In the Jewish religion, dietary laws are one of the most important elements of keeping the faith. These laws are believed to be sent by God to keep the Jewish people pure. Over the years, it became easier for Jews to eat kosher, but many people chose to assimilate over time. A tradition that began around 3,500 years ago and has retained its importance. Around 1275 BCE, many Jewish prophets began to speak of kashrut, or remaining kosher. They explained that God wanted them to eat only certain foods so that their souls would remain pure. The definition of kosher means “fit,” which is what God desired for his people. At that time, people were very skeptical about what they ate because it was contaminated, so they listened to the prophets. Many people would rather die than eat food that is known not to be kosher. An example of this is that Ezekiel had a vision in which the Lord came to him and spoke to him about kosher. Ezekiel (4:14), in his vision, spoke of what he said which was "Ah, Lord God, behold, my soul has not been polluted, for from my youth until now I I have not eaten of that which died of itself, or torn by beasts; and no abhorred flesh entered my mouth. As you look at this, you see that he is talking about how the soul can be polluted and how serious the consequences of breaking the rules that God has established can be. The more detailed rules were laid down as a poem in Leviticus 11:3 and Deuteronomy 14:6 They said: “Of the beasts of the earth you may eat any animal that has cloven hooves and chews the cud. Any land mammal not possessing these two qualities is prohibited.” In the Torah it is said that things like the camel, the hare and the pig lack at least one of...... middle of paper ...... struggles such as the Crusades and the holocaust are truly an incredible 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 b. Samson, in: AM Habermann, Gezerot Ashkenaz ve-Zarefat (1945), 57 “History of Kosher”. The history of kosher. Diversified Business Communications, 2013. Web. December 12, 2013. Rabinowicz, Harry and Rela Mintz Geffen. “Dietary laws”. Judaica Encyclopedia. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. Flight. 5. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. 650-659. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Internet. December 11. 2013.