Origins of Kosher Dietary Laws

Kashrut (kosher laws) originates in the Torah (Five Books of Moses), specifically:

• Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 – Lists permitted/forbidden animals, birds, fish, insects.
• Exodus 23:19, 34:26; Deuteronomy 14:21 – Prohibition against boiling a kid in its mother's milk (basis for meat-dairy separation).

Rabbis of the Mishnah (c. 200 CE) and Talmud (c. 500 CE) elaborated detailed interpretations (halakha) on slaughter (shechita), inspection, utensil separation, and holiday rules (e.g., Passover).

While the exact historical inception is debated, the biblical framework dates to the late 2nd millennium BCE (traditional: Sinai, c. 1300 BCE). Observance has been a defining feature of Jewish identity for over 2,500 years.