JEWISH PASSOVER WHAT "KOSHER" MEANS THE Jewii-h Passover, which be gan last Wednesday at sunset, will be celebrated by Hebrews all over the world with the same ceremonies that tradition tells us vere the practices of the ancient Jews. No feast In the Hebrew calendar is of greater Importance; for the Passover fcigniflee to every Hebrew the Deliver ance of the beloved children of Israel, the chosen of the Lord, from the bond age of the Egyptians. Even under cir cumstances of extreme adversity the Passover festival has l>een observed. The liberty-loving Americans could not celebrate the Fourth of July, the birth of our independence, with more sin cere feeling than that with which the Hebrew, the first t<> strike for liberty, brings to his celebration of the Pass over. Unlike our Independence day, however, the Passover stands not for political independence, but for freedom of religious thought. For days before the festival the Hebrew housewife is preparing her home for the ereat event, scrubbing floors and cupboards, and cleaning every spot in the h<. U se. Not a bit of leaven must be found on the day of the Passover, not any utensil used that has been employed with leaven food. On the morning of the festival eve the master of the house goes from room to room, performing the peculiar cere mony called Byur Chometz: that is. re moving the leaven or chometz. No one Is ever permitted to partake of bread or other leaven substance or liauid after 10 o'clock in the mornlne preced ing the feast, until the evening cere mony. On the evening of the first two niehts of Passover the males of the family at tend the synagogue, while the women prepare the table for the seder. The seder, or order <>f service, beeinß with the sanctification of the wine. God is thanked for tlie delights and blessines of life, and for having relieved the Is raelites from the Egyptian yoke. Then all at the table arise. Each person takes hold of the plate containing the unleavened bread, while the master re peats the service. In Jewish households it is the custom to bless the wine on the Sabbath eve. and on festival occa sions- Over it is pronounced the bless ing of sanctiflcation. The two loaves of bread always placed upon the table in every Jewish household at the Sab bath meal are typical of the two por tions of manna gathered by the Israel ites on the Sabbath eve in the wilder ness. To any student the religious ceremo nies of the Jews would be interestins. The Jewish teachers inculcate the doc trine that Judaism is the relirion of life, not death, and tesch us to enloy the blessings th* Lord has provided to hl» people during their sojourn unon earth. As in other religions, however. there are ascetics among the Hebrews who by no means pass their lives as if this were merely a world of pleasure, but spend their days in penitence and mortification. fy CATTERED through the "City of V^. Restaurants," as San Francisco v~~ 1 likes to call itself, are numerous X-"/ restaurants distinguished by the * title 'Kosher." Some of them are in the Ghetto, that quarter of the city in the neighborhood of Sixth and How ard streets; one is on Taylor street, one on Eddy street and others in various sections. While the majority understand that the "kosher" restaurants have some thing to do with the Jewish religion, few have real knowledge ot what the ■word implies. The sign "Kosher Res taurant" has no further meaning to the uninitiated than to emphasize the fact hat the mode of cooking in such a ♦afe is in strict accordance with the dietary laws of the Jews. In other words it means that the food cooked In such a restaurant, as in the Jewish home, is fit and proper, which is the literal translation of the word kosher. What is not kosher, according to the Jews, is "tcmeh" or unclean; if clean, it is "lo tomeh." There are but few^ Jews nowadays who live absolutely up to the laws of kosher. ■ During the Passover season, the or thodox Jews live up to old Biblical admonitions very strictly, but the re formed Hebrews by no means believe they should do the same. Certain dishes are cooked and eaten only during the Passover, the institution of which is fully described in Exodus, and which commemorates the "passing over" of the plague In Egypt without injury to the faithful of the Lord. This is the feast of unleavened bread, the bread known as matzos. It is a popular fallacy that pork must not be offered to a Jew at a meal. Any one reading up the Scriptures will find that terrapin is equally abhorrent to an orthc-dox Jew. The original mean- Ing, as already, stated, of the word kosher was "fit," "proper. '' In rabbini cal literature it had the meaning of "fit, ' "permitted " in contradistinction to "posul" and "terefah" (unfit, forbid den). Extensively used in the Halakah, the word crept into the common par lance of the Jews, and the verb "kash eren" wag formed to denc-te any pro cess by which vessels for food were made ritually fit for use. Thus, the process of cleansing vessels for the Passover festival is known by that term; also the process of immersing in a ritual bath