In the Jewish religion, food laws are one of the most important parts of maintaining the faith. These laws are thought to have been sent by God to keep the Jewish people pure. Over the year it became easier for Jews to eat kosher, but many people chose to assimilate it as time went on. A tradition that began about 3500 years ago and has maintained its importance. Around 1275 BC many Jewish prophets began speaking about kashrut otherwise known as keeping kosher. They talked about how God wanted them to only eat certain foods so that their souls would stay clean. The definition of kosher means suitable or appropriate, which is what God intended for his people. In these times people were very skeptical about what they ate because they became contaminated, so they listened to the prophets. Many people would rather die than eat foods that are known to be non-kosher. An example of this is that Ezekiel had a vision in which the Lord came to him and told him about kashrut. Ezekiel (4:14), in his vision spoke of what he said: "Ah, Lord God; behold, my soul has not been defiled, for from my youth until now, I have not eaten that which death itself , nor is he torn to pieces by beasts; nor has abominable flesh entered into my mouth." Looking at it, you see that it speaks of how the soul can be polluted and how serious the consequences are of violating the rules that God has established detail were established as a poem in Leviticus 11:3 and Deuteronomy 14:6 They said: “Among wild beasts you may eat any animal that has split hooves and chews the cud. Any land mammal that does not possess both of these qualities is forbidden.” In the Torah it is said that things like the camel, the hare and the pig lack at least one of these......middle of paper......struggles like the Crusades and the Holocaust is truly an amazing feat .Works CitedThe Torah, [Torah the Five Books of Moses. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1963. Print. The Torah, [Torah the five books of Moses. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1963. Print. The Torah, [Torah the five books of Moses. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1963. Print. Chronicle of Solomon n. Samson, in: AM Habermann, Gezerot Ashkenaz ve-Zarefat (1945), 57"History of Kosher". The history of Kosher. Diversified Corporate Communications, 2013. Web. December 12, 2013. Rabinowicz, Harry and Rela Mintz Geffen. "Food Laws". Jewish Encyclopedia. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. vol. 5. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. 650-659. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Network. December 11. 2013.