Yoel ben Shlomo – Kosher – The Issue of the Blood and the Fat
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We have this ‘tradition’ in South Africa – mostly in the Afrikaans speaking culture as I was brought up in – to make an oxtail ‘potjie’ (stew), cooked in a three leg black pot on an open fire with some vegetables and a version of dumplings. Getting hold of oxtail in South Africa is very expensive as it is seen as a delicacy. Here in Australia, you find the oxtail in the dog food section and is very cheap. You could imagine that since we got to Australia about 4 years ago, we have had a lot of oxtail.
Does this mean that I need to make sure that I get rid of the fat on the oxtail before cooking or just stop eating it all together?
When it comes to the fat on a piece of steak or even when I make ‘Biltong’ (a form of beef jurkey) I used to cut off the piece of fat on the side. However, I am warming very much to the idea of keeping the fat on the side as it does make a massive difference in flavour and taste.
This teaching was so interesting. The best I’ve heard on the subject.
I’m also from South Africa and loved it when my mom made ox tail. It would be interesting to hear an answer to Pieter’s question.
It would be interesting to hear a talk on how we ought to be celebrating the New Moon each month ….. could you do that some time, Jono?
Thank you and Shabbat Shalom,
The only fats in ox are in the stomach and kidneys, anything else is kosher. So enjoy your oxtail dishes. To make it clear, the only tail fat that the Torah prohibits is from sheep.
This is the kind of instruction that is missing in Torah observant assemblies. Yoel is down to earth and is a very well informed student and teacher of Torah. We need more of this type of instruction. Thank you Jono for bringing Yoel to us.
WOOOHOOOO!! Guess what I’m making this weekend…:-)
Seriously…thanks Yoel for the advice
I’m so new to kosher that most of this went over my head. Yet it’s great to truly hunger for the word again! (No pun intended.) Fantastic post!
Jono,
Speaking of Kosher meals…you might want to check this out.
http://profoundprophecy.com/2011/05/sick-of-seafood/
Greg
@ Pieter Bosua: Cheesa njama Pieter!! Nothing beats that Karoo lamb tjop…
So is it alright to eat the liver, the heart, the other organs sir?
How about the Mexican soup called “Menudo” ?
Very good teaching, thank you!
The Torah states that we are not allowed to touch the carcass of an unclean animal. How are we to understand this. Are we allowed to wear crocodile hide shoes or pigskin jackets to give a few examples? Also, we know that pork fat is used in skincare products, is this allowed if we want to follow the Torah?
Looking forward to your reply, thank you
G’day Elsa,
Thank you for your questions. I believe they were addressed in the Torah Pearls episode, Shemini. Enjoy!
Yes, the bible says to refrain from the blood and the fat. While “kosher” products do take away the blood, you can actually buy “kosher” chicken fat. Biblically however, it is not Kosher, because the bible says to refrain from the fat as well. It is interesting that only within the last few decades have doctors also started telling people to also refrain from lard or animal fat, yet this regulation was written in the bible 3000 years earlier.
Should we avoid animal fat in dairy products also?