new metal vessels bought from a nove-Jew. "Kosheren" is es pecially applied to the ritual prepara tion c-f meat. In order to soften meat before it is salted so as to allow the salt to extract the blood more freely, the meat is soaked in water for about half an hour. It is then covered with salt for an hour and afterward washed three times. The whole process is des ignated by the term "kosheren." The word kosher has domesticated it self to Jewish dietary laws, in accord ance with the Biblical and rabbinical regulations concerning forbidden food. The ancient Israelites lived chiefly on vegetable food and fruit, on which the Bible places no restriction. Among the early Hebrews animal food was par taken of by the common people only on festival occasions. Some of the Tanaim were of the opinion that during their journey through the wilderness the Is raelites were permitted to eat the meat of only such animals as had previous ly been sacrificed, some portions of which had been burned on the altar, and some given to the priests. The law of sacrifices is very fully laid out in the seventh chapter of Leviticus. The Bible, in its legislative portions, makes explicit provisions for the distinction between clean and unclean animals. These are all in the eleventh chapter of Leviticus. And the lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, paying untu them. Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: The»« are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Whatsoever parteth the haof, and Is cloven-footed, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye cat . Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth in* cud but dlvideth not the hoof; he la un clean unto you. And the coney, because he cheweth the cud. but dlvideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but dlvideth npt the hoof; be is unclean unto you. And the swine, thotiffh he divide the hoof and be cloven-footed, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean unto you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch- they are un clean to you. These shall ye eat of all that are In the waters: Whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters in the seas and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. And all that have not fins and scales in the **as end in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which Is la the waters, they shall be an abomina tion unto you. They shall be even an abotn laatlon unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. Whatsoever hath no fin? nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abom ination unto you. And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not b*: eaten, they are an abomination: The eagle and the ossifrage and the osprey. and the vul ture and the kite after his kind; every raven ■ after; his f kind; and * th* owl ■ and ' the -night- - hawlr, the cuckoo, and the cuckex* and the hawk alter 1 ; his kind; and; the little owl, and { the cormorant and i the owl; and the ! •wan 'and the pen£an?andjthe?gler,:ei£gle;^»nd'! ? .th«T«(k)rk^ the heron after her, klnd,-< the - lapwing land-: the bat:::-'. •■!;^.,^J: f v/* I'.^-;^' £? All: in«.fbwi£ jjia<^r#«a. upq»^(U-four ( : Snail be an abo nun alien unto you. -*-«•* | ' '; Yet these may ye eat of every , flying, creep- \ ing thing: that goeth upon all lour, which have less above < their* -" feet," to' leap wjlhal*uybtt» the/ ' earth. \C ; ;.W' •"• •* -'i'^-'vv :> t -'.>vT;"» v-^-'V*';?"!' :-' i Even these of "them yp may eat; locust ■ • aUer his. Kind.., and the balU locunt after .bin , ' kind," and 1 the . beetle \ after his * kind, : and } the • grasshopper aft-r kind.. ... . :^'r'^':'.^t'' . • Hut all other lly.ing, creeping things', which- I have four feet shall be: an abomination • unto ■ • you. ,?• v<- • •"•-''■" '•■:•:- << ' •Vi ■■■■■'■ *'i".---' ■ ■■■■ ' » And * for • the s?; r ye shall be unclean: who- - soever ,'tcucheth ,tM 'carcase of them shall be unclean until the even. : rj. :• i . ■••-*».: "-'■J". '■?•.: iV ■. And i whosoever beareth ought "of i the car- case of them shall .wash 'bis. clothes and be. unclean' until ; the -even. '.' ■'„■ .;• .':■'■' "\ ', • •■•■*'< ■■' ■ . The crrcases '~otl every ; beast ;» which divideth J the • hoof ; and f is not- cloven- footed, nor . chew- i eth , the ■ cud, . are 1 unclean , unto you j every one that toucheth them shall' bo unclean. ' f ';■;.' -. '.'■ ' : And ; whatsoever. goeth '£-. upon' ", • his paws,*. . among' all 'manner:. of beasts that go on all;; cur,' ; , those ■ are unclean '* . unto ;•; you; r j, whoso' touche.th ihelr carcase shall be unclean until 1 i the even. ,■ : - :•"..'<'■/- •■-;, ',■.-.'. '.". ';.-.'- ; -'- : >' -.- ' . And- he that beareth th« ; carcase- of ,them ! shall-, wash I his , clothes; - and ; be | unclean : until '.the even; they are un.lean unto you.;---;':: 1 .. s •• ", These also Fhall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel - and ¥ . the; mouse / and ;. the ;. tortoise ij '. after.. his klnd;. ¥ and the ferret and the *cha», meleon- and the ! lizard and the snail and the . mole. -■: .