Kosher for Gentiles: Chosen Diet for Chosen People

By Deborah Poland

What does the Bible say about your diet?

We are bombarded daily with marketing messages on diet, nutrition, and health. Most of those are just marketing messages with little or no basis in reality.

Common s

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Jun 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781637692318

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Kosher for Gentiles

A Chosen Diet for CHosen People

Deborah Poland

Trilogy Christian Publishers

TUSTIN, CA

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive

Tustin, CA 92780

Copyright © 2021 by Deborah Poland

All scripture quotations are taken from the Authorized King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted. Public domain.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the author.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

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Trilogy Christian Publishing/ TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-1-63769-230-1

ISBN 978-1-63769-231-8 (ebook)

The information provided in this book is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. This book is not meant to be used, nor should it be used, to diagnose or treat any medical condition. For diagnosis or treatment of any medical problem, consult your own physician. The publisher and author are not responsible for any specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision and are not liable for any damages or negative consequences from any treatment, action, application or preparation, to any person reading or following the information in this book. References are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsement of any websites or other sources. Readers should be aware that any website listed in this book may change.

Contents

Preface v

PART I

Why Look to the Bible 2

In the Beginning 28

Daniel—the Most Famous Vegan in the Bible 49

God Changes Diet Based on Assignment 55

Biblical Characters with Food Problems 65

Kosher—The Laws 77

Kosher Laws Infographic 91

General Biblical Diet Guidelines 92

Esther—Ultimate Celebration 120

PART II

Implementation 125

Kitchen Clean-up Infographic 143

Appendix 149

Body Mass Index Chart 149

Preface

You might be wondering why I would write a book about the Old Testament Kosher laws. I wrote this book because the kosher laws make total sense for today and if God cared to write them in the Bible; it must be for a reason. Here is a personal story which I believe God used to introduce me to this concept at an early age.

My mother worked for two Jewish brothers who immigrated to America. They ended up in Chattanooga, Tennessee and started a scrap metal business. I still remember the small two-story office building next to the scrap metal yard where trucks would pull up to buy metal. The brothers built Siskin Steel and Supply into a large company, that after their death was bought my Reliance Steel.

My mother worked in the shoe department of the local department store. One of the brothers came in to buy shoes. My mother took care of him, evidently, very well. He asked the owner of the store if he could hire my mother. The owner said, yes and my mother began a fifty-eight-year work history at Siskin Steel. That is not a typo, yes, she worked there fifty-eight-years.

The Siskin bothers adopted me. They both were the most generous persons I have ever met. One brother, Moses, had a gregarious personality. I did not grow up in a church going family. So, it did not seem odd to me that my mother would take me to work with her on Sunday. It was usually my mother and the two brothers working at the steel company on every Sunday. I loved going because I got to sit at a desk and play with the huge calculator! They took God’s command to work six days to heart.

During the summer, Moses would send me to Jewish day camp at the local Jewish Community Center. He arranged for a car to pick me up and take me home. The driver, Ruth, would arrive each day. I never really knew what an opportunity I had. I knew we would dance, sing songs in a language I did not know, and have an all-around wonderful day.

My mother would always pack me a lunch to take to camp. She packed the same lunch every day. Bologna sandwich on white bread with mayonnaise, a bag of chips, and a Little Debbie snack cake.

My friend at camp, Adrian, had the same thing every day for lunch as well. She would always have peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Now, I loved peanut butter and jelly and Adrian loved bologna. Since Adrian was Jewish, I now wonder if I was her first introduction to bologna. We traded sandwiches every day until we were caught!

This story was told for years. I would just laugh when it was told, as I did not know what the big deal was. I wonder if my mother ever knew. No one gave her a lesson on how to pack a kosher lunch. I don’t think she ever knew about kosher laws. These brothers were so gracious; I don’t think they would have risked hurting her feelings.

I choose to study Nutrition at Liberty University because I believe God does care about how we take care of our bodies – His temple. While Liberty does allow you to relate life to the Bible, there was no specific study of Kosher. It was during my course on Food Safety when the ah ha moment came to me. Each bacteria and virus seemed to have it roots in something God commanded us not to eat. I became obsessed with investigating kosher laws even further. I was surprised to find there was not a course on the subject. Something I hope to change in the future.

You will hear believers in Jesus say – I am a New Testament Christian. I am not under the Law. Does that mean you don’t believe in the Ten Commandments?

The Law of the Old Testament convicts us of sin. It stirs our hearts to show us what is right and wrong. While the Law diagnosis’s the sin, it does not treat the sin. To treat the sin, you must decide what to do about it and take action.

Part I of this book will show you the Scriptures that relate to food and what the Word says about food and health. Part II of the book will help you take action on what you have learned. I encourage you to take knowledge into action.

Join me in taking a journey to live a life set apart from the world.

PART I

Why Look to the Bible?

We turn to the Bible for nearly every purpose under the sun. We seek comfort from its verses in times of need. We study it to find meaning and purpose in life, and to become better people in the process. We quote it to defend our choices, our politics, and our arguments. Some of our athletes hold it up to give thanks for their success. Some of us are so moved by its words that we commit them to memory, adorn our house with their verses, and even tattoo them on our bodies.

The Bible is the fount of an amazing amount of the wisdom we hold dear in this world. Yet very few people look to it when they are seeking advice on diet and health. Man’s most common vice these days is the propensity to eat too much, eat the wrong foods, subject our bodies to ingredients and compounds that push us toward all sorts of diseases, and make us feel bad to boot.

Why do we ignore the Bible’s teachings in these matters when we adhere so much to them in other parts of life? We commit to memory the Ten Commandments; we recite the Lord’s Prayer with fervor and the utmost of conviction; and John 3:16 has been more to Super Bowls than any player in the history of the NFL.

Our obsession with food runs deep. We covet it, we horde it, we break promises to ourselves and others to get more of the things we want most. We idolize it. When we talk about our bad food habits, we use words that in other connotations raise warning flags of living in disharmony with what we know to be right and good.

I cheated on my diet yesterday.

I just couldn’t help myself, I had to do it.

I work hard all day; I deserve to eat what I want for dinner.

We lie to ourselves to get what we want when it comes to our eating habits. We justify doing what we know is the wrong thing. We tell ourselves that rules apply to others but not to ourselves. Then we wonder why our clothes don’t fit; why we’re getting so tired late in the day; why our blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar counts keep rising and rising.

Regardless of your religion, regardless of your beliefs, regardless of whether you’ve never looked at the Bible outside of a hotel room or have a copy so worn you have to hold it together with duct tape, one simple fact applies to everyone.

The key to healthy living, the sort of eating that guarantees you a longer, healthier life, is all written in the Bible. It is spoken by Jesus, his disciples, and the men and women of God who came before Him and after. If you are a seeker, a believer, a skeptic, or a follower, the words are the same. If you follow them, you can shed your bad habits, correct the faulty course