Manna – What is it?

Manna is what Yahweh fed the Israelites in the wilder­ness for 40 years. In Hebrew manna means “what is it?”. Join us as we take a look at gelatin and learn “what is it?”

What is Kosher?

The word “kosher” is Hebrew for “fit” or “proper”. When applied to food, kosher means the food is acceptable to eat by the biblical standard set in the Torah — the law, or first five books of the Bible — specifically, Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. Foods that are kosher rated have not been made with any unclean animal prod­ucts, and kosher meats have been prepared properly (killed and bled correctly).

Kosher rated foods are also subject to the Jewish oral law (the Mishnah and the Talmud), which include some added laws such as mixing milk and meat. Even though the added Jewish oral laws do not concern us as true worshipers of Yahweh we can still benefit from the kosher standard.

Common Kosher symbols-

Some Kosher symbols may be followed by the following words or letters: K, U, P

Passover indicates it is kosher for Passover. It is sometimes shortened to a P.

Parve refers to food that contains neither meat nor dairy.

Fish indicates it contains fish.

M indicates it contains meat.

And D indicates it contains dairy, or milk product.

What is gelatin?

Gelatin is an ingredient used to make things gel or congeal. Gelatin is derived from collagen that is obtained from horns, hooves, bones and skin of pork, cattle or fish.

Here are a few of the common products that may contain gelatin:

        Gummy candies

        Marshmallows

        Yogurt

        Sour cream and dips

        Nail polish remover

        Medication & Vitamin supplement capsules

        Deodorant

Is “kosher” gelatin always acceptable?

Jello-O brand gelatin is labeled with a “K” kosher rating. However according to Kraft, the source of their gelatin can be pork or beef.

According to ouKosher.org –

“Since ‘real’ gelatin is derived from animal sources, it has been the focus of debate for nearly 100 years among leading rabbis. The question is: Can gelatin from non-kosher sources be permit­ted? Although cows that were not ritually slaughtered, and, of course, pigs, are certainly not kosher, some rabbis were lenient in allowing products that had very small amounts of gelatin added. This is because they felt that the gelatin extraction process caused the skins and bones to be sufficiently denatured, to the point that they are no longer considered food.”

Since the “K” rating is not as strict as the OU rating, gelatin de­rived from pork will sometimes receive this “kosher” rating.

While gelatin derived from pork may be acceptable to some Rab­bis, it is not acceptable to Yahweh.

“And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are un­clean to you.” – Leviticus 11:7-8.

“And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.” – Deuteronomy 14:8.

What are sources for acceptable gelatin?

Beef and kosher fish. Many kosher marshmallows are made with gelatin derived from kosher fish.

Non-animal sources such as agar-agar and carrageenan, are derived from seaweed and pectin.