■■■A 1 .-, -i -: ' ■'',», •■' ■.*> '-.■■■".■■-. h- <>•':'•' <■?•' ■ These - nre unclean to " you among < all [i, that ; . creep; whosoever , doth ;j touch them- when th y be dead shall be unclean until the even. And upon .whatsoever any :of them; when -they 'are": ' d«ad. doth. falV , It' shall "be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood,' i or raiment, or skin,', ' or sack, or whatsoever vessel -it be. ;- wherein : .any work is done, It must be put' Into water, •, ami It shall 'be unclean until the even; be vnclean.' ..', - .■„. -: ..- r: ■» :."*;-•-! " And r ; every/.' thine •, whereupon • any ■ part of .: > their carcase falleth shall be unclean; whether It', be vven-or.ranz's for pots, ' they ; shall " be 1 . broken down- tor they ■: are 5 unclean and shall . .be . unclean to you.' i •> Nevertheless :a i fountain or, . j pit. wherein there -Is, plenty of water,-; shall he * clean;, but i that which .; touehr;th r . their carcase * shall be unclean. ':/.--■■-'.. .... • ■ '.-; * ' •. * r :~.'r: ' \ And .If any part . of ■ their . carcase fall , upon . • any .tc wing : seed : which ■ is to -be tyjwn," :lt' shalJ •• be clean. -vS366S*P«^^?^»l®jS*^3SsS^^B« - '". But If any J. water be"; put upon ', the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you. '.*?. -'■; ■ ,-.-.' *-;,j-.:« : , ~ , ; : •. '• And if i any :. beast iof I which. ye may eat ; : die, ' bo that toucheth! the. carcase thereof shall be unclean, until* the even. _ .; . . . :. ■ And he that ealeth of the careas? of it shall wash his clothes and 'be unclean until the even; : he i also that beareth the carcase of •it shall " wash his clothes and be unclean until the even. ■'."'/": :J_'.z".l '-'■ '-; • '. ■■' J/J- .-.*«*';?'-.; '.-■'■■'■ '"'And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; It shall not be : eaten. .. ; '.■■•. :■'■■. /■■■■■ .;,"'.■':'.:■■■. '•:•-, . ■ Whatsoever. goeth upon the belly, and what- ' for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves j - more feet among all creeping things that creep . :upon the earth, them ; shall ye ", not .; eat; f for .: . they- are -an i abomination. : '■•'■!■'. -V.: r %v>--v,j<_iJ. ;,■ P ■Ye ; shall ( not make ( yourself abominable with " r.ny : creeping th ing ■ that creepeth, neither shall ' ' ye make -yourselves uncle«n with them that yt should "be defiled : thereby. •;,. ••-■■ .: j -'For.; I am the "Lord your God; ye shall there fore sanctify; youraelves. and ;y* i shall be | holy: I for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves I with any manner of . creeping thing that ' creep- j ; eth f. upon '. the ' earth. ''■■j-'-'i. . - : -*,:''/.'. "'-.'- r. ■. • -\For, 1 am : the i Lord ; that bringeth you up out : of the; land; of Egypt to be your God; >ye shall \ ' therefore be holy, for I am: holy. - .-■-'■•";.'■ .;»*t. This in r the law of ? the beasts and of the ; fowl, • and cf , every living creature , that . moveth In .T: the .•. waters, • and of -_ every £ creature % that t ; I cretpeth ' upon • the I earth ; to make | a difference j .between , the unclean and the clean, and be- ' ; tween • the , beast \ that may ibe \ eaten ■ and i the > • beast that may not be ■' eaten. .-"..' : . One .of the strictest fot) the ' Jewish dietary laws applies] to the ; preparation i; of meat. The blood must be drawn and the meat properly salted or else It is not t . kosher. The mode of killing also enters 5 : : into the proper preparation. The kosher butcher shops, of which the kosher res- > ' taurants and the orthodox "i' Jews buy ; I their meat, obtain the : animals from the j ordinary slaughter-houses, but the beef r is not killed in the ordinary i way. On | j Mondays, Wednesdays | and : Fridays *in < • the i morning or afternoon one may ; see s ■ cattle slaughtered fin the kosher] fash ; ion. It ]is 1 certainly • more humane than the way the other animals meet their deaths, and 1 there is every argument in ~ ; its favor. It ■is more . than probable ! that ; the cattle are slaughtered In this way I to | insure 'their s being ' healthy. About : twenty head , a .week . are killed ; for-the ? "kosher" 6hops. The animal ]is * driven t THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALU. itUo" a sued and, «*.^»ut one of its fore legs is placed an iron ring, while a rope is tied about its legs in such a way that It cannot struggle. The sochet, tht rabbi deputed to kill the animal, is provided with a sharp knife of peculiar shape, being square instead of curved at the end. With this weapon he severs the /uguiar vein at one stroke, the ani mai's death being instantaneous. It. is this quick death that is supposed to conduce- to the purity of the flesh. The blood tlbws from the neck in a steady str«am for perhaps fifteen minutes, and then the carcass is hung up, with the head downward, so that if there is any mere blood to now it will come from the neck. The heart, liver and entrails are carefully examined to discover possible impurities, and if any of these appear the animal-* is rejected as not kosher. If it is all right it