, which is that Kosher is not a blessing, the data we have at hand do not coincide with your denial that the rabbis “bless” the food.
Although etymologically the word “Kosher” does not mean blessing but cleaning or purifying and refers to meeting the dietary requirements Moses gave to the Jewish people, the practical application of it is different.
Indeed, in order for meat to be considered Kosher the animal has to be slaughtered using a Jewish ritual. The ritual slaughterer is a practicing "orthodox" Jew known as Schochet or Sachet, other sources call for a Rabbi. In order for meat to be Kosher it must be slaughtered by a Schochet in the proper ritualistic fashion.
The Schochet ritual involves invoking the name of their god for the animal slaughtered. The Schochet uses a special knife and slits the animal’s throat in a prescribed method.
The Schochet prayer is: "Blessed art Thou God who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning slaughtering." (source here)
In some cases an additional prayer is said for the covering of animal blood that might have been spilled in the slaughtering process. This prayer is: "Blessed art Thou God who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to cover blood with earth." (source here)
The above prayers are referred to as blessings here.
Therefore, you are ill-informed in your presupposition. It is remarkable that, even being so poorly based on facts, you find yourself secure enough to lecture us.
2. Regarding the second part of your objection, which is that even if there is a “blessing’ in the Jewish food, it would become Catholic after the normal Catholic prayers before a meal are said on it, this also an over-hastiness on your part.
Indeed, there are some curses that are not linked to the power of the prayer of a member of a false religion, but also linked to the matter used in that curse.
For example, there are foods in which the Jews mix dried blood of Catholic children from ritual homicides. This is not a farfetched hypothesis. This case is duly addressed by the credible Jewish author Prof. Ariel Toaff, in his book Bloody Passovers - European Jewish & Ritual Homicides, reviewed in this website here and here.
In the case of blood mixed in the food, the curse will continue in the body of the person who ingested it until it is duly expelled. In the case that blood is assimilated by the organism and transformed into the flesh of the one who ate it, that curse remains for an indefinite period of time.
The same applies for “the blessing” of other false religions. There are spells in Voodoo and Black Magic that use legs of spiders mixed in liquids. The curses on these potions are linked to those legs, which stick to the intestinal walls for a long time. As long as those spider legs are present in the body, the curse remains.
So, your assumption that all “blessings” of false religions disappear when you say the Catholic prayers before your meal is not exact.
We hope that next time you will temper your optimism a little and investigate the matter further before acting as if your opinion represents Catholic doctrine.
3. Finally, regarding your objection that Eastern Catholic rites admit priests and, therefore, the Roman Catholic rite should follow suit, we have already replied to a similar question here.
Cordially,
TIA correspondence desk
Posted July 13, 2017
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Recently you all posted something to the effect that kosher food and other products were blessed by rabbis, that such blessing made them kosher.
Nothing is further from the truth.
Periodically, a rabbi specially trained will inspect a meat packing plant to make sure the Jewish hygienic and slaughtering laws are being followed. It has about the same religious significance as "USDA inspected". No prayers are said or blessing done.
Furthermore, Kosher salt is not the Jewish equivalent of Catholic blessed salt. It simply has larger grains and used by traditional Jewish cooks (mostly housewives and mothers) to remove any blood that might be remaining in a cut of meat. I've noticed that many cooking shows recommend the use of kosher salt in their recipes.
Even if it WERE blessed by a rabbi, when I bless it, it becomes Eastern Catholic food, and when I eat it, it turns into Eastern Catholic me. (The same would happen to halal food from a Muslim market or restaurant.)
And need I remind you that Our Savior His holy Mother and the apostles ate kosher food all their earthly lives?
On another note, the Eastern Catholic (as well as the Orthodox) Churches have had married priests for centuries, and I see no problem with them. I don't offer it as a panacea for the shortage of vocations – Orthodox churches have a similar trouble – but married priests, celibate diocesan priests, and priests of religious orders have different and complementary gifts to bring to the ministry for the benefit of the faithful.
Sincerely in Christ,
W.I.