is blessed by the rabbi who killed it, and a label in He brew characters is pasted upon it. In the cold room-,., where the beeves are placed after the killing, the kosher law is also carefully observed. Everything is pure according to the Biblical in junction. The actual slaughtering must be done by an ordained rabbi. For twenty years Rabbi M. Golden has per formed the killing for the kosher meat at one slaughter-house. It is forbidden to use the milk of un clean animals which suffer from some visible malady. When, after the Jewish ritual slaughtering, an animal appar ently sound during its life is found to have been diseased, its milk or cheese made of its milk is fqrbldden as food. Now that the agitation about pure food 1h absorbing so much of the public's attention, these laws of the ancient Jev?s do not appear, so harsh as they would a few years ago. Indeed they appear wholly dictated by common sense. Eggs of unclean birds, or birds suffering from a visible sickness, are forbidden. The rabbis laid down the Israel's Ancient Kits* and symbolic jranc lions as practised, amor^ tine ortnodopc amid tke scenes of Modern American following as one sign In regard to the law: "If both ends of the egg are sharp or round, or if the yolk is outside and the white inside, it Is of an unclean bird." The roe of unclean fishes is also forbidden. Blood, which Is sup posed to contain the vital element, is repeatedly forbidden in the Bible, and not only blood itself, but flesh contain ing blood, is forbidden. This prohibi tion applies only to the blood of animals or of.blrds, not to the blood of fishes or of locusts. Only the blood which is contained in the veins or congealed upon the surface of the meat is forbid den. As long as it Is ti part of the meat it may be eaten. The three-fold repe tlon of the law prohibiting the seething of a kid in its mother's milk is explain ed by the rabbis as referrir.gr to three distinct prohibitions; casting meat and milk together. Animal fat is forbidden. Milk must not be drunk for two hours after meals. There are a great many delicious dishes prepared for Jewish consump tion that would commend themselves to epicures of all religions if they only knew of them, but to the majority of people they are utterly unknown. For instance, ha^ many would think of asking a butcher for a haslet? This means the liver, heart, lung and milt. The liver is generally cut off and the rest thrown away, unless especially asked for by a customer. There Is a restaurant down in the business quar ter which, though not strictly "kosher," makes a specialty of preparing certain Jewish dishes. It Is frequented between 11 asd 3 by prominent bankers and brokers and other men who are num bered among our epicures. From the bill of fare of this place one can select such distinctively Jewish dishea. M Wiener schnitzel, filled magen or stuffed, milt and sauerkraut. German fricadells and mushroom sauce, Swiss sausage and mashed potatoes, cold salmon with raisin sauce, sour beef with potato pan cake, Koenigsberger klops with caper sauce, sour lung and potato pancake, chopped Wiener schnitzel with paprika* sauce, Wiener meat roll with sauer kraut. lungennuss with egg. In neatly all Jewish and German households they know how to prepare these dishes, but to the French chef or the American cook who prides herself on her knowl edge of dainty cooking, they are dishea unknown. From a '"kosher" chef the writer obtained the following recipes: Cold salmon with raisin sauce (a. fa vorite Jewish dish). — The salmon is left whole, or cut in slices, boiled", then drained and laid on a dish. The sauce is prepared In the following way: Brown a piece of butter in the frying pan with a chopped onion and a little sugar. Soak a bit of honey cake In a cup of sour claret and add to the other ingredients in saucepan, with pepper, salt and a little ground ginger; also two slices of lemon, one-half cup.- of raisins and a bay leaf. Cook slowly and then pour over the fish. 3erva cold. Stuffed milt (another typical Jewtstt dish.) — There are two veins inside the milt which must be taken out and then it is scraped. To the- intide is added soaked bread, egg. onion,, chopped par sley and seasoning to taste; ail mixed together, and then sewed up. This is placed in boiling soup for half art hour, taken out and browned, and is ready to serve. Sour lung is an appetizing dish. Pre pare the lung by first thoroughly clean- Ins;, then ball until soft. Throw away the water and cut the lung into small squares. Put fat in the saucepan and brown an onion. Add (tour, a table spoonful of sugar and two of vinegar. Make smooth by adding one cup of meat stock and season with ginger, pepper, salt, a bay leaf and chopped parsley. The lung is then placed in the pan and all cooked slowly together for twenty minutes. Boiled beef can be prepared in the same W3y. Another munner is to prepare lung like hash, substitute soaked bread for. potatoes and serve on toast. The - heart, chopped ss in hash, sometimes with the lung and sometimes by Itself, is another favorite kosher dish.